Before Vintage Lamp Cam became a signature of warmth and nostalgia, it was simply a way of relating to objects, time, and light. In this interview, the creator speaks openly about the path that led from the discipline of spacemodelling to the intuitive craft of transforming vintage objects into luminous, functional artworks. Rooted in respect for the past and driven by imagination, the process reveals how light can carry memory, emotion, and a sense of quiet presence into everyday spaces. Isn’t this lovely?
1. Who is the person behind Vintage Lamp Cam? Can you tell us a little about your background and journey as a creator?
My name is Ionuț Scarlat. If I were to describe myself in just a few words, I’d say I’m a simple man who found the courage to let his dreams lead the way.
My path as a creator didn’t actually start with lamps, it started with looking up to the sky. From a young age, I was obsessed with spacemodelling. It’s a world built on absolute precision, and in 2007, I reached the top of that world when I became a European Champion in scale model rockets. That was my first real lesson in what it takes to build something with your own two hands, starting from nothing but an idea and a plan.
In 2010, after graduating from the Buzău School of Arts, in Romania, where I studied architecture, life took a bit of a detour. What started as a simple road trip through Italy ended up becoming my life for the next five years. I moved there on my own, leaving behind everything familiar to live in the heart of a famous wine region.
That period “polished” my spirit, I enriched my viticulture knowledge and I learned to look at art through the lens of forgotten objects. It was there that the first spark of my current work appeared. I began transforming empty wine bottles into unique lighting fixtures.
Ionut Scarlat
2. What inspired you to start making unique, handcrafted lamps, and how did the brand come to life?
My journey then took me to the north, to Great Britain. The change was a total shock to the system, moving from the Italian sunshine and long walks in nature to grey sky and the kind of constant rain that keeps you tucked away indoors. But it was during that time spent inside that I started collecting vintage cameras.
As I looked at them, I realised that these little mechanical gems deserved a second life. They shouldn’t just sit forgotten on a shelf. They should play an active part in a home’s atmosphere. I began transforming them into lamps, initially just as a passion project for myself. However, as my worktop began to overload and friends started telling me that these pieces had a story worth sharing, I decided to bring Vintage Lamp Cam to life.
Today, every lamp I create carries a piece of my story. The precision of the rockets from my childhood, a touch of Italian elegance, and a deep sense of nostalgia for the cameras of another time.
3. How would you describe your creative philosophy or aesthetic when designing a lamp? Can you walk us through your process of creating a lamp from concept to finished piece?
My creative philosophy is rooted in a habit I’ve had since I was a child. Using my imagination and my hands to bring my ideas to life. This approach has guided me through every stage of my life, but it found its truest expression in the making of these lamps.
Over time, I’ve realised that my style is what you might call “freestyle.” Most of my creations are the result of a spontaneous process. I don’t follow strict rules, but instead, I let the object itself dictate its final form. My aesthetic focuses on taking objects with a history and turning them into functional pieces of art, giving them a second life through light.
My workflow changes depending on the project, but it’s always driven by the passion to create something unique.
For my personal projects, it all starts with an object that catches my eye. I’ll find myself at my workbench, holding a piece of history and waiting for the moment it reveals its new form as a lamp. From that moment on, intuition takes over, and the creative process begins.
For custom commissions, the process is a bit more complex because I’m bringing someone else’s vision to life. In these cases, I start by putting my thoughts down on paper. Because I’m dedicated to making something truly one of a kind, I pour all my skill and effort into ensuring the result is an exceptional piece.
My creative drive doesn’t follow a 9 to 5 schedule. Sometimes, I’ll literally dream up a design, or I’ll wake up in the middle of the night and head straight to the workshop to build that “dream” step by step. I’ve learned that inspiration can knock at any hour, and I’ve chosen to always be ready to open the door.
Once the concept is set, whether it comes from a sketch, a dream, or a sudden spark of intuition, the assembly begins in the workshop. This is where technical skill and an eye for detail come together to ensure the final product isn’t just a lamp, but a story told through light.
Get yours here: VintageLampCam
4. Do any of your lamps carry personal stories, symbolism, or emotional meaning? Can you describe a piece that challenged you the most creatively and what you learned from it?
Every lamp I create carries a piece of my energy and its own unique story. To me, these aren’t just lighting equipment. They are time capsules. When I work with a vintage object, I’m not just incorporating a mechanical part. I’m preserving the nostalgia of a bygone era.
The symbolism in my work lies in the power of transformation. I truly believe that any object, no matter how old or forgotten, can find a new purpose and a modern glow if it is viewed with enough imagination. This transition, from old to new, from darkness to light, is the common thread that connects everything I create.
The piece that challenged me the most wasn’t necessarily the most technically complex. Instead, it was my very first commission, where I had to bring someone else’s vision to life.
The difficulty came from trying to balance my freestyle nature with the specific requirements of a client. It was an exercise of discipline. I had to resist following only my own instincts and instead translate someone else’s desires into an object that still bore my signature style. I sketched, erased, and started over countless times until the image on paper finally matched the dream the client was trying to explain to me.
