Why do people love books? Because what the book is about, the story or topic. But lots of people also like the cover. It’s the first thing you notice when you see a book. A cover can be intriguing and convincing. Of course we know the famous expression ‘don’t judge a book by its cover’. Although looking at a cover can give you a certain idea and feeling about a book. But the story of a book is what a book is all about.
So what if this cover could be shown and used without putting the book on a bookshelf? What if you could upcycle a book without cutting it up or removing the cover? Well meet the ‘BookLamp‘, a fantastic project I found on kickstarter.

The BookLamp tells a story

BookLamp is a design by Tessa Kuyvenhoven, based in The Hague | The Netherlands. Tessa designed the BookLamp 10 years ago and together with Cim Froeling she developed the lamp further to what it is today.

The Booklamp is an energy efficient and sustainable lamp, handmade ​​out of wood and copper. “A LED light is incorporated in the armature, which will last at least 30 (yes thirty!) years. The lamp can transform your space and mood easily, by simply replacing the book for another one, as a lampshade. Because of the thin wire the book appears to be floating in the air, which works your imagination.”
Tessa Kuyvenhoven is a very talented interior/product designer. She graduated at the Royal Academy of Arts The Hague in 2004. In 2006 she founded Studio Intussen. Studio Intussen [Intussen is Dutch for ‘meanwhile’] develops projects and designs for companies and individuals. Since the first sketch of the lamp 10 years ago, many have passed. At first the armature was made out of aluminium.
Cim Froeling has love for good products/concepts and branding the ones that deserve it. From building her own store to creating concepts for brands.

Photos © Cim Froeling & Tessa Kuyvenhoven

I think the BookLamp provides a very charming and functional way to show off your favorite book or your mood and is adaptable to any interior. With one major benefit, like I’ve said before, without damaging a book. We’ve seen some pretty nice upcycle designs [1, 2, 3, 4, 5] using discarded or just old books. But most creations involve cutting up books or drilling holes in the books. Great about The BookLamp is its very friendly approach towards books. Like Cim & Tessa state at their kickstarter project page: The lamp that tells a story!
The BookLamp project really deserves to reach its goal.

Design by Tessa Kuyvenhoven