About
Álvaro Picardo is a Barcelona-born, London-based artist known for his hand-painted lampshades that transform everyday objects into thoughtful works of design. Drawn to overlooked materials and modest forms, Picardo approaches each lampshade as a cylindrical canvas where colour, gesture and proportion must exist in careful balance. His practice emerged from a return to hands-on making in 2020, when he began painting discarded shades and discovered a new visual language.
Working by hand, no two pieces are the same. Each shade explores how light, surface and form interact to shape atmosphere within an interior. Picardo’s aesthetic is influenced by the clarity and colour of Mediterranean culture as well as London’s rich traditions of modern and post-war design.
