This design studio spent 10 years perfecting a lampshade made out of bacteria

Polybion, a Mexican biotech company, has collaborated with Natural Urbano, a Mexican design studio, to create a unique lampshade made from bacteria. The lampshades, known as Celium, are grown from bacteria cultivated using fruit waste. Developing Celium took over a decade of research and development, as the process involves transforming agro-industrial fruit waste into a growth medium for bacteria, cultivating the bacterial cellulose, and refining it into a consumer product material.

The Celium lampshades are available in two finishes: Manto, a lightweight and translucent option, and Espumante, which feels fuller and foam-like. These lampshades are integrated into the Cenit lighting system, which consists of pendant and table lamps that hang from a natural ash wood structure. When the lamps are on, the Celium reveals gradients, texture, and warmth, while when they are off, the material retains a strong physical presence.

Each Cenit lamp is custom-made and takes around five weeks to produce. This innovative approach to design demonstrates how waste products, such as fruit waste, can be transformed into functional and aesthetically pleasing materials, paving the way for a new design discipline that utilizes biological capabilities for various applications.