Kusudama:
Lamps & Lights

Some of my kusudama are made with a translucent or other material that allows light to shine through them, making them excellent lamp or light covers.

Star lampshade

Date: 09/28/2025
From: Kawaii Pastime YouTube channel
By: Kawaii Pastime
Model: Origami lampshade
Paper: 27 5cm x 3.75cm white sketch paper

This cute module has a simple, smooth exterior, but shows off its true design -- star patterns -- when lit with a small LED. Only 27 sheets are used (instead of the typical 30) to allow the model to be placed over an LED holder.

Side view of the unlit lampshade, showing a simple pentakis dodecahedron exterior.

Top-down view of the unlit lampshade.

Top-down view of the lit lampshade.

Buckyball Lamp

Date: 02/07/2025
From: Khin Hooi YouTube channel
By: Khin Hooi
Model: 90 Units Buckyball
Paper: 3" x 2" (60 sheets) / 3" x 1.91" (30 sheets) white sketch paper
Light: STRÅLA table lamp stand (Ikea)

This buckyball I made in August was just sitting around taking up space, so I decided to turn it into a cool lamp shade.

Star Lamp

Date: 12/25/2024
From: Jo Nakashima YouTube channel
By: Thomas Hull
Paper: 3" x 9" white sketch paper (30 units)
Light: Barlast desk lamp (Ikea)

While browsing the local Japanese housewares shop, I found they were selling fabric lightshades by artist collective Colonista, using the Five Intersecting Tetrahedra model. As I have already folded that in the past, I tried putting the original 15cm-based model on an Ikea desk lamp I had previously purchased (I intended to fold a new lampshade corrugation for it, but hadn't yet figured out a pattern I liked.) The bulb was a little too large for the model, so I made a larger model with white sketch paper, which turned out to be an excellent size and also diffused the light beautifully.

Five non-intersecting tetrahedra.

The completely assembled lamp shade on its own.

The 3" x 9" based model, next to the 5cm x 15cm based model as a size comparison.

Vaporwave string of lights

Date: 11/07/2023
Unit: Basic unit by Tomoko Fuse
Model: Basic 12-unit stellated octahedron
Paper: 7.5cm clear colored plastic sheets (Pink, Purple, Yellow, Teal, 120 sheets total)
Lights: 10-string basic LED lights (Daiso)

Unlike the Google-colored string of lights, each octahedron is made from the same set of 4 colors, for a different variety of coloration. The colors were selected to match the 90's vaporwave aesthetic.

Initial 4 units assembled and hanging from a white rail for testing.

All 10 light covers assembled and draped across a collection of other items (including a lit booknook and a Lego NES TV), with full ambient lighting.

Halloween Pumpkin
(Jack-o'-Lantern)

Date: 10/7/2023
From: Sweet Paper's New Origami YouTube channel
By: Sweet Paper
Paper: 25cm x 25cm (Orange)

Lit with an LED tea light inside for a flickering effect. It's just big enough to house the fake candle and looks great.

The top is not fully folded per the original instructions to allow for easy access to the LED tea light inside, leading to a slightly different feeling. A small amount of tape was used inside the model to secure the front and back halves together, so that it doesn't come apart when you're taking out/putting back in the LED light. Also, these were gifted to friends so it's much better to have extra stability in those cases.

Google-colored string of lights

Date: 10/04/2023
Unit: Basic unit by Tomoko Fuse
Model: Basic 12-unit stellated octahedron
Paper: 7.5cm clear colored plastic sheets (Red, Blue, Yellow, Green, 120 sheets total)
Lights: 10-string globe LED lights (Daiso)

Center part of lights (the Google logo part) assembled

All 10 light covers assembled

Rainbow light shades

Date: 9/xx/2023
Unit: Basic unit by Tomoko Fuse
Model: Basic 30-unit pentakis dodecahedron
Paper: 15cm, 7.5cm clear colored plastic sheets (30 sheets per ball)
Lamp base: AKARI lamp

Unlit, the balls are brightly rainbow colored. Lit, you can see the interaction of the color LED light and how it looks through a color filter.

15cm shade, held

15cm shade, backlit with white light

15cm shade, on the lamp stand, with 7.5cm shade next to it

7.5cm shade

15cm shade, backlit with white light

7.5cm shade, on the lamp stand

Cycling through the LED colors shows how colored light filters through colored film (7.5cm shade).

White light shade

Date: 4/xx/2023
Unit: Basic unit by Tomoko Fuse
Model: Basic 30-unit spiked pentakis dodecahedron
Paper: 7.5cm translucent white patterned wax sheets (60 sheets)
Lamp base: AKARI lamp

The paper is translucent, but when folded over, it becomes harder for the light to shine through. Most of it comes out through the edges.

Pinstripe light shade

Date: 2/xx/2018
Unit: Basic unit by Tomoko Fuse
Model: Basic 30-unit pentakis dodecahedron
Paper: 15cm translucent pinstripe patterned wax sheets (30 sheets)
Lamp base: AKARI lamp

The paper is translucent, but when folded over, it becomes harder for the light to shine through. The stripes do make interesting overlapped patterns, though.