Jil Smith

November 15, 2011

Jil Smith of Insatiable Studios has been making custom lighting for over 16 years.

Every shade is meticulously handmade using refined papier-māché process. Jil wraps bands of white kinwashi—Japanese rice paper—around a metal frame made to her specifications, drying each translucent strip before placing the next. After carefully applying four layers, she finishes with papers gathered from around the globe in a myriad of colors, hand cut into intriguing shapes. The resulting one-of-a-kind piece appears ethereal, yet is surprisingly durable. After graduating from Pratt Institute, N.Y.C., Jil arrived at lampshades through her fascination with color, pattern, and proportion, and a desire for thoughtful, sustainable work. In Seattle, Jil’s art is on view at the Seattle Art Museum, Dahlia Lounge, Cicchetti, Luc, Vios and the Fremont PCC. Her work is also featured at the Denver International Airport and Nordstrom Stores across the country.