Working in collaboration with digital manufacturing platform Gantri, we created three lighting collections for people seeking a better approach to design, craft and sustainability as they shape and illuminate their spaces. Named Carve, Gio and Signal, the three collections are inspired by Gantri's 3-D printing platform and the intricate, organic and unexpected possibilities it provides compared to traditional manufacturing. Sustainably produced using a corn-based material and manufactured in California, each light is printed on-demand, hand assembled and finished in a process that feels more bespoke than industrial. Featuring table, floor and wall-mounted lights, the collections come in five nature-inspired colors. The lights start at $148 and aim to make high design lighting more accessible.

Each light in the Carve Collection feels carved from stone rather than assembled like a traditionally produced industrial object. Standing upright or placed on its spine, the Carve table light casts a wide bright light illuminating work surfaces, tasks, or casts light upward to add atmosphere to a room. The symmetrical wall light pair adds additional targeted light to a room and fades into the background when off. Their compact, smooth shape contributes only a ripple to the surface of the wall. Carve's tall and narrow floor light presents a bright downward beam exceeding expectations from its compact footprint and shade.

The Signal Collection features slats that are fused to the main body of each light through the 3D printing process. Inspired by the functional aspects of architectural louvers, the simple geometry combined with the bold look of the louvers gives the collection a modern, sculptural look.

Inspired by Italian lighting designs of the 1970s, the Gio Collection leverages new materials and processes to give them a fresh look. We achieved the unique character of the Gio family by manipulating the different elements so they interact with each other in a playful way. The elegant shapes connect and merge seamlessly, with a minerality and character found more commonly in craft, clay or ceramic objects. Their familiar yet uncommon forms give them a sculptural quality, allowing the lights to live as standalone objects even when they are turned off and not in use.

The Carve, Signal and Gio Collections come in 5 color options named after shades inspired by nature: Carbon, Snow, Sedona Red, Forest Green and Stone. Color is added at the very end of the production process with a water-based paint formulated to give a smooth, scratch-resistant finish to the products.

Achieving something unique in the lighting space is challenging. Our collections offer a new approach in the category for several reasons:

Process: While 3-D printing isn't new, Gantri's platform allows designers to take it beyond just a tool for prototyping and turn it into a viable way to manufacture unique, high quality products on-demand. Our collections challenge the preconceptions of 3-D printed objects, and serve as a demonstration of how new manufacturing techniques can push design forward.

Sustainability: Gantri's process eliminates the vast majority of industrial inefficiencies and minimizes shipping pollution as the lights are manufactured in California. The lights are made from custom engineered corn PLA that offers a higher degree of biodegradability.

Design: With each collection, we set out to create forms that could really only be made by 3-D printing. The result are lights that feel experiential and sculptural. From monolithic forms that look as if they are carved from stone, to geometric and playful shapes that intersect in surprising ways, the lights bring forward an expression of the designer behind it while reflecting the creative possibilities of Gantri's platform.

Our collections bring something fresh to the lighting category, offering consumers high quality, sustainable design at a more accessible price. With a range of floor, wall and table lights, the collections provide a number of different options for any home. The lights feature custom-built cords and switches, as well as dimmable, museum-quality LEDs that last 25,000 hours, which amounts to more than 20 years of use at an average of three hours per day.

Traditional wall lights often require complex installation that involves hiring an electrician to hard-wire them in the home. The wall lights in each of our collections plug in and can be mounted with a single screw. This makes them a great landlord-friendly solution for renters.

Consumers will also feel good about knowing the lights are sustainably produced in Gantri's manufacturing facility in California specifically designed to minimize industrial waste.

Gantri originally only offered designers the option to create table lights. When we began working together we saw an opportunity to not only design our own lights, but to push the possibilities of Gantri's platform to include wall and floor lights as well. We went through a six-week process of developing guidelines that designers from around the world can use to create their own lights.

To test the guidelines, we created our own floor, wall and table lights as examples and inspiration that demonstrate the flexibility and freedom that the Gantri platform provides. With the addition of two categories, Gantri can further expand its options for both designers wanting to create and consumers wanting to buy.

Finding more sustainable options for home goods can be challenging for consumers wanting to be more environmentally conscious. Our lighting collections create a new option that's better for the planet without compromising on quality or detail. Made from corn PLA (polyactic acid), the lights are beautiful, durable, and compostable.

With traditional manufacturing, goods often need to be made in mass. If the products don't sell, they can eventually end up in landfill. The fact that our collections are printed on-demand rather than mass manufactured eliminates that gamble, and instead leads to a more sustainable process. By manufacturing the lights in California, the shipping footprint is also dramatically reduced.