Maap by Erwan Bourollec Launches for FLOS

July 21, 2026  by Karen Parrish in Business Strategy, Designer Weekly, Industry   

When crumpled, the envelope takes on unique, organic forms, giving users complete creative freedom to shape and configure its appearance.

“Paper,” adds Bouroullec, “was the starting point, but it proved too soft, too fragile. Tyvek®, with its strength and resilience, became the perfect choice, allowing the lamp to endure and evolve over time.”

“Maap is a lamp that unites fundamental concepts, yet its reality is both radically simple and inherently complex. Despite its bold presence, it remains extremely lightweight. Maap is built around an ultra-light fibrous envelope, similar to paper in appearance, but tear-resistant in nature.”

“In creating this lamp, I drew from two enduring obsessions: geometry and natural structures. Maap embodies precise geometry, which is then confronted with chaos during its installation on the wall. The envelope must be crumpled to form a microstructure that brings it to life and provides stability.”

“Maap could also be called Maak, as it is rooted in a simple gesture: ManMade. It is designed to be shaped through our innate inclination to create—our impulse to form objects in response to context. It embraces our attraction to free forms, which, in turn, can evoke endless interpretations.”

“Maap is the realization of a long-held desire to create expansive light sources that diffuse illumination across a broad surface. This results in a subtle, immersive glow that surrounds you, spreading softly and evenly.”

 

“Maap was designed over an extended period—its wild nature resisted traditional materials and even defied conventional technical drawings. I’ve long been fascinated by ultra-thin materials; to me, the ability of a simple sheet to become self-stabilizing is an extraordinary feat. Tyvek®, with its strength and resilience, became the perfect choice—allowing the lamp to endure and evolve over time.”

Then came the Dots—elements that subtly fix the envelope in place, almost like a freeze, but without a definitive end. If released, the dots would allow for endless reshaping.

Throughout the entire design journey, lightness remained a guiding principle, as it is in much of my work—because resources must be used thoughtfully.” says Erwan Bouroullec.

An alchemical wall installation

The casing is attached to the metal frame, or ‘skeleton’, using large magnetic buttons (Dots), aligned with four magnetic points at each light source. Beyond their functional role, these buttons become a further expressive detail, as the designer explains: “With a kind of magic, these Dots subtly fix the casing in place and allow for endless reshaping. Maap could also be called Maak, as it is rooted in a simple gesture: ManMade. The installation responds to our innate inclination to create and shape objects in response to their context. It embraces our attraction to free forms, which can evoke countless interpretations. Maap resembles a map, a visualised tide landscape, a vector field, or even an extreme close-up of cellular structures. It is the outcome of making: partially uncontrolled, instinctive, and alive.”

Quality of light across an extended surface

Maap is a visually impactful lamp. Like a large cloud, it diffuses light across a broad surface: the source seems to emanate not from a single point but from the entire illuminated area. It fills the space with a soft, ambient glow like a window, a glass wall, or sunlight itself, creating a sensation that is both enveloping and atmospheric, spreading gently and evenly throughout the space.

Technical characteristics

Materials: Tyvek®, steel

Light source: LED bulb E27, 8000 lm (1 unit with 4 bulbs), 2700 K, CRI 80, dimmable.