Lighting manufacturer Gantri partnered with vintage furniture dealer Rarify on a modular 3D-printed light system using elements from Swiss furniture studio USM, showcased with local designer Studio Guapo as part of NYCxDesign.
The Cube One Table Lamp (Cube One) was manufactured by California-based Gantri and is the first product by Rarify, an outfit known for restoring and selling vintage and contemporary furniture.
The Rarify x Gantri light was on display at a storefront in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, and the installation was directed by local designer Matt Pecina of Studio Guapo.
A single unit of the Cube One lamp is comprised of 3D-printed panels encased in a cubiform frame made of metallic USM Haller components.
Multiple units of the light can then be stacked or affixed to one another to create larger pieces such as a floor lamp or chandelier, which were on display among other furniture during the NYCxDesign exhibition.
“The lamp is built as an infinitely expandable modular system, capable of evolving into furniture, larger lamps, hanging fixtures, illuminated walls, or architecture-scale installations,” said the team.
The pieces on display included the Cube One light in its singular form, a larger screen-like piece punctuated with nine units and a small floor lamp made of six interconnected cubes that sat next to a DJ booth.
The lamp’s interior 3D-printed panels are crafted using a Gantri-made sugarcane-based plant polymer and are designed to be removed “after life”, leaving behind the USM frame, according to the team.
“At the end of its long life cycle, the Gantri insert can be easily removed for sustainable disposal, while the USM components retain their value as intact and unmodified collectible pieces,” said the team.
According to Gantri, the polymer material is 100 per cent biodegradable and is used throughout all their 3D-printed lighting fixtures.
The Rarify x Gantri collaboration sought to combine vintage and contemporary components with digital manufacturing to create more affordable and sustainable collectible design.
It is part of the launch of the manufacturing service Gantri Made by Gantri, where lighting studios can submit designs to the company using an online portal to be 3D-printed in its California factory.
The process aims to make lighting production more accessible to smaller design studios by using a print-to-order method, which reduces its costs and material waste, according to the company.
Along with Cube One, Gantri also displayed lamps made in collaboration with design studios RAD, Haworth and Prowl Studio during NYCxDesign, all of which were made using the Gantri Made manufacturing technique.
“This new release reflects the changing face of product engineering, emphasising made-to-order production, 3D printing with biodegradable materials, and the seamless integration of vintage and new,” said the team.
Other exhibitions on display during NYCxDesign 2025 included a series of miniature displays by designer Tatsuya Tanaka for Muji and furniture made from car parts by MSCHF.
The photography is by Matthew Gordon.
The Rarify x Gantri show took place on 17 May at the Studio Guapo showroom at 46 Hester Street in Manhattan. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.
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