The Drum Lamp by Uhuru is a simple design that is well executed with a few good materials. In architecture school they used to tell us to keep models to three materials maximum for clarity and sanity. I still believe in the three material rule, and it appears Uhuru does as well. The contrast of the weathered wood base against the black post and white lamp shade is well balanced and proportioned leaving the lamp with a lightness and sense of the ground plane.

Drum Lamp. Designed by Uhuru.

Coney Island Makes a Comeback

The Drum Lamp is part of Uhuru’s Coney Island Line that is crafted from reclaimed wood taken for the demolished boardwalk. For the non-New Yorkers, Coney Island has been under siege in recent history and is therefore being memorialized throughout many fields including design. The Drum Lamp is inspired by the concrete-filled oil cans that can be found around Coney Island to hold a variety of posts from parking signs to umbrellas. The “drum” is made from solid reclaimed oak timbers that are carved into the shape of an oil drum. Four LED bars sit within the crisp white shade.

Coney Island’s iconic boardwalk was installed in the late 1940’s. The Ipe wood has been weathered by sun, snow, salt and hot dogs for over 70 years. “The design is inspired by the duality of Coney Island- its whimsical, colorful summers and melancholy winters. The pieces interpret the architecture of the desolate dreamscape: low-rise buildings patched with signs and seasonal layers of paint, beneath the towering old-fashioned rollercoaster.”

Each Drum Lamp is hand made to order, with a possibility of 10 to be made in total.

Uhuru is based out of Redhook, Brooklyn and is known for their quality modern design made from recycled and reclaimed materials. Founded in 2004 by Rhode Island School of Design Graduates Jason Horvath and Bill Hilgendorf, Uhuru is a design/build company that has excelled at creating environmentally friendly designs that merge great design sense with sustainability.