PETALING JAYA, Oct 1 — The home decor landscape in Malaysia has evolved drastically in recent years with the emergence of artisanal makers who sell via art bazaars scattered across the Klang Valley.

BA Light is one of them; started by childhood friends Ken Lee and Kit, together with Ken’s ex-colleague Letnan Chin.

Either for a cafe or retail shop, these filament lamps are all the rage (left). Fancy an industrial looking chandelier? (right)

BA Light stands for "build arts” and as the company expands, they will expand into BA Furniture and so on.

Founded in 2015, BA Light came about when the founders went on a holiday to Australia and came across a simple table lamp made out of galvanised iron (GI) pipe and a light bulb.

BA Light sources lights from all over the world hence the various shapes

Curious and fascinated by the design, the trio dismantled the table lamp and experimented to create their own version.

What started out as a hobby turned into something serious when the trio tried selling their designs at bazaars and the response was positive.

Their unique designs depict GI pipes fashioned to resemble a man in various poses from running, thinking, skiing and even fighting.

The Star Wars-inspired table lamp by BA Light is very popular (left). Besides lighting up the room, the lights can be used for deco (right)

Fusing GI pipes and filament bulbs is a brilliant idea

There is also a Star Wars-inspired lamp... think a man fashioned from GI pipes, holding bulbs to resemble a lightsaber.

One of their bestsellers is their Candy Lamp which is a small desktop lamp with a galvanised iron base topped with an unusual shaped Edison filament light bulb. There’s a choice of 10 different colours to match and brighten up your space.

"Our prices are reasonable especially for our customers who come from the UK, US and Germany. Since our table lamp prices start from RM99 to RM599, expatriates don’t mind buying them because in their home country, it costs a lot more,” said Chin.

The custom-made table lamps are suited even for home use

Aside from ready stocks at the bazaars, BA Light’s table lamps can be customised according to the customer’s needs.

Pay a visit to their concept store in Kota Damansara to get a glimpse of what you can do with your home or office.

One of their customisation projects was for an office pantry where they used different copper pipes interlocking with filament bulbs to add a touch of sophistication to the overall interior.

Ideas and inspiration for BA Light are from their own experiences and travels (left). This table lamp is inspired by Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (right)

At the start of their business, they used recycled discarded pipes from factories in Malaysia. Later as they grew the business, these parts became scarce.

Today, only some parts of their designs still use recyclable parts such as the motorcycle sprocket for the base of the table lamps. Nowadays, they source pipes and bulbs from all over the world, based on their customer’s preferences.

Tools of the trade

"We source some items from Taiwan and China but if the customer is willing to pay, we can source higher quality items from Europe,” said Chin.

Lee shared that it’s hard to find suitable pipes in Malaysia as most of the hardware shops supply PVC pipes. Since learning more about pipes and lighting, the three co-founders found out that in Western countries, most home decor brands design using GI pipes.

This is not limited to table lamps but they also use the pipes to fashion racks, tables, chairs and other types of furniture, be it for home or retail.

BA Light’s portfolio of clients include offices, homes, cafes, retail shops and even Airbnb hosts. As long as you know what you want, they will come up with a mock-up design to suit your preference.

Workshops are available at BA Light

BA Light collaborated with Terrariums Malaysia to organise a workshop

Initially, some customers were quite sceptical about the table lamps when they saw it online as they think it’s made from plastic.  "For our products, sometimes you need to touch and feel. We will invite the customer to our booth at a bazaar and once they see it for themselves, they are convinced that we are using metal and not plastic,” said Lee.

Recently BA Light collaborated with Terrariums Malaysia to conduct a workshop where participants were taught how to create their own terrariums and fashion GI pipe table lamps.

GE commissioned BA Light to design this gorgeous light fixture for their pantry

"During the workshop, we had 11 participants where we taught them how to make terrariums and for the second part, BA Light taught them how to use the pipe to make the lighting.

"The founder of Terrariums Malaysia has been looking for customised lighting to combine with his terrariums but he was unable to find one. So he said he was quite lucky when he found BA Light,” said Chin.

Happy participants of the BA Light and Terrariums Malaysia workshop

According to Chin, Malaysians have a perception that terrariums must be put under natural sunlight only and be placed at balconies or near the window.

The founder of Terrariums Malaysia who has 10 years experience making them explained that UV light can be used to grow the terrariums. As the light can be customised to suit the environment, the bulbs used also came with a dimmer. This allows the user to display their terrarium as a decorative item at night.

Candy lamps for children are also available at BA Light

LED lights are popular among home owners. However, normal LED lights cannot be dimmed and it’s considered to be very harsh on the eyes. BA Light prefers to use filament lights which gives a softer light.

As each of the lights have a built-in dimmer, you can adjust the intensity of the light accordingly, whether it’s for reading or a more relaxing environment especially after a long day at work.

GI pipes sourced from different parts of the world

Chin also debunked the myth that filament lightbulbs cannot be used for reading. "I have a customer who is a doctor. He bought a lot of lights from us and is a regular customer.

"I asked him what he bought our lights for and the doctor said he uses it for reading. The lights gave him a warm feeling and they can be used for reading. Each light also comes with a dimmer so you can adjust the brightness,” he said.

In addition, the company also installs industrial pipe rack furniture systems. These items can be customised to your needs, whether it’s a table or a racking system to store your stuff.

Beautiful and practical, BA Light’s designs are worth buying

Next on the horizon, BA Light is collaborating with Nida Rooms, a travel company where you can book hotel rooms and flights online. They will be conducting workshops to teach tourists how to DIY their own table lamps fashioned from GI pipes and light bulbs.

"Rather than they buy a keychain as a souvenir, a DIY table lamp is more practical and they can say that they made something with their own hands which is more meaningful,” said Lee.

BA Light

No. 7-2, Jalan PJU 5/15, Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya

Keep updated about BA Light’s next bazaar, workshop or make an appointment with BA Light through their Facebook page (www.facebook.com/BALightArtworks).