Like the Turkish, Cubans are big on coffee. The Miami version of this espresso is dark and sweet (very sweet). It is also ubiquitous. On every block in many parts of Miami you can stop at the window of a restaurant and pick up the stuff. It is so popular that all Cuban restaurants keep one garbage can exclusively for the used coffee grounds. What happens to all those discarded espresso grounds? Nothing—until now. Spaniard Raúl Laurí has devised a system for giving old coffee new life with his Decafé Lamp.

Decafé Lamp. Designed by Raúl Laurí.

Lamps Constructed of Cast Coffee Grounds

The demitasse of espresso coffee is ever-present in Spain. The importance of drinking coffee as a daily ritual might have inspired Laurí to manipulate the stuff into a usable form. His Decafé lamps are “a reflection on the cycle of natural matters that we use on a regular basis.” Biodegradable and renewable, the material also takes advantage of coffee’s “emotional aspects.” Recast into a cup-shaped dome, the Decafé Lamp is as wonderful to hold as your daily dose of caffeine. The table lamp version of Decafé really plays with the sensuous nature of coffee: instead of using a standard base, Decafé sits on a wooden board, so you can pick it up and hold it just as you would a cup of Joe (or José, as the case may be).

Other lamps in the Decafé series include a bell-shaped pendant light and a large upside down floor lamp resting on three legs. All the lights retain the splendors of espresso: the dark chocolate color, the floral notes of its scent, the comforting grip of its warmth. Decafé Lamps by Raúl Laurí also display a textural beauty: like sand dunes in Africa or layers of sedimentary rock, the molded coffee grounds have holes and valleys as interesting and memorable as the surface of the moon.

Via Cool Green Mag.

About the Designer: Raúl Laurí is a Spanish designer who uses discarded coffee grounds as a material to create lighting. From pendant lamps to table lamps, Laurí’s Decafé lighting collection uses shades made from coffee grounds. The designer received a first prize Salone Satellite Award in 2012 for his creation.