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High Design Gets Trashy

What do these egg-carton lamps by American designer Victor Vetterlein have in common with Frankenstein's monster? More than you'd think! Both are green. Both have bolted necks. And both are assembled from materials most would be happy to let decompose.

Modern geometric desk lamp with a unique design.

Vetterlein writes, "The intent of the Trash Me lamps project is to create a product that is born from the trash and returned to the trash after a short but useful life cycle."

Light fixture prototype with electrical wiring.

"Each Trash Me lamp is created from four paper egg cartons, blended with water, poured over a mold, and smoothed by hand to form a section. After drying for a few days, the sections are fastened together with aluminum screw posts. A cloth electrical cord with recyclable electrical fixture parts is used for the lighting. For the Trash Me desk lamp, a paper bag filled with bird seed provides added weight to stabilize the base."

A red bird near stacked egg cartons.

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