Alvaro Picardo

Alvaro Picardo

It was November 2020 and due to Covid I found myself locked in my flat in London. I found a broken lampshade and instead of throwing it away, I started painting on the fabric. The result was surprisingly good. That night I painted all the lampshades in the whole apartment. Afterwards, it felt like a life-changing moment.

Spanish designer and craftsman Alvaro Picardo has created a collection of hand-painted lampshades inspired by Josef Frank's classic designs and colours. Constantly influenced by his Catalan and Spanish roots, together with his love of modern art and brutalist architecture, he started painting lampshades with the aim of giving new life to otherwise forgotten objects, creating bespoke interior-design pieces. Through daring, colourful and hand-painted lampshades he aims to provide a distinctive feeling to any space or room, enhancing its atmosphere by adding an individual work.

Portait photographed by Davy Pittoors.

Born in Barcelona, the architect and designer Alvaro Picardo has always loved working with simple materials by transforming them into something beautiful. After arriving in London in 1993, He dived headfirst into the city’s rich visual culture, visiting museums, galleries, and auction houses whenever he could. This strengthened his eclectic taste which is influenced by brutalism, modern architecture, abstract and Modern British Art, and the world of interior design.

Some of the pieces created for Svenskt Tenn take up to two days to paint: each lampshade is unique: a tribute to the spirit of craftsmanship, which lies behind its particular finish, with traces of the artist’s personal handiwork possibly visible in the finished product.

Portait photographed by Davy Pittoors.