KIN TOILE Lamps by Marlo Lyda

KIN Toile is a series of oversized lamps conceived as sculptural studies in calico, captured deliberately mid-process. Created as artist proofs, each piece reads as a three-dimensional sketch; an eccentric form held in suspension, as though awaiting a final stitch. Appearing as table lamps, floor lamps, and one towering form, the works lean quietly, their posture guided by placement rather than symmetry, as if paused mid-conversation.

In contrast to traditional shade-making, where seams are concealed, Toile reverses this instinct. Seams, joins, and internal scaffolding are left visible and celebrated. Tailored fabric panels reveal the logic of garment construction and the human quality of structure beneath the surface. Difference is embraced over uniformity, an ode to process, imperfection, and the quiet elegance of things becoming.

These calico Toiles form the ongoing foundation of the project. The series later evolved into KIN, a capsule of hand-dyed editions developed for the NGV Rigg Design Prize 2025, crafted from deadstock cotton gifted by ALM Studio and embellished with antique lace, buttons, and velvet ribbons drawn from the designer’s family sewing boxes.

Designed and produced in Sydney, Australia, Toile sits at the intersection of lighting, sculpture, and textile practice. A work that honours making as both gesture and narrative.

Materials

Hand-stitched textile over a powder-
coated steel frame, aluminium

components & base plate, integrated
LED lighting with clear flex & switch.

Toile Fabric Selection 

Please email contact@cleocollects.com for custom toile fabric options. The prices listed here include fabric: Calico Cotton ~ Natural. 

Available in 3 sizes

Study I — Table Lamp
Ø 435 × 600 H mm
Base Ø 335 mm
Approx. 2 kg

Study II — Standing Lamp
Ø 620 × 1675 H mm
Base Ø 510 mm
Approx. 6 kg

Study III — Jumbo Floor Lamp
Ø 710 × 2010 H mm
Base Ø 640 mm
Approx. 9 kg

ETA 6-8 weeks from order.