From Eggshell to Suspension Lamp: Hatch by Studio Yellowdot

04/05/2022 - Hatch is a suspension lamp created from eggshell waste which are created everyday in large amounts by egg consumption worldwide, a suspension lamp designed by Studio Yellowdot which will be presented in New York during Wanted Design Manhattan. 
 
Despite their fragility, eggshells are extremely thin & strong with a semi-permeable structure and unique light permeability properties. Each lighting pendant is created from around 60 eggshells, collected from homes and local bakeries. 



Known as ‘nature’s ceramic’, the extremely thin eggshell pieces are delicately arranged by hand & bonded with resin to create the light diffuser. Suspended by three fine cables, the semi- translucent eggshells provide a unique light scattering effect when illuminated.
 
Inspired by heat lamps used for incubating chicks, the pendant is recreated with an energy efficient LED light source & housed in a hand-turned polished brass casing. ‘Hatch’ eggshell suspension lamp provides direct, diffused and reflected illumination.  Eggs are one of the most versatile kitchen ingredients. The average person consumes 161 eggs per year. (Food & Agriculture Organisation FAO database, 2018). Discarded eggshells are one of the most common form of food waste contributing to over 250,000 tonnes per year in landfills. Each egg contains around 5 grams of eggshell - made of calcium carbonate crystals, which comes a bio-mineralization process from the hen's bones to form the shell to physically protect the egg yolk during incubation. 

During the pandemic, Studio Yellowdot looked into everyday bio-waste materials that can be used to design everyday items. Throughout history, many different cultures have used eggshell as a medium for decorations from ancient cultures to easter traditions.  Yellowdot makes a new use the eggshell as a design material that would otherwise end up in the landfill to bring a new perspective on the food waste cycle and sustainability.