Journal

Behind The Design | The Lotus Table Lamp by GUBI

Four shades of mouth-blown glass, designed by Carlo Nason in 1969 and back in production with GUBI after more than fifty years.

"Carlo Nason grew up with an extraordinary knowledge of Murano glassmaking, but he was not defined by its traditions." Marie Kristine Schmidt, CEO of GUBI

A modern tiered table lamp made of textured, bubbly clear glass, featuring a wide mushroom-shaped shade and a cylindrical base with a black power cord extending to the right, set against a plain white background.

Two modern, rounded off-white boucle armchairs in a classic Parisian-style room with cream walls, a lit sculptural table lamp, and a window looking out onto a balcony.

Lotus Table Lamp

$5,599

The Lotus Table Lamp is made from four glass shades, each one mouth-blown and set inside the next, so that when the lamp is lit its layers show through one another like the petals it is named for. Carlo Nason designed it in 1969 as the LT305, and the original was produced for only a few years before collectors gave it the nickname that has stayed with it since.

More than five decades on, GUBI has brought the Lotus back into production as one of its 2026 releases, in a reissue developed with Nason and his son Alberto. Its making still depends on a glassblower's hand at every stage.

From the Furnace: How the Lotus Is Made

Each lamp begins with a master glassblower gathering molten glass from a furnace running at 1,100 to 1,200°C. While it is still hot, the glass is rolled through fine granules in a process called pulegoso, an Italian technique from the early twentieth century that traps thousands of tiny air bubbles within the clear glass.

The glassblower then blows each shade by mouth into a mould that sets its curve, diameter and profile. This happens four times, at four different scales, so that the shades nest together, and because each is made on its own, consistency has to be held from the very first gather. Marie Kristine Schmidt, CEO of GUBI, describes the lamp as "incredibly demanding" to make.

Pulegoso Glass and the Light It Gives

The suspended bubbles act as a diffuser, scattering the light as it passes through the glass. Across four layers the bulb is hidden completely, and what you see instead is the texture of the glass lit from within, a soft, ambient glow rather than a single bright point.

Finished by Hand

Every shade is checked by hand for proportion, wall thickness, transparency and the spread of its bubbles, then annealed, cooled slowly so the glass settles without internal stress. Only when all four are complete does the lamp come together, each layer fitted around a steel structure that holds the shades in place and keeps the light source out of sight.

Because each shade is blown individually, no two are exactly alike.

The Designer: Carlo Nason

Carlo Nason (1935 to 2026) was born in Murano, Venice, into one of the island's oldest glassmaking families. His father, Vincenzo Nason, ran the furnace Vincenzo Nason & C., where Carlo learned to blow, shape and decorate glass before setting up his own studio on the island.

From the 1960s he moved away from Murano's ornate traditions towards clean, geometric forms, and his long collaboration with A.V. Mazzega produced much of the modern lighting he is known for. He also designed for Vistosi and Leucos, among others, and over six decades created more than a thousand pieces. His early work is held by the Corning Museum of Glass, and in 2015 the Triennale Milano dedicated an exhibition to his work.

As Schmidt puts it, "Carlo Nason grew up with an extraordinary knowledge of Murano glassmaking, but he was not defined by its traditions."

About GUBI

GUBI describes itself as "the global design house where timeless modern icons and the creative talents of today meet and mingle." Based in Copenhagen, it works with design studios around the world on new pieces and brings classic designs back into production, the Lotus among them.

Living with the Lotus Table Lamp

The Lotus suits the places where a lamp is looked at as much as it is used. On a sideboard or console it lends a glow to the wall behind it, and beside a sofa or reading chair it lights the corner without glare. Unlit, it holds its own as an object, at home in a living room or entry and just as fitting in a hotel or restaurant.