Rice Paper Table Lamp

Vanessa Weber Interior Design Expert

Vanessa is a New York-based designer specializing in architectural lighting. Whether you are planning an event, want to illuminate your backyard retreat or simply need advice on what lamp to purchase for your bedroom, Vanessa will be more than happy to share her knowledge and expertise.

Updated 01/04/2021

Rice paper table lamps are incredibly lightweight lighting source used in most traditional Japanese homes. Have you respect and appreciate all things Japanese or just love the idea of a rice paper lamp. Take a look at this extensive collection of rice paper table lamps and pick one for yourself. You will appreciate seeing these in your home and enjoy the light that they give off. Perhaps get two or three.

Buying Guide

Rice paper has been used extensively for thousands of years, especially in Asia. Rice paper gained a wider audience when it became popular in Europe in the 1900s. Nowadays, it has experienced a resurgence in popularity, primarily as a décor material. With its unique texture, it offers a novel and attractive appeal as a table lamp.

If you try to shop for a rice paper table lamp, you'll realize that you have a lot of choices. The options range from the traditional-looking table lamps to the modern ones with unique shapes. The assortment of choices is an excellent thing as the chances are good that you can find the right one for you no matter your preference and budget. On the downside, the sea of choices can be a source of confusion.

To help you navigate through your options, this article is going to be a buying guide for rice paper table lamps.

What types of rice paper are there?

Most people assume that if it has the name of rice paper, it's made from rice. This is not exactly accurate. There are rice papers that are made from rice straws but they are not very common.

Perhaps the highest quality of rice paper comes from the bark fibers of the mulberry tree. Such kind of rice paper is more durable than most rice paper variety.

Arguably, the most common type comes from the rice paper plant. It's a different kind of plant that produces the rice grain. This type is still durable, but not as much compared to the mulberry variety. On the upside, it's more affordable.

Other rice paper may come from hemp and bamboo. The quality and durability often depend on the manufacturer.

What types of rice paper table lamps are there?

There are two major categories of rice paper table lamp. There's the standard and the spherical.

As the name suggests, the standard looks like the lamp that you are accustomed to. It features a lamp and a lampshade. In such kind of setup, the lampshade is the one that's crafted from rice paper. The standard may be used for ambient or task lighting depending on the shape of the lampshade.
The spherical rice paper table lamp will often feature a round-like shape. It typically comes with circular strips of bamboo or wire to support the paper. This also provides that elegant texture that the rice paper table lamp is known for. Most of the time, this type of rice paper table lamp is used for ambient lighting.

If you don't know yet, ambient lighting means that it's used for general illumination of the room. On the other hand, task lighting provides you with lighting to aid you while doing some task (e.g., reading, drawing, drafting)

How to determine the right height for a rice paper table lamp?

Getting the right height for your rice paper table lamp is crucial especially if you are getting the standard type. The most important factor here is to ensure that your eyes don’t have direct line-of-sight to the bulb. Hence, make sure that the bottom part of the lampshade is lower than your eye-level when you are seated.