Designers Bodin Hon and Dilara Kan whisk together eggshells with playfulness and creativity for pendant lamp ‘Hatch’. The founders of Yellowdot studio and IED Milano Alumni from Master in Design, Innovation, Strategy and Product, handcraft with egg-streme care a two-month collection of shells and illuminate them into a delicate arrangement. Inspired by heat lamps used for incubating chicks, the project is definitely hard to beat. 

Bodin Hon and Dilara Kan (Yellowdot) ‘Hatch’ the pendant lamp ©video by Ege Ors

all images courtesy of IED Milano

photographs by Ali Gülşener

Founded by Bodin Hon and Dilara Kan, award-winning Yellowdot studio is known for embodying a collaborative spirit and an exploratory approach, all scrambled with an ethos towards sustainability. Based between Hong Kong and Istanbul, the alumni practice from Master in Design, Innovation, Strategy and Product, IED Milano, shines light on a wasted material and turns it into elegant pendants. 

‘Hatch’ is completed with an energy efficient LED light source

Known as ‘nature’s ceramic’, the very thin eggshell pieces are delicately arranged by hand and bonded with resin to create the light diffuser. Suspended by three fine cables, the semi-translucent pieces provide a unique scattering effect when illuminated. Despite their fragility, eggshells are actually extremely strong with a semi-permeable structure and semi-transparent lighting properties. Completed with an energy efficient LED source and housed in a hand turned polished brass casing, ‘Hatch’ becomes a bright example of bio-waste recycling and design. 

the pendant is created from a two-month consumption of eggs

IED Milano has always believed in its Alumni and its goal is to support and follow them in their career development. With this aim, the project was first displayed at Dubai Design Week 2021 within the exhibition ‘Light Shelters‘, and along with other designs by the studio, ‘Hatch’ also takes the stage at Wanted Design from 15th to 17th of May. 

‘Used and thrown away by most of the world every morning after breakfast are the eggshells.⁠ After cleaning, we found that the most unique properties of eggshells are: lightweight, strong, thin & translucent. Along the way, we had many trials with different eggshell sizes, binders and techniques,’ says Yellowdot studio.

each pendant takes around 60 eggs to make

‘Hatch’ becomes a bright example of bio-waste recycling and design

the eggshell pieces are delicately arranged by hand and bonded with resin

mini-tags in brass for the number of eggs’ used per piece, instead of the price

suspended by three cables, the semi-translucent surface provides a unique light scattering effect when illuminated

the eggshell pendant is characterized by its semi-permeable structure and unique light permeability properties

playfulness and optimism play a major role in the Yellowdot’s projects

designers: Bodin Hon and Dilara Kan

faculty: Master in Design, Innovation, Strategy and Product, IED Milano /@ied_official

photography: Ali Gülşener

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