Let There Be Lamp: An Interview with Clay Mohrman and Rory Shamlian of Will It Lamp?

You are both lighting designers individually. How did you come to lighting?

Clay: I studied Product Design and made a lamp for my final project and got hooked. I then worked at an optical component manufacturer with wicked smart people for about four years. Fast forward to now, and for the last eight years I've run my own company making sculptural lighting, mostly with wood. I've just completed an MPS (Master of Professional Studies) in Lighting Design at the New York School of Interior Design.

Rory: My route was pretty different but there's some overlap. I studied Environmental Studies, finishing with a thesis on waste diversion. I worked in compost and land management, but it wasn't fulfilling so I took some pottery classes and started a ceramics business. I also worked at a lamp shop that refurbished and rewired vintage and antique lighting, learning the ins-and-outs of decorative fixtures from different design eras by breaking down the components. I brought that into my ceramic business which now focuses solely on lighting. I am also currently studying the same MPS that Clay's just finished.

Is that how you met and started Will it Lamp?

Rory: We've been buddies for years, meeting as bartenders at a music venue in Vermont. We've had our studios around the corner from each other for a long time and, about two-and-a-half years ago we moved into a space together.

We've had the idea of Will it Lamp? for ages and have been marinating and mulling over it, but there was never a good time to take on more work as small business owners. Eventually, we just thought "let's dive in!".

In less than a year, your videos and channels have become hugely popular, what do you think draws people to them?

Rory: I think people really feel our joy and excitement about each others' excitement and respond to it. We have filming days where we surprise ourselves at every turn and get to experience this wonderful joy, then people get to experience it with us again. So, while our videos and conversations are about turning things into lamps, the crux of what we're showing is the creative process. There's not much online that shows good collaboration, good connection, good communication and respect for each other's ideas.

Is that spirit of collaboration something you were both looking for as solo business owners?

Clay: I think so. We're both avid thrifters but we remember going to the thrift store for the first Will it Lamp? episodes and saying "we've never had this much fun in a thrift store!". We were looking at stuff saying, "wait, wait, that could be… oh my God, that could be a lamp, we could do this, or this." It felt like this moment of creative expression and play. It's become an extremely fun element to our design lives.

From a more practical perspective, why do you think DIY lamps are something people want to know about?

Rory: I think that lighting is one of those things that sits on the edge of being approachable and unapproachable. Everybody has lamps, buys and replaces light bulbs, and understands light as a component of living in a home, so there's an accessibility. But, then there's a massive barrier because electricity is scary. There's a curiosity. People think: "I could do that, I just need a little help."

Clay: It also feels like there's a larger movement around the transformative power of light in spaces at the moment. It's so fun to see people becoming aware of how light affects their space – how it can spark joy when you have a beautiful lamp which is both a cool object and a wonderful, warm, transformative light.

What's your favourite lamp you've made so far?

Clay: The easy answer is the first one, made from an iridescent glass bowl. I usually work with wood so it created this explosion of possibilities in my mind – my scope isn't limited, there are more materials out there!

Rory: That experience of "Oh my god, new materials!" really resonates, so I'd agree, the early ones were special. One of my favourites, which was also one of the most challenging, is a glass pendant made with two really thin double-glass layered bowls. The drilling didn't go well, but we worked through it. That was a cool process of understanding what works and what doesn't with a new material.

Are there lamps that don't work out?

Rory: People often ask us to show the videos of objects that don't lamp but, to us, they're all valid. It's up to individuals to decide if something lamped or not. Since early on, we've challenged ourselves to come up with something radically different every single time – wall lamps, pendants, standing lamps, chandeliers etc. We want to push the boundaries of lamping.

Clay: For the record, we have posted every single thing we have lamped. The way that I see it is: some lamp harder than others.

A lot of your videos focus on discussions around fixings and parts, why is that?

Clay: Having a nice switch, cord or plug seems so small and minimal, but often the things you interact with are the most important and fun part of the lamps. We can get crazy picking from all the parts and styles! They're almost like LEGO elements that all fit together.

How do you pick the bulbs?

Rory: A basic thing to think about is the colour temperature. For a home, don't go above 2700K, because it starts to give a harsh, sterile blue light that doesn't feel cosy.

In terms of shape, we have this ongoing joke where we always say: "put a globe on it!" – we think everything looks better with a beautiful, frosted globe on top. We challenge ourselves to find other options but people do love the globe… It's funny, we get comments of "I wish you'd do something else," so, we will for 10 episodes. Then, when we go back to a globe, people lose their minds!

So a tip for those starting out in DIY lighting is "put a globe on it"?

Rory: Yes! We're actually doing some workshops soon teaching people how to make a globe table lamp.

That's based on an early episode with a lamp made by stacking three green bowls, right?

Clay: Yes, we feel that design is really fun and approachable. Everybody has bowls or can find them in thrift stores.

What should people look out for when thrifting an object to turn into a lamp?

Clay: The sky's the limit in terms of what to choose. For me, it's not so much about looking for specific forms or types of objects but about considering if something's good quality, well-made or a cool antique.

Sometimes I look for things with little brass or chrome accents so lamp parts can be easily matched. Getting in with your local thrift store employees is definitely another recommendation – they'll save stuff for you.

Rory: Candle holders really lend themselves to making a lighting fixture as they're ripe-and-ready for bulbs or globes. You can also look out for things that already resemble lamp parts, for example flipping a brioche tin over because it looks like a shade.

Once you've got an object, what's the most useful tool to have to hand?

Clay: Your toolkit with good, sharp tools is the most important element on your lamping journey. A solid pair of wire strippers – totally transformative!

Rory: There are four or five tools that you really need for basic wiring to lamp anything. Then there's the bigger stuff – a small drill press for making straight holes is amazing.

What's the single piece of advice you'd give to someone who wants to try out their hand at making a lamp?

Rory: Start with the basics. Learn how to wire a standard socket for a table lamp. Then, attach the socket to an object – use glue if you want – and see how it lights up. Notice how the light interplays with the object itself. Then, just go for it!

Any suggestions for people looking to lamp in smaller homes?

Clay: When floor space is precious, putting things on the wall or finding different surfaces that you can adhere fixtures to can have such an amazing impact. They bring attention to things and can make spaces feel bigger.

Rory: We've made a lot of really cute little lamps – tiny baby lamps! For instance, we found two wooden candle holder arches and put different sized globes on them ("Put a globe on it!"). I've arranged them in little moments on my bookshelf. While they don't provide task lighting, they add an amazing feeling. That's what is so powerful about lighting – it really changes your experience of a space. It's welcoming, it's calming, it's soothing.

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For lamp-making tool tips, general entertainment, joy and much more, follow Rory and Clay on Instagram: @ willitlamp_clayandrory