Toru is inspired by microscopic diatoms. Diatoms take more carbon out of the atmosphere than anything else – more than all the world’s tropical rainforests. Through photosynthesis, they liberate enough oxygen for every second breath of humankind and Toru raises awareness of diatoms as a highly sustainable light.

Decorative lighting often shows little concern for the environment, as it uses many unsustainable materials. Toru, as with all of our lights, is made from renewable bamboo which is a secondary by-product of the food industry. It is a feature piece but is shipped flat-packed to reduce its freight footprint. There are two different orientations of Toru, vertical or horizontal and this effectively makes two designs in one. It creates unique shadows based on the natural patterns of the diatoms it represents. Toru emits a soft dappled shadow for a relaxed atmosphere and brings natural forms indoors.

Toru is unique in its unusual and striking form, a combination of a triangle and a twisted extrusion. (Toru means three in Māori). It is also unusual in the world of lighting as it is made from plywood to allow for flexibility.

As a company, we also wanted to give back in some way to the diatoms which inspired us and so we have partnered with Sustainable Coastlines to donate from each sale of Toru. Currently, this is equating to over $12,000 per annum in donations for their cause.

Photography: David Trubridge Marketing Team