Handmade Lighting: Chamusquina's Soulful Lamps in Rural Spain

How did this journey with lighting begin for you? What was the moment that sparked Chamusquina?

In order to answer this question, I’ve had to organize and understand my creative and life journey across nearly 30 years.

The lamps were born in a space in the Gracia neighborhood in Barcelona. They emerged from the need to light up our home, an industrial warehouse, a former carpentry workshop, which we would turn into a living space and workshop.

That’s where the name CHAMUSQUINA emerged. We started by reusing old materials that caused the lights to flicker and burn some textile cables: the smell of burnt thread, of “chamusquina.” In Spanish, the saying “huele a chamusquina” means you suspect something might not turn out well. The sense of doubt. What to do? Should I forge ahead? Probing these questions further, I discovered I'm not only interested in lighting spaces but in spaces that I can rebirth, give a second life to, and illuminate to welcome more life inside.

Can you describe your studio space? It sounds like the environment itself is part of the creative process.

We left the city. I rediscovered living in the countryside, a place I've always been passionate about. The lamps take up a lot of space and so I decided to give them that space. A good atmosphere in the workshop makes all the difference. We love what we do and never get tired of it. The workshop is a space of peace: high ceilings, whitewashed walls, hanging lamps, fabrics organized and disorganized, lamps in progress, structures, cables... lots of movement, lots of color, and lots of life.

Walk us through a typical day in your creative life. Where do you find inspiration?

My daily work: I make lamps and renovate spaces. I use lime and pigments. I take walks in the countryside finding muddy floors, old painted ceilings and reclaimed wooden doors. Imperfect lamps. Antiques. I bring all of this inspiration with me to the workshop. I love so much to cut, sew, and assemble volumes of fabric that suddenly light up. I create with my eyes, with my hands.

Finally, what’s the response been like from people who live with your work? How do you view the relationship between maker and user?

The people who value our lamps convey their emotion, which satisfies us greatly. We revere the relationship with the customer, the individual, the designer, and the distributor. We listen, advise if asked, and are delighted to do so. Something people often say about our lamps is that they seem alive, that they have a soul. What more could we ask for?

Chamusquina’s lamps are available through select design retailers and directly from their studio and on Instagram @chamusquina__. View the Tortuga Forma Lanterna collaboration with Chamusquina below.