An Engineer Who Grew Up on MacGyver Turned a Broken Umbrella Into a Lamp. Now He Makes Light Art From Bicycle Wheels and High Heels

Vasileios Roumeliotis is a light artist based in Athens, Greece, who creates original lighting art and illuminated installations under the name Roumelight, built from unconventional objects and inspired by history, mythology and everyday life. An engineer by training, he began in December 2009 by turning a broken umbrella into a light fixture – “a simple, spontaneous experiment” that started everything since.

Vasileios works with metal, polycarbonate, wood, fabric and reclaimed objects, combining hands-on experimentation with digital design and lighting techniques. He carries out the assembly and electrical integration himself, working with specialised professionals when needed. Some concepts take days; others take months or even years, because he researches each idea to make sure it is original.

Vasileios considers original commissions, limited-edition adaptations and bespoke installations designed for specific spaces. Each project begins with a concept and a conversation about the client’s needs, the character of the space and the atmosphere they want. He does not reproduce existing designs, and he is open to collaborations with architects and interior designers. A selection of available works is on his artist profile at n-art; international delivery is considered for each piece.

Vasileios has no single dominant channel: people find Roumelight through exhibitions, online design publications, social media, online searches and word of mouth. His earliest international exposure came when Wheelight Classic, his second creation, was featured on Inhabitat and other design blogs. Later his work was shown at the Benaki Museum and featured in Modern Decoration China, an established Chinese publication on architecture and interior design.

In December 2009, Vasileios took a broken umbrella and adapted chicken wire to its structure to make an unconventional light fixture for a kitchen. It was “a simple, spontaneous experiment” – and the starting point of everything he has made in lighting art since.

As a child, he was fascinated by MacGyver and his ability to turn whatever was at hand into an ingenious solution. “That same resourcefulness still influences my creative process today.” He trained as an engineer, and he still works that way – combining technical thinking with imagination. The umbrella lamp, he says, “sparked a period of intense experimentation and creativity that has continued ever since.”

“The idea was to take something that would otherwise be discarded and give it a completely new identity and purpose.”

His second piece, Wheelight Classic, was built around a second-hand bicycle wheel fitted with G4 halogen bulbs. For its photo shoot, his friend, photographer Giannis Angelou, encouraged him to bring it to his studio. There was no suitable backdrop, so Vasileios found an abandoned white door beside a rubbish bin, cleaned it, painted it and used it to display the light. Wheelight Classic was the piece that truly set Roumelight in motion – and a Wheelight is still the favicon of his website.

Every Roumelight piece begins with an idea, but there is no standard formula. Inspiration may come from an unusual object, ancient Greek mythology, history, a personal memory or the character of a particular space. “I love creating lighting installations that have their own identity, not reproduce what already exists.”

He works with metal, polycarbonate, wood, fabric and reclaimed objects, mixing hands-on experimentation with digital design and lighting techniques, and does the assembly and electrical work himself. Some works are unique, one-of-a-kind pieces; others are made as strictly limited editions, typically of no more than seven. “Light is always at the heart of the process, whether it defines the entire artwork or reveals an unexpected detail.”

The bicycle in the photo of his earliest atelier belonged to his grandfather – the bicycle Vasileios grew up with, which he later transformed into an installation.

Video: Roumelight

A selection of Roumelight works – lighting art built from things as ordinary as a bicycle frame, a pair of high heels or a cassette tape.

Photos: Leanne Vorrias (portrait), Giannis Angelou (Wheelight Classic), Sgouros Sgouromallis (wheel under construction), Alexiou Dota (XL101 Minoan Light, Femme Saturne), Vlassis Chrysopoulos (studio), Themis Iakovakis (exhibition in Mykonos, Wheelight Blue and Aegean Roses), Grigoris Leontiadis (Capture the Taste), Nefeli Magaloussi (Oxygen, Baristas Lightbridge), Theofilos Stoupiadis (Crane Light), Georgios Georgiou (High Heelight), courtesy of the Hotel Experience exhibition (Chewed Up / The Very Best Of), Roumelight (mermaid).