That experience taught me two essential lessons.
Patience as a tool. I realised that sometimes the creative process needs time to soak in on paper before it ever reaches the worktop.
Visual empathy. I learned how to listen beyond words, to visualise someone else’s aesthetic needs and turn them into a technical challenge that I could solve with enthusiasm.
Since then, I don’t see custom orders as a burden. I see them as an opportunity to push my boundaries and discover solutions I likely never would have found working on my own.
5. Your lamps have such a warm, intimate energy. Has making them played a role in your personal growth or healing in any way?
Without a doubt, the process of creating these lamps has been, and continues to be, a journey of personal transformation. There is something almost therapeutic about the moment I step into my workshop. It is the one place where the noise of the outside world fades away, leaving just me and my imagination.
Working with my hands has an incredible healing power. When I walk into that space, it’s never out of obligation. I am driven by an inner need to bring something beautiful into the world. Taking an old object, perhaps something abandoned or broken, and giving it a new purpose through light is, in essence, an act of hope.
Just as a lamp is built step by step, I’ve learned that personal growth also requires time, effort, and a keen attention to detail.
In the end, my lamps carry a certain warm energy because they are, in fact, pieces of the peace and passion that I find in my workshop. They don’t just light up a room. Mainly, they have lit up my own path.
6. Why vintage elements?
Choosing vintage elements is more than just an aesthetic preference. It is a form of respect for the past and for the quality of things built to last. Unlike modern, mass produced items, a vintage object carries a patina that only time can create. It has a story. It has passed through the hands of many people and survived for decades.
When I transform such an object into a lamp, I’m not just changing its function. I’m honouring its history by allowing it to exist in a new form. This process makes me feel like a bridge between the past and the future.
And yet, I must be honest. I haven’t fully found the answer to the question “why vintage?” even now. I often ask myself what it is that draws me so powerfully to these fragments of time. I feel there is a deeper explanation, a root to this passion that I haven’t quite uncovered yet, but I’m chasing that answer through every repurposed object.
Get yours from Vintage Lamp Cam
7. How do you choose which vintage elements to incorporate, and do you have a favorite era or style?
Choosing vintage elements doesn’t follow a strict set of rules. It is, more than anything, an instinctive process. I don’t necessarily look for a specific object, but rather for a feeling or a shape that speaks to me. I let myself be guided by that spark of a moment. When I wander through flea markets and fairs, I’ll pick up an object, and if I can visualise its inner light, I know it’s the one.
As for a favourite era or style, I wouldn’t say I’m anchored to any single period. What truly draws me in is the honesty of materials from a bygone epoch. The heavy metal and the complex mechanisms that have survived for decades. Whether it’s the industrial aesthetic of mid century or the technical elegance of vintage cameras, I look for objects that carry that patina of time.
8. Do you see your lamps as more than objects, as experiences or emotional spaces for the people who own them?
I absolutely see my lamps as far more than just functional objects. To me, they are emotions translated into light.
When someone chooses one of my pieces, they aren’t just buying a lighting fixture. They are welcoming a story and a piece of my creative journey into their home. I believe every lamp has the power to completely shift the energy of a room, turning it into an intimate space for reflection. The light that glows through a vintage object isn’t ordinary. It is a warm light that invites stillness and reminds us to slow down.
I am mindful that for those who own them, these lamps become part of their daily experience. They create an emotional space where the past, the object itself, and the present, its new purpose, meet. Knowing that someone can find peace or inspiration beside a piece I built, perhaps born from a dream I had in the middle of the night, is the greatest fulfilment I can have as a designer.
These are objects that don’t just light up a room. They embrace it, offering the owner a unique connection to something that was saved and passionately reinvented.
9. What has been the most rewarding or memorable moment since starting Vintage Lamp Cam?
For me, the most beautiful and satisfying moment since I started the Vintage Lamp Cam project was not related to a specific piece, but to the moment when I realised that my lamps have the power to touch people’s souls and their appreciation.
10. What’s the ultimate feeling or reaction you hope someone has when they see or turn on one of your lamps?
The ultimate feeling I hope my lamps awaken is a sense of wonder and connection. My wish is that the moment someone switches on one of my lamps, they feel time slow down, if only for a second.
I want their reaction to be more than just “it looks good.” I hope they feel that intimate warmth that transforms a house into a sanctuary. I like to believe that through their light, my lamps manage to transmit that same sense of peace and fascination I feel in my workshop while I am building them.
Essentially, I hope the owner feels an immediate connection to the piece, seeing in it not just an old camera or a mechanism, but a companion with a story of its own. The reaction I look for is that spark of curiosity in their eyes. The same spark I feel when I open the door to inspiration. I want the act of turning on the lamp to be their own little moment of everyday magic, a bridge between their world and the dream I brought to life.
Florenta: Thank you for sharing your vision, your craft, and your stories. Your lamps surely awaken a sense of connection and wonder, indeed! I confirm that!
