Gantri’s Artistic Lamps Illuminate the Possibilities of 3D Printing

From left to right, the Zeppelin (by L.A.–based Chris Granneberg), the Float (by Milan-based Viviana Degrandi), and the Model TL2 (a Gantri original)

There’s nothing like a good lamp to really tie a room together, and 3D printing has opened up the floodgates for the creation of some very cool lamps. Ian Yang, founder of Gantri, loves 3D printed lamps – so much so that he started a company dedicated to them. Gantri is officially a housewares company, but lighting and lamps are a focal point, and they’re all 3D printed by designers from around the world. The company launched last year with a collection of 30 3D printed lamps, all for less than $200.

The hard part is deciding which lamp you want to accent your home – they’re all fascinating to look at. There’s Iceberg by Hannah Fink, which looks, you guessed it, just like an iceberg. Or you can go with Arco by Arielle Pollock, which resembles a large crystal stood on its end. If you want a more traditional look, there’s the elegant Paris by Javier Martinez, or if lanterns are your thing, you might like 7th Order by HEWN. No matter your taste, you’re likely to find something that suits you and your decor – and you’re supporting independent designers.

3D printing, as Gantri illustrates, allows for some pretty intricate, neat designs, and it also helps designers get their designs off the ground much more quickly. Traditional manufacturing processes usually require 18 to 24 months to launch a new product, but Gantri, using 3D printing, can have a product ready in about 12 to 14 weeks.

Yang studied at the London School of Economics before moving to San Francisco and joining an open-access studio where he began learning about 3D printing, laser cutting, and other advanced manufacturing techniques. He was especially taken with 3D printing, and within two years he had launched Gantri, which is dedicated to using the technology to create unique and affordable functional art.

Sopp Table Light by Kiyv, Ukraine–based architect Max Voytenko

While 3D printing opens up new possibilities for lighting design, and makes it quicker and cheaper than traditional production techniques, it’s still quite a challenge. When asked why he decided to start with lighting, Yang replied:

“Because it’s so hard to do! It’s a perfect example of the problem we’re trying to solve.”

Gantri’s designers hail from all over the world; there are artists from North America, Brazil, Colombia, the United Kingdom, Spain, Italy and the Ukraine. Each brings a distinctive vision to the table; you won’t find anything like most of these lamps at IKEA. All of Gantri’s lamps are 3D printed from sustainable PLA and are available in shades of white, gray and black. There’s something surreal and futuristic-looking about many of them, which perfectly illustrates the futuristic technology from which they were made. Put a Gantri lamp in your home, and you definitely will have a conversation-starter.

Currently, the design submission process is invite-only, but Yang wants to open it up in the future.

“We attract designers who really want to build their design brands,” he said. “One day we want to support everybody.”

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