Kai Table Lamp [TOTEM Series]

Kai (said kaa-ee, with a soft E at the end) is the Urdu word for seaweed, and when this lamp came together it had that same quality to me: a column of shapes rising slowly upward, the way something grows from the sea floor toward the light.

It begins with a tall wooden cylinder, turned on the lathe, stained dark, and drilled through with holes that wander across the grain in loose, uneven rows. Above it sits a block of wood washed in blue, the grain still showing through the colour. From there the lamp turns bright, into a red turned wooden form with sharp shoulders and a narrow waist, before a black powder-coated metal cone draws everything up to a point. At the very top, a speckled ceramic ovoid, cut in half, holds the socket just beneath a grey drum shade. The whole piece stands on a matte black metal foot.

This is a one-of-a-kind piece from the Totem series. I designed it and made it entirely by hand, turning each of the wooden pieces myself on the lathe. No two pieces in this series are the same, and once this lamp is gone, it will not be made again.

If you have a question, or would like to talk about a custom piece or a different shade, reach out through our contact form or write to us directly at info@tahirmahmood.com.

Tahir Mahmood, Designer & Founder