Warm light is immediately calming to the system, a flickering facsimile of our ancestors gathering around fire. The Farolito Light from Wooj captures this indelible warmth within delicate paper-like form, taking inspiration from the paper lanterns or farolitos of New Mexico. The traditional paper lantern’s glow is created from placing a votive candle inside a paper bag, acting as a simple yet beautiful decoration for holidays and special occasions. The Farolito Light takes the crispness of paper and translates that to a more solid form, 3D printed here in bioplastic perfect for offering durability and just the right amount of opacity.
Based in Brooklyn, New York, Wooj utilizes additive manufacturing to replicate the unique and detailed vertices usually only found in paper – only this version is far less fragile. The Farolito Light stands proudly, light filling the diffuser. Initial iterations of the lamp stem from a brown paper bag, embodying the forms characteristic to the utilitarian storage solution. Yet the design is elevated through a glowing square featuring simulated folds, all components coming together in a way that creates a feeling of sturdiness and security, despite the form appearing delicate.
Wooj creates fun, enduring design – things that make the world a more interesting place to live in. Printed in Brooklyn, they are drawn to forms that would be incredibly time consuming or complex to create using traditional methods, one of the key benefits of 3D printing. They have created an additive manufacturing infrastructure that democratizes the design process, allowing as many people to enjoy their products as possible. Led by founder and designer Sean Kim, the combination of good design and sustainable, ethical manufacturing in one of the most expensive cities in the world is not only possible, but probable, creating more opportunities for growth for the designer, producer, and consumer.
To learn more about the Farolito Light from Wooj, visit wooj.design.
Photography by Joanne Li.
​Â
