STARS Lighting Design

STARS Lighting Design is an exploration of architectural lighting design rooted in material honesty, transformation, and tactile expression. Conceived as a series rather than a single object, the project reinterprets industrial wire mesh through folding, layering, and careful material pairing. What begins as a cold, sharp, and utilitarian industrial element is gradually softened: both physically and emotionally: through wood, light, and human-scale craftsmanship.

Designed by Nastaran Radmanesh and Saman Khosravi of Leto Design Studio, STARS is not merely a lighting product but a design statement that reflects how raw materials can evolve into poetic architectural elements when treated with intention.

Concept: From Industry to Intimacy

Wire mesh traditionally belongs to factories, infrastructure, and industrial protection systems. In STARS, this same material is removed from its harsh origins and placed into a domestic and architectural context. Through folding inspired by origami, the rigid grid gains depth, softness, and rhythm.

The mesh is no longer aggressive or purely functional. Instead, it becomes sculptural. As layers overlap, the surface thickens visually, allowing light to pass through selectively and create star-like patterns. This transformation is central to the project’s philosophy: beauty is not borrowed or applied, it emerges from within the material itself.

Design Language and Geometry

The defining visual characteristic of STARS lies in its folded geometry. The shade is shaped through precise angular bends, forming a faceted volume that appears different from every angle. This geometry allows the light source to interact dynamically with the wire mesh, producing layered shadows and radiant patterns on surrounding surfaces.

When illuminated, the lamp projects a soft constellation-like effect, reinforcing the project’s name and its conceptual connection to stars, grids, and cosmic order. When unlit, the object remains visually strong as a sculptural artifact within space.

Materials and Craft

The strength of STARS as an architectural lighting design lies in its carefully curated material palette:

• Metal wire mesh forms the primary structure and light-filtering surface
• Walnut wood elements provide warmth and contrast
• Stainless steel components ensure structural clarity and durability
• Organic wool at the base introduces tactile softness and human comfort

This combination creates a dialogue between hard and soft, cold and warm, industrial and organic. Every material is left visually honest: no excessive finishes, no concealment: allowing texture, grain, and structure to remain visible.

Lighting Effect and Spatial Impact

STARS is designed to perform beyond basic illumination. As part of an architectural lighting design strategy, it contributes to atmosphere, mood, and spatial identity. The folded mesh diffuses light while preventing glare, producing a gentle ambient glow rather than direct brightness.

The resulting shadows expand the lamp’s presence beyond its physical boundaries, activating walls and surrounding surfaces. This makes STARS especially suitable for living spaces, reading corners, galleries, and intimate architectural interiors where light is meant to be experienced rather than merely used.

Series and Applications

The STARS project is developed as a cohesive lighting series, ensuring adaptability across different architectural contexts. The collection includes:

• Stand lamp for floor-based ambient lighting
• Desk lamp for intimate, task-oriented environments
• Ceiling lamp for suspended architectural presence

Each version maintains the same material logic and folded geometry, ensuring visual continuity while responding to varied functional requirements.

Dimensions and Scale

The stand lamp version maintains a slender vertical profile, allowing it to integrate seamlessly into both compact and open interiors. With a balanced proportion between height and shade width, the lamp remains visually light while retaining sculptural strength.

This attention to scale ensures that STARS functions effectively as an architectural element rather than a decorative afterthought.

Design Philosophy

At its core, STARS Lighting Design is about restraint and authenticity. It resists unnecessary ornamentation and instead relies on transformation through form and material intelligence. The project demonstrates how architectural lighting design can emerge from simple processes: folding, layering, and honest material use, without losing emotional depth.

The design embraces imperfections, textures, and rawness, allowing light itself to become the final layer of composition.

STARS Lighting Design stands as a refined example of contemporary architectural lighting design that bridges industry and intimacy. By reimagining wire mesh through craft and geometry, the project transforms an industrial artifact into a warm, atmospheric lighting solution.

Designed by Nastaran Radmanesh and Saman Khosravi of Leto Design Studio, STARS proves that when materials are understood and respected, they can tell stories far beyond their original purpose: stories of light, space, and quiet beauty.