Baleine Lamp — 3D Printed Table Lamp in Recycled Plastic

Baleen is the fringed filtering structure inside a whale's mouth — long parallel ribs, closely set, tapering along their length. That's the pattern the shade is built from, and it runs through both printed layers rather than sitting on the surface of one.

Inner and outer shells carry the same ribbing at different depths from the light source. When the lamp is on, the textured inner form shows through the outer layer, and because the two ribbed surfaces sit apart from each other, they interfere rather than simply overlapping. The result is a Fresnel effect: concentric banding that reorganizes as you shift position.

On a table this reads at close range, which suits the detail. Beside a chair or on a desk you see the two layers separate and the banding resolve; the pendant version of the same design works from further away and from below.

Made from recycled plastic, printed to order, with variation between pieces inherent to the process.

SPECIFICATIONS

• Material: Recycled plastic
• Construction: 3D printed, two-layer shell
• Texture: Ribbed baleen-inspired pattern on inner and outer shells
• Type: Table lamp
• Designer: Christopher Merchant
• Also available as: Plug-in pendant

KEY FEATURES

• Ribbed texture carried through both printed layers
• Fresnel effect — concentric banding that shifts with viewing angle
• Inner form revealed through the outer shell when lit
• Recycled plastic construction
• Sculptural presence when unlit
• Natural variation in texture and color between pieces

CARE INSTRUCTIONS

• Dust with a soft dry cloth or low-pressure air duster, working along the ribbing
• Do not use water, solvents, or chemical cleaners on the printed material
• Avoid abrasive cloths, which can flatten the ribbed texture
• Keep away from heat sources and prolonged direct sunlight — printed material can soften or warp at high temperatures
• Unplug and let the bulb cool fully before cleaning
• Use LED bulbs to limit heat against the printed shade
• Handle by the base rather than the shade when repositioning

HOW TO STYLE IT

The banding effect depends on angle, so this belongs where people move past or shift around it — a side table beside a sofa, a console in a room you cross regularly, a desk you approach from different directions. On a static bedside table you get one fixed view, which loses half of what the design does.

Give it a plain background. Concentric banding against a patterned wall or a busy shelf turns into visual noise; against flat paint the pattern registers cleanly.

Pair with smooth, solid materials — ceramic, stone, finished wood. Keep other ribbed, fluted, or perforated objects out of the same sightline, including the Drum lamps if you carry them.

If you're running the pendant version elsewhere in the home, put them in separate rooms. The identical texture at two formats in one space reads as repetition.