KIMU's new paper lantern collection fuses eastern culture and western aesthetics

East Meets West in KIMU’s New Lighting Design

After a two-year hiatus from international exhibitions, young collective KIMU design is back with the ‘Beauty of Fusion’, a brand-new lighting collection that fuses Western and Asian cultural heritages, philosophies, and lifestyles. The new series is composed of the ‘Rice Ball Collection’ and some extension items from the team’s renowned ‘New Old Light’ concept, such as floor lamps, wall lamps, new tables, and bedside lights. The new products, which feature their distinctive paper lantern style, offer various options for indoor illumination and turn into outstanding yet unobtrusive additions to any environment.

‘rice ball collection’ and some extension pieces of the iconic ‘new old light’

all images courtesy of KIMU design

creating cultural balance

The New Old Light collection by KIMU serves as a modern reinterpretation of the historic lanterns that were created in Asia over 2,000 years ago. The New Old Light seeks to balance cultural diversity while opening up new avenues for personal growth. Simply lowering the paper lantern lampshade allows users to change the lighting effect from direct light to indirect light.

In KIMU’s collection, the traditional form and function of an oriental paper lantern meets with western design aesthetics and transforms itself into a beautiful new shape for a modern lifestyle.‘We aspire to reshape our heritage with western aesthetics of our time in order to create cultural balance within our design objects,’ shares the team. ‘We are inviting you to rediscover conventional everyday ordinary and turn it into extraordinary’.

the new products showcase KIMU’s distinctive paper lantern style

When vintage interior meets modern design: à la maison x KIMU

This seasonal campaign by KIMU is centered around the idea of exploring the glimmer and chemistry when vintage interior meets modern design. To visualize it through a series of editorial pictures, the young design collective collaborated with à la maison, a welcoming, fantastical space located on the ground floor of an over 50-year-old townhouse in Taipei where people can come together and share home-cooked meals prepared by friends and guest chefs.

the Taipei-based venue is owned by designer Eugene Yeh who is famous for his eclectic, East/West fusion design approach. And KIMU’s lighting serves as the transition when eclecticism morphed from an architectural style to a home decor theme. ‘Eventually, we form a stunning harmony and a new kind of Asian aesthetics that incorporate pieces from different periods and styles.’ mentions the KIMU team. 

this seasonal campaign is centered around the idea of a vintage interior that meets modern design

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project info:

name: The Beauty of Fusion
designer: KIMU design

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

edited by: myrto katsikopoulou | designboom