Why a mountain.
SHAN means mountain in Mandarin. It's written 山, three strokes, which is also our logo.
We wanted a marble lamp that felt like it cost far more than it did, and didn't look like every other mushroom on Instagram. So we drew our own: a pleated glass bell on a turned stone body with a waist you can carry it by.
Then we went to the source. China quarries stones most of Britain has never seen, and has workshops that turn stone better than almost anyone. We'd rather say that out loud than hide it on the bottom of the box.
Every lamp is numbered, and every number has a mountain behind it.
Our founders
Our founders are a story of Italian-Chinese fusion, and for years they had the same friendly argument about stone. Italy has Carrara and centuries of telling everyone about it. China has quarries most of Europe has never heard of, and workshops that can turn a rough block into something you want to hold. Both of them love light, and the way a low lamp can turn a kitchen into somewhere you'd stay up talking. SHAN is how they settled it: an Italian eye for how a lamp should look and feel, and Chinese stone and skill to make it. Two cultures, one lamp on the table.