Nanbu Kreo-Lite Pill Lamp

This table lamp, model NA-718 and known as “aiai,” embodies the playful futurism of late twentieth-century Space Age design. Composed in a distinctive capsule or “pill” form, the lamp combines saturated colour with mechanical articulation, resulting in an object that is at once sculptural and functional.

The rounded base houses a built-in transformer, converting 220 volts to either 12 or 6 volts, controlled by a two-step inline switch offering high and low illumination. When extended, the lamp assumes an angular, dynamic posture; when folded closed, it returns to a compact, self-contained pod.

Produced under the Kreo-Lite name and associated with Nanbu Industrial Co. Ltd, the design reflects the global influence of Italian Space Age lighting of the late 1960s while representing a distinctly Asian manufacturing lineage. Variants were produced in multiple colours and configurations, some branded under the name Well-Lite.

This example retains its characteristic capsule silhouette and articulated mechanism. Minor surface wear consistent with age is present, including a small area of melted material on the front of the shade, indicative of heat exposure during its lifetime of use.

The “aiai” lamp stands as a testament to the era’s fascination with modular form, vivid colour, and the transformation of domestic lighting into a compact, futuristic object.