Polybion™, the biomaterials company behind Celium™ – premium cultivated bacterial cellulose – has teamed up with Mexican design studio Natural Urbano to launch Lapso, a sculptural lamp that feels alive. Hand-crafted from five sheets of Celium™, Lapso marks Polybion’s first foray into interior design and introduces a living, functional object born from science.
“We’ve always seen Celium™ as a platform for creativity, not limited to one industry,” says Alexis Gómez-Ortigoza, Co-Founder & Co-CEO, Polybion™. “Venturing into interior design was a natural step to test its expressive and functional potential. Lighting felt like the right place to start: Celium™ has a translucency and texture that responds beautifully to illumination, making light both the medium and the message.”
Celium™ is grown by feeding bacteria with agro-industrial fruit waste, producing millions of nanofibres that form pristine cellulose sheets. Each sheet is biologically unique, with subtle variations in density, texture, and tone. “It’s these inherent qualities – translucency, organic irregularity, and unexpected strength – that make it compelling for design applications like Lapso,” Gómez-Ortigoza adds.
The collaboration with Lorena Márquez and Sebastián Beltrán Co-Founders and Directors at Natural Urbano, shaped Lapso’s distinctive presence. “We approached the material with sensitivity, letting it lead the design,” Márquez explains. “Instead of forcing Celium™ into a rigid structure, we explored what it allowed. Early iterations revealed the need for new ways of joining, sewing, and supporting the material. The breakthrough came when we defined the right thickness and finishing process, giving the lamp both stability and expressive translucency without sacrificing functionality.”
Lorena Márquez & Sebastián Beltrán - Natural Urbano Co-Founders & Co-Directors | Axel & Alexis Gómez-Ortigoza - Polybion Co-Founders & Co-CEOs
Lapso is designed to transform with light. When switched off, the lamp is opaque and textured; when lit, it glows, revealing the fibres’ unique patterns. “Rather than hide imperfections, the lamp celebrates them,” says Beltrán. “Light filters through fibres and edges differently in each piece, creating a living quality. It evokes a breathing skin, something evolving – a sculptural light that is more than a lamp, inviting you to pause and notice.”
Sustainability is integral to the project. Celium™ is cultivated rather than manufactured, grown from fruit waste with minimal environmental impact. For Lapso, the teams focused on precise tanning and finishing to ensure durability, recognising that sustainability also means creating objects built to last.
Every Lapso lamp is one-of-a-kind. As Gómez-Ortigoza explains, “Bacteria never produce identical sheets. Subtle variations in texture, fibre density, and translucency emerge with every cultivation cycle. These differences are preserved in the final lamp, giving each piece its own character.” Custom thickness and proprietary finishing techniques were developed to make the material suitable for long-term illumination and structural stability.
The launch of Lapso signals a broader vision for bacterial cellulose in design. Gómez-Ortigoza notes, “We see Celium™ as a material platform. In interiors and architecture, its translucency and organic texture could be applied to panels, partitions, or sculptural surfaces. Beyond aesthetics, its biological origin offers new ways to think about materiality – less industrial, more grown. Lapso is an entry point to a wider conversation between biotechnology and space.”
Lapso is now available in two editions: Natural, reflecting the honey-toned origin of the material, and Humo, a darker dyed variation. Each lamp ships with a certificate of authenticity and a lead time of approximately two months, worldwide.
After a year of development, the Polybion™ team reflects on the lessons of translating a scientific biomaterial into a tangible design object. “Collaboration is essential,” Gómez-Ortigoza says. “It’s about listening to what the material can do and working alongside designers who understand that. Patience, iteration, and dialogue were key to moving from lab concept to finished object.”
Lapso represents more than a lighting fixture; it is a collectible object where biology, art, and design converge. Its evolving presence invites contemplation, demonstrating that living materials can illuminate both spaces and ideas.
