Blocks Lamps Isibani Setafula by Rio Jiunyu Chen

Blocks Lamps Isibani Setafula by Rio Jiunyu Chen is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2025 Umklomelo Wensimbi we-A' Design Award in Ukudizayina Ukukhanyisa Competition Category.

InsimbiUkukhanyisa· 2025

Blocks Lamps Isibani Setafula

by Rio Jiunyu Chen

Client: Rio Chen Studio

Umklomelo Wensimbi we-A' Design Award Winner in Ukukhanyisa Category

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Colors

The Design

About Blocks Lamps Isibani Setafula

Blocks Lamps iwucwecwe lwezibani zetafula ezibaziwe ngobuciko, ezigqugquzelwe wubuchwepheshe bezakhiwo bamadolobha. Izakhiwo ezinhlanu zisekelwe emitapweni yezincwadi, emiphondweni, emizini yasedolobheni, emaphiramidini aguqukile kanye nasezinkundleni. Isibani ngasinye senziwe ngomuthi we-white oak, insimbi kanye nephepha lomju. Amasu obuciko wesende lwesigodo athathwe kwezokushicilela wedlulisiwe ezimbozweni zezibani, ekhumbuza ukudlula kwesikhathi. Uma izibani zibekwa ndawonye, leli qembu lifana nesigceme sedolobha futhi ludale ukusebenzelana kokukhanya nesithunzi. Lolu cwecwe lubheka ukukhanyisa njengento yakomuntu siqu kanye nento yobuchwepheshe bezakhiwo ngasikhathi sinye.

The Recognition

About the Umklomelo Wensimbi we-A' Design Award

Blocks Lamps Isibani Setafula iwinile uMklomelo Wensimbi we-A' Design Award, ukwaziswa okuhloniphekile okunikezwa imiklamo emihle ehlangabezana nezidingo zobungcweti nezemboni ezilindelekile ezimpahleni ezihlelwe kahle. Abawinile beNsimbi babonisa ikhono elikhulu, ubungcweti obuphezulu, ukuqonda kochwepheshe namandla okudala abadali babo. Blocks Lamps Isibani Setafula ilindeleke ukuba ibe yinto exatshwa kakhulu, edunyiswayo nethandwayo esebenzayo nenezinto ezintsha. Lo mklamo owinile uMklomelo Wensimbi we-A' Design Award uhlanganisa izindlela ezinhle kakhulu zemboni futhi unezimfanelo zobuchwepheshe ezifanelekile ezihlanganiswe nolwazi nethalente. Blocks Lamps Isibani Setafula iyahlonishwa ngenxa yokucophelela kwayo futhi ihlelelwe ukulethela izinguquko zomgangatho wempilo ezisiza ukwenza umhlaba ube yindawo engcono.

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