Produced by Carl Hansen & Søn, Begonya stems from Øivind Slaatto‘s long-standing fascination with the structures, repetitions, and inherent order of nature. Its form is inspired by the Begonia flower, but it is not a literal representation; rather, it is an interpretation of the principles that govern its growth. “I never try to copy nature, but to learn from it,” the designer states. “When you work with principles that already exist in nature, a certain truth emerges in the expression.”
The inspiration behind the lamp’s design is not, in fact, an imitation, but an abstraction—a process of learning from nature’s logic. “‘Begonya’ is intentionally spelled with a ‘y’ to emphasize the difference between the flower and the lamp—between the natural and the man-made,” Slaatto explains. It is a “synthetic flower,” a man-made object that draws from the school of nature, where billions of years of evolution have refined the best solutions. While plants grow to capture as much light as possible, this lamp inverts that principle. “This lamp is not made to harvest as much light as possible, but to give light in the most efficient way,” notes Øivind Slaatto.
Begonya’s elliptical silhouette and sculptural symmetry conceal a captivating duality: on one hand, a purely mathematical structure designed to ensure glare-free light; on the other, an almost living material whose final form is impossible to predict exactly. “It is a purely mathematical structure that makes sure that you will never get blinded, but it’s impossible to predict exactly how it looks because it has this uncontrollable material where gravity and the structure of the material make it unpredictable,” the designer explains.
This unpredictability creates a parallel with another material iconic to Carl Hansen & Søn: wood. Just as the grain and knots make each chair unique, Begonya’s shade takes on subtle curves and movements that give each piece its own life. “Having this in your home, where you have control but you also have something you cannot control, is something I think is quite important to embrace,” Slaatto reflects.
The lamp is built around a complex internal aluminum skeleton with a warm golden finish, assembled without glue or screws thanks to ingenious “geometric tricks.” A “dress” of non-woven polyethylene is then mounted by hand onto this frame. This material, similar to paper in touch and appearance, is in fact extremely strong and durable—the same used for large airplane banners. At the end of its life, the shade can be removed and recycled, and the lamp can be “dressed” anew. The assembly of each lamp, with its 168 junction points, can take up to seven hours, a testament to an absolute dedication to craftsmanship.
For Knud Erik Hansen, CEO of Carl Hansen & Søn, the collaboration is a perfect example of the company’s philosophy: “With Begonya, we expand our lighting collection with a design that beautifully unites the poetry of nature with the precision and material knowledge that characterize our craftsmanship.” The Begonya pendant lamp will be available in two sizes (Ø900 mm and Ø500 mm) starting in September 2026.
