Mid-Century Round Cocoon Pendant Lamp, Italy, 1960s

This mid-century round cocoon pendant lamp, produced in Italy during the 1960s, is a beautiful example of the era’s organic and experimental approach to lighting design. Formed from a delicate cocoon-like resin sprayed over an internal structure, the softly ribbed globe diffuses light evenly, creating a warm and atmospheric glow. Its subtle translucency and gentle surface texture give the lamp an almost ethereal presence, while the rounded silhouette feels both sculptural and timeless. Suspended with understated simplicity, this pendant embodies the poetic side of Italian mid-century modernism, where material innovation and soft illumination combined to create intimate, architectural light objects.
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The shade is made using the cocoon technique, a mid-century lighting process in which a liquid polymer resin is sprayed by hand over a fine metal wire structure. Applied in thin layers, the resin forms a delicate, fibrous membrane with a soft, organic texture that gently diffuses light and creates a warm, atmospheric glow. Once cured, the surface is sealed with a protective coating, making it lightweight, durable, and entirely synthetic, despite its paper-like appearance. This technique became iconic in Italian and French design of the 1950s–1970s, valued for its sculptural quality and uniquely soft light.