Workstead's lanterns combine the richness of silk with a warm glow
An otherworldly lamp collection, the Lantern series by Workstead features raw silk shades and nostalgic silhouettes in three designs
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Light-filled and lightweight, this scene-stealing pendant, by Brooklyn-based interior and lighting design studio Workstead, forms part of a new lighting collection, dubbed ‘Lantern’.
An exercise in ethereal beauty and time-honoured craftsmanship, the collection is handmade in the American south by a third-generation, family-run workshop, with the light source shrouded in raw dupioni silk. The lamps are then hand-finished with brass fittings in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia.






The 36-inch pendant lamp, crafted from two subtly inset, mirrored half-domes joined along the equator, is like a softly glowing creature that appears to float in space. The collection also includes a small pendant option and a wall sconce, each developing the design's gentle forms in new practical directions.
'Like a perfectly cut garment, every seam along the spherical shade is intentional, creating structure, softness, and silhouette,' reads a note from its creators. 'The interior is fully lined, allowing light to diffuse through in a warm, even glow – both functional and sensorial.'
This is a lighting collection offering a sculptural, otherworldly presence that sees each piece hover with a benevolent majesty within a voluminous void.
‘Lantern’ pendant with custom hardware and hand-finished tassel, $12,420, by Workstead
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Hugo is a design critic, curator and the co-founder of Bard, a gallery in Edinburgh dedicated to Scottish design and craft. A long-serving member of the Wallpaper* family, he has also been the design editor at Monocle and the brand director at Studioilse, Ilse Crawford's multi-faceted design studio. Today, Hugo wields his pen and opinions for a broad swathe of publications and panels. He has twice curated both the Object section of MIART (the Milan Contemporary Art Fair) and the Harewood House Biennial. He consults as a strategist and writer for clients ranging from Airbnb to Vitra, Ikea to Instagram, Erdem to The Goldsmith's Company. Hugo recently returned to the Wallpaper* fold to cover the parental leave of Rosa Bertoli as global design director, and is now serving as its design critic.