Blocks Lamps Tlahuilli Mesatl by Rio Jiunyu Chen

Blocks Lamps Tlahuilli Mesatl by Rio Jiunyu Chen is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 Mahuizolli A' Design Award Tepoztli in Tlahuilli Tlachihualli ihuan Tlahuiltequitilli Tlachihchihualiztli Competition Category.

TepoztliTlahuilli· 2025

Blocks Lamps Tlahuilli Mesatl

by Rio Jiunyu Chen

Client: Rio Chen Studio

Mahuizolli A' Design Award Tepoztli Winner in Tlahuilli Category

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Colors

The Design

About Blocks Lamps Tlahuilli Mesatl

In Blocks Lamps ce nechicolli in tlahuilmeh mesatl tlachihchiuhtli iuhquin ixiptlayotl, tlaneltoquililli itech in altepetl calmeyotl. In macuilli neixcuitilli quicuih intech amoxcaltin, tlapantin huehcapan, calmeh altepetl ihtic, tlapechtli ilcuepnitoc ihuan yaoyotl tlaixnamiquiliztlan. Cecen tlahuilli tlachihchiuhtli ica cuauhtlazcoyoctli iztac, tepoztli ihuan amaxihuitl amatl. In cuauhitl inelhuayo neixcuitilli, tlacuiliztli itech tlein ehualoc quinamaca amoxtin, mochihua ipan in tlanamactli, ic tlanextilia in cahuitl ipanoliz. Ihcuac in tlahuiltin motlalia cecni nepan, in nechicolli neci iuhquin ce altepetl calmeyotl ihuan quichihua ce nepanolli in tlahuilli ihuan tlayohualli. In nechicolli quitta in tlahuilli iuhquin tlein ce tlacatl ihuan no ce calmeyotl tlamantli.

The Recognition

About the Mahuizolli A' Design Award Tepoztli

Blocks Lamps Tlahuilli Mesatl ca in quicuic in Mahuizolli A' Design Award Tepoztli, tlamahuizoliztli tlen momaca in cualli dizayno in quitlalia in tlen monequi ipan tequitl ihuan tlachihualiztli in quimaca in cualli tlachihualli. In quicuicah Tepoztli quinextia in hueyi tlamatiliztli, toltecayotl ihuan ihuelitiliztli intlachihuanime. Ca quinequi in Blocks Lamps Tlahuilli Mesatl ca tlazohtli, mahuiztic, yancuic ihuan motequiuhtia. Ni dizayno in quicuic Tepoztli quihuelitia in tlamatiliztli ihuan quipia chicahualiztli tlen tepoztli. Blocks Lamps Tlahuilli Mesatl quicualtia in nemiliztli ihuan quihuelitia in cemanahuac ica cualli.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Blocks features a series of sculptural table lamps that evoke the geometry of city blocks. Each lamp combines minimalist forms with textured surfaces, offering a modular aesthetic inspired by Chen’s experience of constant relocation—from Taiwan to Chicago and New York. The designs capture the tension between permanence and transience, symbolizing how objects and spaces accumulate meaning over time.
Dimensions & Packaging: Tower Lamp: 120mm x 120mm x 343mm, Library Lamp: 153mm x 280mm x 172mm, Pyramid Lamp: 228mm x 228mm x 178mm, Arena Lamp: 203mm x 203mm x 203mm, House Lamp: 120mm x 120mm x 203mm.
Material: White Oak, steel, and mulberry paper.
Tags: Architectural Design, Lighting, Lamps, Wood, Blocks
Production Technology: The sculptural table lamps take cues from architectural forms, spanning libraries, towers, townhouses, inverted pyramids, and arenas. These shapes transform familiar structures into modular, intimate objects, blurring the line between furniture and urban design. The wood grain textures from Chen’s printmaking technique are integrated into the lamp shades, transferring the organic patterns of wood onto a new material surface. This approach reinforces themes of time, material memory, and transformation within the lighting design.
Design Challenge: Inspired by Chen’s personal journey relocating between Taiwan, Chicago, and New York, the collection examines the act of packing, shifting, and reassessing belongings—both physically and emotionally.
Blocks reflects an object-oriented perspective, questioning how we define value, space, and memory in our lives. The work suggests that cubes—whether seen as obstacles, pixels, cities, or cherished objects—shape our perception of place and belonging.
Research: Blocks is a design-driven research project exploring architecture, material memory, and movement in object design. Inspired by relocation, it examines how urban landscapes and modularity shape emotional connections to objects. Drawing from libraries, towers, and townhouses, the lamps resemble cityscapes with wood grain-imprinted shades that capture time’s passage. The project reimagines lighting as both personal and architectural, bridging design, space, and memory.
Inspiration: The sculptural table lamps take cues from libraries, towers, townhouses, inverted pyramids, and arenas, transforming familiar structures into modular lighting pieces. When assembled together, the lamps resemble a city block, creating a dynamic interplay of light and shadow that evokes the rhythms of urban environments. The wood grain textures from Chen’s printmaking technique are integrated into the lamp shades, transferring natural patterns onto a new medium and reinforcing the theme of time.
Project Duration: The project started at the end of 2024 and was exhibited in Stockholm Furniture Fair Greenhouse Exhibition 2025.
Operation Flow: When assembled together, the lamps resemble a city block, creating a dynamic interplay of light and shadow that evokes the rhythms of built environments.
Team Members: Rio Jiunyu Chen (Me)
Image Credits: Image 01 and 02: Studio 57
Image 03: Rio Jiunyu Chen