SOLD - This lamp was created as a private commission & now resides in a private collection.
A 1950 Olivetti Lettera 22 typewriter forms the foundation of this one-of-a-kind desk lamp, reimagined with copper pipework, vacuum valves, vintage electronic components and warm filament light to create a piece shaped by both writing history and scientific imagination.
This lamp began as a custom commission created for a client seeking a birthday gift with a strong science and physics influence, built around a vintage typewriter. The starting point was a barebones Olivetti Lettera 22, an early 1950 example whose stripped-back form revealed the remarkable mechanical structure usually hidden beneath its outer shell.
The typewriter was found in poor condition, with the carriage and paper roller too deteriorated to retain. Rather than weaken the composition, their removal allowed the skeletal engineering of the machine to become part of the visual story. The body was thoroughly cleaned, degreased and stabilised, while its wear, aged surfaces and remaining patina were intentionally preserved.
Around this core, an intricate framework of polished copper pipework was built to create a more scientific, instrument-like presence. Three differently shaped vacuum valves sourced from old radios were fitted with blue and green LEDs, while vintage capacitors, including a Ducon paper-style capacitor, were introduced alongside spark plugs, brass fittings, a red valve handle and an amp meter gauge. Together they create a dense composition that feels part laboratory apparatus, part industrial machine, and part mechanical sculpture.
Mounted on recycled timber decking stained to a deep Coco Black finish, the lamp is completed with a dimmable filament globe and subtle coloured lighting that rewards a closer look.
"The damaged carriage was removed not to simplify the typewriter, but to reveal the impressive mechanical skeleton that had been hidden beneath it"