Bover Mei 38 Pendant Lamp

The Bover Mei 38 is a pendant lamp from the Mei family, designed by Joana Bover in 2004. The whole family shares one signature: a shade woven from a continuous ribbon, wound over a welded iron frame. Bover makes these shades entirely in its own workshop in Cardedeu, from the frame welding through to the ribbon work itself — which is why the range can also be ordered in ribbon colours outside the standard two.

Light leaves the shade in two directions. The ribbon is translucent, so the sides glow softly and give the room a warm, even wash; underneath, a PVC 500 diffuser spreads a wide pool of direct light. At Ø 38 cm the shade is broad enough to light a dining table, a kitchen island or a bedside properly rather than merely decorating it.

The mechanics are deliberately hidden. The structure sits inside the shade and the lamp hangs on thin stainless-steel tensor wires alongside a black cable, so what you see is the shade and almost nothing else. The drop is adjustable up to 157.5 cm.

Two shade finishes are offered, both on a black structure: Cream Translucent Ribbon, a warm off-white that leans golden when lit, and White Translucent Ribbon, a cooler, cleaner white. The two read quite differently in a room, so it is worth comparing the swatches.

The Mei 38 takes one E27 bulb, up to 15 W. Bulbs are not included, and because the fixture carries no driver of its own it dims only when a dimmable bulb is fitted on a suitable dimmer. Indoor use, IP20.