Wooden light fixture hanging from the ceiling in a dark room.

FIG

2024

Product Design

For Yellow Goat Design

Design a small to medium size pendant light around a single or several sources of light. The design should take into consideration the current manufacturing capabilities of Yellow Goat Design or other local fabricators, as well as ensuring the design is suitable for a larger quantity to be produced.

Wooden picture frame molding pieces arranged on a striped towel on a concrete floor.
Close-up of a wooden object with a metallic latch or hook attached.
A modern wooden floor lamp with a unique, layered design illuminating a dark room, creating shadows on the black carpeted floor.
Modern wooden and metal art installation illuminated from below, casting shadows on black carpeted floor.
A wooden chandelier hangs from the ceiling, illuminated from within, casting shadows on the ceiling.
A wooden chandelier with multiple vertical slats illuminated by a central light bulb, suspended from the ceiling by cords. A person's hand is adjusting the cords.
A ceiling light fixture casting shadow patterns on the ceiling and a person holding a string attached to a wooden hanging lamp.
Modern wooden chandelier hanging from the ceiling with a lightbulb inside, casting shadows on the wall.
A modern hanging wooden chandelier with vertical slats casting shadows on the ceiling in a dimly lit room.
A wooden lamp with vertical slats and a central light bulb, with various tools hanging on hooks inside.
Part of a wooden chime or xylophone instrument being played, with a person's arm reaching over it, casting shadows on the wall.
Wooden slats hanging from the ceiling in an industrial-style office space.
A large pendant light fixture with wooden slats partially covering the bulbs, hanging from the ceiling in an office or workspace with windows and desks.
Indoor office space with wooden slat partition hanging from the ceiling and illuminated by warm lighting. Office furniture, supplies, and a reception area are visible in the background.

Ideation

I wanted the feeling the light provides its contextual environment to dictate the form

A collage of images related to architecture and interior design, including forest trees, leaves, light fixtures, pendant lights, wooden ceiling textures, and interior spaces with wooden and leather elements, annotated with words like 'shape,' 'material,' 'texture,' 'context,' and 'light diffusion.'
Sketches of various planter designs, including circular and elongated shapes, top view and profile views, with notes on vine placement.
Sketch of a rectangular furniture piece with four lights hanging from the top

Personally, I gravitate towards warm, diffused lighting and organic materials.

I drew inspiration from a fig tree to dictate the form. I love the calming effect I feel from their presence and I wanted to emulate this energy in my pendant light.

As seen in my sketches, the top view reflects the shape of a fig leaf, and the body of the design, the trunk of a fig tree. Three lights are then hung at varying heights inside the design.

Modelling & Production

Tolerances presented the greatest challenge throughout the production process. process.

Diagram of a large wooden clock with interlocking vertical wooden slats, metal rods, and mechanical components.
A vertical metallic and wooden structure with circular cutouts at the top, on a dark carpeted floor, with a beige cloth bag partially visible nearby.
Four wooden pieces with notches and markings, lined up on a wooden surface, with an additional piece attached to a clear stand on the right. Handwritten notes on the pieces include 'V2', measurements, and notes such as '2.95', '2.55', '2.98', and '2.45 mm'.
Close-up of a CNC machine's spindle, mounted on a light blue metal structure with several gold-colored adjustment knobs, and flexible blue and black tubing, situated above a wooden work surface with precise lines.
A battery holder with four AAA batteries connected to a small electronic project with a light bulb attached to a red wire.
A partially assembled wooden and clear plastic circular display stand on a tiled floor, with multiple vertical wooden supports around the perimeter.
Disassembled metal and wooden parts on dark carpet, likely parts of a furniture or craft project.

The modelling was completed in Fusion360. The final model is a 1:2 scale model of the proposed pendant light at 600mm tall, featuring 41 identical wooden slats with specifically designed clips that attach to two identical 3mm clear acrylic plates located at the top and bottom of the design.

Lightburn was used for the laser cutting process. The wooden slats were cut from 7mm plywood and the acrylic plate from 3mm clear acrylic. The total cutting time for these pieces was 1 hour and 30 minutes.

Before cutting the pieces, I created tests of the clip mechanism to account for the tolerance of the machine which was found to be +0.25mm.

Final Product

A decorative wooden wall feature with vertical slats and acrylic supports, illuminated by a light source behind it.
A modern chandelier made of wooden slats hanging from the ceiling in a dark room, with light reflections creating shadows on the ceiling.