GUBI Obello portable table lamp, frosted glass

The GUBI Obello table lamp represents the American space-age design at its finest: its playful and innovative shape perfectly captures the futurism and optimism typical of the time. Designed by Bill Curry in 1971, the lamp resembles a mushroom and consists of a single piece of glass instead of a more traditional separate shade and stand. The luminaire is made of mouth-blown glass, and because of its shape, it requires extreme skill from glassblowers – due to the manufacturing method, each luminaire is also unique.

The Obello table lamp has two LED bulbs: the brighter one directs the light up to the dome, the dimmer one down towards the stand. The luminaire emits an atmospheric, glare-free light around it, which, thanks to its dimmability, serves both at dusk and in the midnight hour. The rechargeable Obello is suitable for both indoor and outdoor use, but the luminaire should be stored and charged indoors.

Although designed as early as the 1970s, Obello did not end up in production until decades later. Sadly, Curry died before the lamp was finished, and he never even had the chance to give his prototype a name. In collaboration with the Curry family, GUBI released the luminaire in 2022 as an innovative cordless version that honors Curry’s futuristic original design by using the latest lighting innovations in modern technology.