Fruitcake Terrazzo Floor Lamp

Terrazzo is a resilient composite material made of crushed aggregate such as glass, quartz or other stone, contained within a pourable binding agent, like a concrete or polymer, and polished to a smooth surface finish, often for use as flooring or wall covering.

While designing the exhibit structure for the Luminaries Lighting Design Showcase and Silent Charity Auction. I leveraged learnings from experiments with crushed glass aggregate to develop a custom terrazzo casting technique using 14” and 10” IKEA salad bowls, and 2-part pourable resin plastic, tumbled sea glass, and a generous dose of mold release to create Fruitcake, a translucent terrazzo floor light.

After removing the light shade from the IKEA bowl mold, I cut a wooden dowel into three short equal lengths and installed them in the bottom of the form to create space for the light socket, cord, and foot-controlled power switch, while floating the whimsical hemisphere off the ground.

Afterward, I uploaded the process to Instructables.com, and Fruitcake was featured in the workshop category as an editor's choice.

Professional Photography by Rachel Vera