Roumelight is made for people who appreciate original design, artistic lighting and objects with a story – art enthusiasts, collectors, architects, interior designers, hospitality professionals and people looking for distinctive pieces for their homes or workplaces. Vasileios is still building that audience beyond Greece.

Site-specific work starts with understanding the space and the experience he wants to create in it. A boutique hotel might get a distinctive installation in its lobby; a home might get a bespoke lighting artwork designed around the character of one room. For an event sponsored by Coca-Cola, he made Capture the Taste: the iconic bottle reimagined as a cage about one metre tall, with a real glass Coca-Cola bottle suspended on a swing inside.

Some pieces come back. Wheelight Classic found a home with a photographer who loved the concept; years later, after it stopped working following a move, he brought it back for repair. “Seeing his excitement when I got it working again was a reward in itself.”

His earliest buyers were a couple from Thessaloniki who were fascinated by his unconventional lighting. At the time he was still looking for a space for his own atelier, so he invited them to see the work in person. “I was so eager to move on to my next ideas that making a profit was not my priority.” He offered some early works at cost, mainly to recover the money for materials for the next installations. “This excitement about bringing new ideas to life before anyone else thinks of something similar, and the desire to keep creating rather than focusing on profit, has stayed with me ever since.”

In the early years, people found Roumelight through online design blogs and websites that featured his work, television appearances and exhibitions. Wheelight Classic was one of the earliest sources of international exposure: a friend who saw its potential helped get it featured on DecoHolic, and it later appeared on Inhabitat and other art, design and architecture websites.

As the work became more visible, exhibitions and personal encounters with the pieces opened more doors – to design professionals, art enthusiasts and people drawn to unconventional objects. Today there is no single dominant channel, and Vasileios doesn’t track which source brings which enquiry. Roumelight has grown gradually, he says, through a combination of “editorial exposure, exhibitions, personal connections, and independent interest in the work itself.”

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Experimentation comes with failures. Some projects have needed repeated trials with polycarbonate, metal, wood, lighting components and different cutting or engraving techniques. “Not every experiment succeeds, and sometimes materials have to be discarded or a design reconsidered entirely.” The investment is not only financial: it is hours of research, design, finding the right materials and collaborators, and testing until the result meets his expectations.

Galleries were another wall. He approached galleries, both physical and online, only to find their exhibition programmes or artist rosters already committed for the next year or two. “Those rejections can be discouraging, particularly when you believe in the work you are presenting. But they have also taught me that a rejection does not necessarily mean the work lacks value; sometimes the timing or the opportunity simply isn’t right.”

The early online features of Wheelight Classic showed Vasileios that his work could attract international attention. Later milestones followed: his creations were presented at the Benaki Museum and featured in three issues of Modern Decoration China, an established Chinese publication covering architecture, interior design and contemporary design trends. Exhibitions let architects, designers and other creative professionals experience his work in person, and their interest reinforced his belief “that original lighting art can create a meaningful connection between an artwork, a space, and the people who experience it.”

Some of his work has already been presented in New York, including at the New York Design Center, as part of a charitable project he curated himself. Now Vasileios is focused on taking Roumelight further beyond Greece – reaching an international audience of collectors, interior designers, architects and hospitality professionals, developing his online presence and finding new opportunities for collaboration.

“Roumelight is the artistic project of Vasileios Roumeliotis, creating original lighting art and illuminated installations inspired by unconventional objects, history, mythology, and everyday life. Each work combines light, engineering, and imagination to transform familiar materials and ideas into something unexpected.”

Who: Vasileios Roumeliotis (Roumelight)
What: Original lighting art and illuminated installations
Where: Athens, Greece
Started: December 2009
Custom orders: Yes – original commissions and site-specific installations
Ships: International delivery considered for each piece
Works with designers: Yes
Channels: Word of Mouth & Offline, Collabs & Shoutouts