We are proud to share that Sorpresa, designed by Samuel Wilkinson for Astep, has been awarded the BIG SEE Product Design Award 2026.
The recognition highlights a project that treats light, volume, and material responsibility as one continuous gesture rather than separate decisions. BIG SEE celebrates work that turns everyday objects into precise, culturally aware design statements, with a strong focus on sustainability and long-term value.
In this context, Sorpresa is acknowledged not only for its graphic, expanding form, but also for its calibrated use of natural oak, recycled mesh and a simple, replaceable light source. We are honoured to see Sorpresa join this year’s selected projects and grateful to the BIG SEE jury for the recognition.
“I wanted to create a piece that would intrigue. As its name suggests, the essence of the lamp is ‘surprise’. We looked at various collapsible objects for inspiration and found a traditional shaker wool winder. It was the low-tech expandable timber construction that I admired most, the simple movement and expression,” says designer Samuel Wilkinson.
Conceived to ship flat yet open into a dramatic chandelier, Sorpresa addresses one of the main challenges of large-volume lighting: the environmental and logistical cost of size. The lamp’s mechanism, inspired by a traditional wool winder, allows the structure to unfold in a single, intuitive movement while maintaining a light, transparent presence in the room.
“With Sorpresa, rather than opting for a disassembled flat-pack lamp, we developed a pre-assembled lamp with an honest timber mechanism that enables it to expand upon release from its packaging,” said Samuel Wilkinson Studio.
