Nifemi Marcus-Bello unveils the Selah Lamp 2.0

Nifemi Marcus-Bello of Lagos-based NMBello Studio has just launched the Selah Lamp 2.0 in collaboration with Madrid-based manufacturing studio Caliper. The design revels in the fusion of two different cultural viewpoints, creating a quintessential Nigerian-Spanish design moment.

Nifemi Marcus-Bello and Caliper present the Selah Lamp 2.0

Marcus-Bello and Caliper's paths first crossed two years ago when the designer discovered the company while looking for a manufacturer for a client project in Europe. After examining their design vision and visiting their factory, it seemed like the right place to produce the piece. Soon after production, the team at Caliper approached him and invited him to join their design program, which led to the idea of ​​creating a new version of the Selah lamp.

Made from galvanized steel with a handmade Corian lampshade, the Selah Lamp 2.0 is an evolution of its first edition. During the manufacturing and ideation process, the designer wanted it to be more mobile than its original version. The idea was to create something that would fit in any home and be easily transported without the need for a truck. The result is the lamp's new flatpack design with dimmable LED bulb.

The structure of the Selah lamp was always trifunctional, as Marcus-Bello was open to people interpreting the functionality of the product according to their own taste. As he explains to Wallpaper*, he never knew the lamp could be a stool until someone sat on it during a visit to his studio and he realized the versatile potential of the product.

Marcus-Bello loves a good collaboration and for him that was one of the most exciting things about putting this project together. “It was a good project,” he said. “I think if there is no knowledge sharing in collaborations, then there really doesn't need to be. So there was a lot of knowledge sharing from my side and from their side. I learned a lot. I think they learned a lot from me too. I think the nice thing about it was that they were also interested in understanding why the product itself needed to be improved.”

The finish is the designer's favorite element: “I like the contrast. You understand the juxtaposition of steel and yellow Corian,” he says. “I think it works really, really well. I also like that it just feels very understated. It's been adapted to the way we live today, where we need products that have an identity but at the same time adapt to the way we live.”