Somewhere between the archaicism of “papyrus” and the contemporary banality of “papel” resides the very modern allure of Meirav Barzilay’s Papela lampshade, a piece that—in its incipient state—resembles a crumpled ball of paper. The trick of Papela is that, unlike most papel, its integrity more than withstands a few wrinkles. In fact, the aesthetic of its final, functional form incorporates the very same, giving it a singular appearance that in some ways suggests a crumpled witch’s hat. Albeit, Papela is a tempered version of that adornment, one evincing an alteration in color (black to white) and texture (pointed and stiff to frumpy and soft) that renders it more appropriate for a good witch or at least a witch with an affection for play.

Papela Lampshade. Designed by Meirav Barzilay.

A Durable Lampshade You Can Carry in Your Pocket

If Papel were a hat, it would be a convenient one at that, since you can crumple it up into a fraction of its unfurled size. This feature makes it handy for transport to the various darkened places one visits in a life, locales where the soft, smooth glow emitted of Papela’s bright yellow interior would make the time spent a might more tolerable, the ambiance ten times more cheerful. However, Papela’s secret is not to be found in any occult conjurations, but rather the simple genius of Tyvek, otherwise known as the over-sheathing “house-wrap” that puts the kibosh on winter winds.

Though this may make it seem an unlikely choice for a lampshade, the material translates well to multiple and varied uses—you might also recall its appearance in envelopes, protective covers, and medical packaging, wherein its ultra fine fibers of 100 percent high-density polyethylene are “randomly distributed and nondirectional, then bonded together by heat and pressure.” In Barzilay’s formulation the material becomes a “minimalist structure created by thread stitches only, hand sewn out of a colored paper sheet.” For the rest of us this recipe is manifest as an unusual, utilitarian, and singularly playful lightpiece.

Via Materialicious.