What is a Shoji Lamp?
Shoji lamps are glowing boxes of bamboo and paper, constructed with thin, wooden slats holding rectangles of white rice paper to diffuse the light bulb’s glare. Unlike most lamps, the lampshade and body of a shoji lamp are integrated into one rectilinear unit. Inspired by Japanese shoji screens, the lamp glows serenely and exudes natural calm that resembles sunlight where windows aren’t possible. Table, floor, and hanging lamps are created in the shoji style. There are four materials necessary to every Japanese house: paper, wood, earth, and reed. A lamp contains two of them. Fibrous papers, such as rice or mulberry paper, turn a regular incandescent bulb into a softened, white object. Japanese handmade papers called washi are perfect for this application. Washi don’t have the opacity of wood-pulp paper; therefore their translucence diffuses light. Often bamboo lattices the frame. It might be so thin that light can shine through, showing off the grain’s intricate patterns. A subtle des
