The Strawberry Thief Table Lamp

In 1883, William Morris was apparently having a bit of trouble with thrushes stealing strawberries from his garden. Most of us would probably have put up a net. Morris turned the experience into one of the most famous textile designs of the Arts and Crafts movement.

Strawberry Thief has been around for well over 140 years, and I think it’s one of those patterns that hasn’t really aged. There’s so much going on, with birds, flowers, curling leaves and little clusters of strawberries all woven together into an incredibly detailed design.

For my Strawberry Thief Table Lamp, I’ve used a version of the pattern with warm orange and coral colours, soft cream flowers and a deep green background. The birds are tucked amongst the foliage, and the whole design wraps around the cylinder, so there’s something different to see as you turn it.

One of the things I particularly like about this William Morris inspired lamp is what happens when you switch it on. The cream and orange colours take on a lovely warm glow, while the darker greens provide a bit of contrast. It almost looks like an illuminated piece of vintage fabric.

The cylinder itself is 3D printed in white PLA, and I then use my UV printer to apply the artwork directly to the surface. That means you still get all the colour and detail when the light is switched off. It’s just as much a decorative piece during the day as it is a lamp in the evening.

I can imagine this one sitting on a bookshelf amongst a collection of old books, or on a sideboard alongside a few favourite things. And because it’s rechargeable, you don’t need to worry about whether there’s a plug socket nearby. Put it wherever you think it looks right, and move it somewhere else whenever you fancy a change.

A full charge gives around 12 hours or more of use, so a couple of hours charging every few days should keep you going nicely.

The included remote control lets you choose from 13 LED colours and five brightness levels. You can also set it to slowly fade through the colours, or use the 30 and 60 minute timers to switch it off automatically. I think the warmer light settings work particularly well with this design.

At around 23cm tall, the Strawberry Thief lamp has plenty of room to show off the detail without taking up too much space.

If you’re a fan of William Morris, the Arts and Crafts movement or traditional botanical patterns, this is a design with a bit of history behind it. And it’s one I’m particularly pleased to have turned into a light.

Not bad for something that started with a few birds helping themselves to somebody else’s strawberries.

The original artwork for this design was created with the assistance of AI and then used as part of my process to create the finished light. Each light is personally made and finished by me.