A fantastic source of inspiration is nature. Wether you’re looking for colors, forms, materials or textures, it can all be found in nature. One of the materials often used for upcycling is wood. Just look at all these lighting ideas that use wood. All these upcycle design pieces are made out of leftovers of discarded objects.
Nature itself also creates objects that are in a way ‘waste’. For instance branches. But what could you do with a branch?

A branch looking like a creature

Well, one could create incredible and impressive upcycle lighting with it. Portugese architect and designer Martinho Pita, based in Lisbon, created a series called ‘Bichos‘. Every Bicho is handmade out of a branch combined with a textile-covered electrical cord running through it. According to Martinho this cord resembles blood as a life-giving source.

What really attracted me in the Bichos series is that each piece resembles an animal, a species. Not exactly what kind, but a creature for sure. And that’s where the name derives from. ‘Bicho’ is a portuguese word that means something like ‘creature’.
The branches used are gathered from pruning portuguese Holm (Holly) Oak trees, native to the Mediterranean region. Its wood is used since ancient times and is known for its hardness and high quality firewood.

Martinho Pita:

“For me it became essential to learn how to prune a tree, the right time of the year, the right branch, the angle and distance of the cut in order for the tree to heal itself. ‘Bichos’ seek to be part of a waste-minimizing life cycle: from discarded branch, to lamp, to firewood, in the end.”

Photos © Martinho Pita

After determining the right posisition of the branch, it is peeled, shaped and sanded before it dries completely. He learned the art of transforming wood into lamps from his father who is an artist.

Design by Martinho Pita | Facebook | Photography by Francisco Nogueira