Ribbon lamp by Claire Norcross as seen in Bugonia

Seen on Michelle’s office desk in Bugonia, the Ribbon lamp by Claire Norcross for Habitat takes on a distinctly other-worldly presence in its black, high-gloss finish — a choice that feels entirely in step with Yorgos Lanthimos’s precise, unsettling visual language and Emma Stone’s enigmatic performance.

First released in 2005, the Ribbon lamp is formed from a single sheet of metal, folded into an origami-like shape that introduces a subtle sense of warp and movement. In black, its reflective surface exaggerates those curves, giving the lamp a faintly space-age quality — as if the object has been gently distorted by an unfamiliar gravity.

Designed by Claire Norcross, the lamp won an Elle Decoration Award in 2006 and has since been reissued as part of Habitat’s “Habitat 60” anniversary collection, securing its place as a contemporary classic. Still in production today, it’s available in several colours, though the high-gloss black version seen in Bugonia feels particularly deliberate.

On Michelle’s desk, the Ribbon lamp operates as more than task lighting. It reads as a sculptural signal: modern, slightly warped, and quietly futuristic — a small but telling detail in a film where design choices hint that this is a world operating just a little off our own axis.

You can find newly manufactured Ribbon lamps at Habitat and Argos, and originals from the 2000’s on Etsy and eBay.