Bedroom
The best Noguchi lamp alternative for most bedrooms is a simple rice paper lamp that hides the bulb and spreads a soft, even glow, which is the thing people love about an Akari in the first place. For a table lamp, the Aili by BO-HA is $74.95. For a floor lamp, the Ailo by BO-HA stands 42 inches tall and costs $79.95, against $3,000 for the Akari BB3-33S floor lamp at the Noguchi Museum shop. And if you only want the light, an IKEA REGOLIT paper shade is still the cheapest way in. Below I compare the alternatives with the originals, and I am clear about what you give up.
A paper lamp does the opposite of a ceiling light. It hides the bulb, it glows from every side, and it puts light at the height where you actually sit and read. In a bedroom that is exactly what you want after dark: no glare, no hard shadows, and a room that feels wider because the light is spread out instead of pooled. I have written before about layering bedroom light, and a paper lamp is the easiest layer to add.
Isamu Noguchi called his paper lamps Akari, and they have been copied for decades. That is worth saying plainly before we start: the lamps below are not Akari lamps and are not sold as such. They borrow the idea of paper over a frame. If you want the design itself, buy the original from the Noguchi Museum shop or an authorized dealer, and I have included two originals at the end so you can compare.
| Lamp | Type | Size | Price seen |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aili by BO-HA | Table lamp | 47 x 28 cm | $74.95 |
| Ailo by BO-HA | Floor lamp | 42 in tall, 9.8 in wide | $79.95 |
| Aila by BO-HA | Table lamp | 28 cm wide, 47 cm tall | $59.95 |
| IKEA REGOLIT | Pendant shade | Shade only | about $4.99 (2024 report) |
| Akari 1A | Table lamp, original | Small | about £268 to £315 in the UK |
| Akari BB3-33S | Floor lamp, original | 29 in wide, 67 in tall | $3,000 ($2,700 members) |
Prices come from the brand or retailer pages we checked on October 14, 2026, and they change.
The Aili by BO-HA is a table lamp with a layered rice paper shade. BO-HA lists it at 47 x 28 cm, with a plug-in cord for US, UK, EU or AU outlets and an input voltage of 90 to 260 volts. It takes a standard screw-in bulb, so you choose the brightness and colour yourself.
On a nightstand, the size is right: tall enough to throw light across a pillow, narrow enough to leave room for a book and a glass of water. Because the paper hides the bulb, a pair either side of the bed reads as soft and calm rather than bright. At $74.95 a pair costs about $150, which is still well under the price of one original.
My note: use a frosted bulb rather than a clear filament. A clear bulb can show as a bright dot through thin paper.
Searches for a Noguchi floor lamp are almost as common as searches for the table lamps, and the gap in price is far wider. The Ailo by BO-HA is a standing rice paper lamp at 42 inches tall and 9.8 inches wide, and it comes with a remote that adjusts brightness and sets a timer. BO-HA lists it as running on 5V power.
At 42 inches it is a low floor lamp, more of a corner glow than a reading light over a chair. That makes it useful in a bedroom corner, beside a dresser, or next to a reading chair as a second, softer light. The timer is the part I would use most: set it to switch off half an hour after bed.
The Aila by BO-HA is the simpler sister of the Aili, with a textured rice paper body on an iron tripod. BO-HA lists it at 28 cm wide and 47 cm tall with a power switch button, and plugs for US, EU or AU outlets. At $59.95 it is the cheapest lamp here that comes as a complete lamp rather than a shade.
The tripod gives it a lighter look than a solid base, which suits a shelf, a deep windowsill or a small side table in a guest room.
The REGOLIT is a round paper shade, and for years it has been the cheapest way to get a big paper light. You buy a cord set separately. Hung low over a reading chair, or in a corner on a plug-in cord, it gives a large, soft globe of light for very little money. The paper is plainer than washi and it shows up close, but from across a room in the evening the effect is close to a hanging Akari.
The Akari 1A is the small table lamp in the family: a paper shade on thin metal legs, so it looks as though it floats above the table. UK retailers list it from about £268 on sale to £315, and €349 in France, and some quote lead times of 4 to 6 months. The original is handmade, and the small irregularities in the paper are part of what you pay for.
For a full-height original, the Noguchi Museum shop lists the Akari BB3-33S at $3,000, or $2,700 for members. The shop gives its size as 29 inches wide and 67 inches tall, and notes that it needs electrical wiring knowledge to assemble. It is a sculpture as much as a lamp, and the price reflects that.
See it at Noguchi Museum Shop →
What you keep is the light, which is most of the reason to own one. In a dim bedroom at night, a paper shade with a warm bulb does the same job whoever made it.
Nightstand: a table lamp around 45 to 50 cm tall, like the Aili or Aila, so the glow sits at shoulder height when you sit up in bed. Bedroom corner: a low floor lamp like the Ailo, which fills a dark corner without lighting the whole room. Over a reading chair: a hanging shade like the REGOLIT, set low. For real reading, add a directional light as well; I cover that in the best lamp for reading in bed.
Use LED bulbs only. They run far cooler than incandescent or halogen bulbs, which matters with paper. A frosted 2700K bulb around 450 to 800 lumens suits a table lamp. Avoid cool daylight bulbs, which turn a warm paper glow into a flat white one; my warm vs cool bulb test shows the difference. Always check the maximum wattage on the lamp.
If you love the Akari glow but not the price, a rice paper lamp gives you most of the effect. The Aili by BO-HA at $74.95 is my pick for a nightstand, the Ailo by BO-HA at $79.95 is the floor lamp alternative, the Aila by BO-HA at $59.95 is the small budget lamp, and an IKEA REGOLIT shade is the cheapest light of all. If you want the design itself, the Akari 1A starts around £268 in the UK and the BB3-33S floor lamp is $3,000 at the Noguchi Museum shop. Use warm frosted LEDs and keep the paper dry. For the bigger picture, see my slow home lighting approach.
