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CMYK bulb by Dennis Parren

Milan 2013: designer Dennis Parren has developed a light bulb that casts coloured shadows.

CMYK bulb by Dennis Parren

The CMYK bulb by Dennis Parren combines a white main light source with coloured LEDs in red, green and blue to cast shadows in cyan, magenta and yellow.

CMYK bulb by Dennis Parren

The design is a commercial development of the one-off CMYK lamps that Parren developed as part of his graduation project at Design Academy Eindhoven in 2011.

CMYK bulb by Dennis Parren

"It is easier to produce and you find yourself more in [the] mainstream of lighting," says Parren of the new design. "That makes it many times more accessible." He expects the bulb to be priced around €95 when it appears in shops.

CMYK bulb by Dennis Parren
CMYK bulb and Diamond shade

The prototype was showcased at Spazio Rossana Orlandi in Milan this month, together with a shade Parren developed especially to complement the bulb.

CMYK bulb by Dennis Parren

The faceted Diamond shade is made of matt white polypropylene covered in tiny pin-pricks to scatter coloured dots of light onto surrounding surfaces.

CMYK bulb by Dennis Parren
CMYK bulb shown with Ikea Knappa shade

"The shade derived from a previous project, the RGB Galaxy," he says. "I chose this shape because the light sparkles through the little holes like a real diamond."

Other lighting on show at Spazio Rossana Orlandi included a wind-up folding lamp by Nika Zupanc.

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