Research: Initial Measurements

In order to start adding the materials and measurements, I decided to conduct some research prior in order to create well-constructed and well-researched products.

Since I am new to the different type of lamps, I want to see the ideal measurements in which they are usually manufactured in.

PALEOLITHIC- STATUE LAMP

In this era, I will be designing a statue lamp which will be a night bedside lamp.

'Choosing the right bedside lamp height is especially important if you read in bed, as you don’t want the light to shine directly in your eyes. If your bedside table is the same height as the top of your mattress, then the ideal bedside lamp height is 60-69 cm (24-27″). “The key is the level of the shade. This needs to sit at shoulder height when you are in bed so that the light spills out at eye-level when reading,” (Storey, 2018)

After reading this, I realised how many things are considered before adding measurements to the designs. I decided that this lamp would be 60 cm in height as I wanted it to be relatively small. 

It's all about proportions. Therefore, since the height is 60cm, the lampshade is about 1/3 of the size. Therefore, this makes it 20cm.

The lamp base is 40cm and then the lamp shade diameter is 30cm.

PLAN CHANGES

However, looking at these measurements made me realise that I want my design slightly smaller as I want it to be a delicate and small lamp. I want it to be much smaller than the table lamp. Therefore, I decided to alter the measurements to this:

MESOLITHIC- TREE LAMP

The tree lamp is a tall floor lamp. This is the explanation and research I found:

'Average floor lamps include typical floor lamps at around 5 or 6 feet in height. The shade is usually around eye-level when standing.

Tall floor lamps are usually oversized and can be 6, 7 or even 8 feet tall. Due to their larger height their proportions may in general also be larger and may be best suited to a larger room. The tallest floor lamps are quite often torchiere floor lamps which usually aim light upwards like a torch. '(West, 2018)

Now, it was my decision to see the height of the lampbase, if I wanted it average or tall. Therefore, I decided to conduct further research. Since it mentions that the shade is usually around eye-level when standing, I decided to research the average height of a man (since men tend to be taller than women).

'According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) , the average age-adjusted height for American men 20 years old and up is 69.1 inches (175.4 centimeters). That's about 5 feet 9 inches tall.' (Marcin, 2019)

Therefore, since I wanted to ensure that my lamp can be taller than an average man,, I decided that the height of the lamp would be 6ft (1.83m). Since I also want it to resemble a tree, making it a tall lamp would be ideal. 

Since I had the height measurement, I decided to use my drawing as an example to find the other proportions. Looking at the length, I was expecting it to be half the size of the height. 

Therefore, I decided to draw out a very rough and simple diagram to show the top view (birds eye view) of the design. Looking at the length, I decided to make it 105cm. This diagram shows that the width is slightly more than half of the length. Therefore, I decided to make 60cm. 

It is important to note than the only fixed measurement is the height. Working on this on software may inspire my to make the length or width slightly different. However, this is a rough, but good start for the measurements to act as a guide. 

NEOLITHIC- POTTERY LAMP

For this lamp, I will be creating a desk lamp. However, I want this lamp to be tall, resembling a buffet lamp. 

'Shorter versions of buffet lamps, which stand 24 to about 30 inches tall. Buffet lamp shades often have base dimensions about 12 inches or less, which is the size of an accent lamp shade. ' (Fredgonsowskigardenhome, 2012) 

I do not really want my lamp to be very tall, therefore I think that 24 inches (60 cm) is ideal.

BRONZE AGE:

I wanted this specific lamp to be huge. Therefore, I decided to make the triangle 80cm by 80cm.

As mentioned by my tutor, this design could be very heavy if designed with bronze. This is why I will be adding wood as my base material and then coating it with bronze. Hanging a heavy material would be a safety hazard for the users, and I want to make my designs as safe as possible.

IRON AGE:

For this lamp, I also wanted to have similar measurements. 

Just like the previous one, this will be made out of a very light iron in order to prevent it from being too heavy.

IMPORTANT NOTE: In a future blog post that will hopefully be up by tomorrow, I will be breaking down all the components and more detailed measurements. 

CONCLUSION:

I am glad that my ideas are finally starting to finalise. Hopefully by tomorrow I will also finalise the materials, components, colour scheme and the exact measurements so I can start software designing on Monday. 

References:

Storey, S. (2018) Find the right size lamp for your bedside table. Available at: https://blog.oka.com/expert-designs/bedside-table-lamp-size/ [Accessed: 22/05/21]

West, P. (2018) Floor lamps guide to tall standing lamps and reading lamps. Available at: https://www.lampsusa.com/blogs/buyers-guides/floor-lamps-buyers-guide [Accessed: 22/05/21]

Marcin, A. (2019) The average height for men around the world. Available at: https://www.healthline.com/health/average-height-for-men [Accessed: 22/05/21]

Fredgonsowskigardenhome (2012) Interior decorating with buffet lamps. Available at:  https://fredgonsowskigardenhome.com/2012/12/19/interior-decorating-with-buffet-lamps/#:~:text=Buffet%20Lamps%20(sometimes%20called%20console,if%20the%20lamp%20has%20one. [Accessed: 22/05/21]