Paper lanterns are by no means new. The concept dates back thousands of years to Asia, with sources claiming that they were used around 230 BC in China. Fast-forward nearly two centuries into the future and in the 1950s, artist Isamu Noguchi started to make them after a trip to Japan. He used traditional Japanese Gifu methods, this time built for electricity instead of flames.
These light fixtures have become a staple of midcentury and organic modern interior design — and for good reason. They’re simple in form yet beautiful, they can easily be incorporated into any space, and the soft rice or washi paper diffuses light beautifully to create the ideal ambiance. They are perhaps most popular in a spherical shape, but they can also take on more oblong, half-moon, cylindrical, and snowman-esque forms, too.
And pretty much anyone can afford one, whether you’re looking for inexpensive or high-end. The Noguchi Museum sells a wide variety of paper lanterns, a line which Noguchi called Akari, meaning “light as illumination, but also implying the idea of weightlessness.” You can purchase these for your table, ceiling, or floor. They range from simple to intricate, and they are not cheap (although, in my opinion, appropriately priced, considering they are handmade). The Akari 30A is one of the more affordable pieces available for sale, asking $200.
But sky is the limit when it comes to price tag. This Barbara Barry-designed paper shade is available for over $2,000.
Or, you can go in the totally opposite direction. IKEA offers a paper lantern for just $5. The accompanying cord set is $10.
I know these paper lanterns are fairly timeless. They’re one designer’s “secret weapon,” to elevating any space and another editor’s cheat code to making a space look expensive on a budget. Some people love these lanterns so much that they have multiples in their home, varying in size and shape. And in recent months, I have been considering getting one myself.
I struggle with the idea of getting a pendant light that I don’t need, because I don’t like the idea of filling my home with more stuff. But here’s the thing. My current pendant light is too bright, and the lightbulb is not the issue.
About a year ago, I found a pendant shade (complete with electrical wiring) at a thrift store for $7 and I thought it would go perfectly in my living room. To complete the project, I got an IKEA cord and and plugged it into the nearby outlet. I adore having this pendant light in the living room — it creates a stylish vignette in the corner, and provides some much needed light in an otherwise dark, north-facing area of my apartment.
But sometimes looking up at it can be jarring. The lightbulb is practically exposed because of the thin netting of the shade. And I really think that a paper lantern would help to diffuse the light effectively — and I would never have to look at a nearly bare lightbulb.
Even though I only spent $7 on the lampshade (which I would not throw out), I’m still reluctant to change things up. I think I worry that I won’t love the way a paper lantern looks, or that I’ll get sick of it in a year’s time. What if it doesn’t diffuse the light in the way I’m imagining it will? What if it is now too dark? What if it is too big and blocks the Francis Bacon poster from view?
Let me be clear about something. The fear of the paper lantern not being perfect is not the issue that’s paralyzing me here. It’s the fear that I will spend money and hand over more money to a giant corporation, all for naught.
I guess I could always just return it.
Photos pulled from Brownstoner and Domino.