Let's chat about the most ridiculous (but wonderful) thing I've done for my home this year- carrying a ceiling lamp from London to Hong Kong by hand. It's not easy flying with fragile luxury goods or travelling with fragile glass, but here goes my story.
When I moved to Hong Kong two years ago, my rental came with a ceiling lamp that looked pretty sad. It was a boring fixture with cold white light. Eventually I decided that I needed to replace it with something artisanal, and pleasing to the eye.
What followed was a secondhand purchase during a work trip, a stranger's garage in London, and a 13-hour flight with a glass lamp as my seat mate.
I've never read about anyone doing this before, so if you're considering thrifting abroad, keep reading to find out how I did it!
About the Brand: Poltrona Frau
I saw the GamFratesi Soffi Lamp by Poltrona Frau, configured as the three-cluster drop pendant in a showroom in London before. I love the delicate blown-glass orbs that look like they float on air. It features Cuoio Saddle Extra straps. However, Poltrona Frau is quite hard to find on the secondhand market and VERY costly, so I didn't really think much of it when I first came across the lamp many years ago.
So imagine my delight when, after months of scrolling, a Soffi Lamp appeared on Facebook Marketplace... in the UK. Priced at a fraction of the original retail. And I had a work trip to London already on the calendar a few months later, so I messaged the seller to bargain for a price.
How I Literally Shipped A Lamp On The Plane
Now for the logistics, because a blown-glass pendant lamp does NOT ship easily. I decided to hand-carry it home. And wrap it up nicely. And be super, super careful.
To make that possible, I need to fly business class. I redeemed miles in advance for a business class seat on Cathay Pacific (but I was going to travel this way anyway), which came with a generous extra luggage allowance and carry-on privileges with actual cabin space by the seat. I didn't intend to shop when I was abroad, but the fact that I had business class was purely a coincidence.
Collecting the Lamp
Collecting the lamp was quite difficult in terms of logistics. I took the London Tube for a solid 40 minutes out to the seller's home which was pretty far out, and where the lamp was waiting in their garage. I even had to bring a friend who kindly agreed to help since she didn't have to work that day. It's definitely a two-person job, when you are hunting for larger lamps to buy.
On the return journey, I splurged on a cab and carried the lamp like a newborn.
A few tips if you ever attempt to buy lamps online: bring a friend for the help, bring more bubble wrap than you think you need, and travel slowly.
Take concessions and splurge on taxi rides if necessary, to avoid breaking the item if you drop it.
And buy your friend dinner afterwards for his/her help!
Preparing the Lamp for the Plane
Back at the hotel, I ordered a small of bubble wrap on Amazon and started work. Every orb got wrapped individually, then wrapped again, then nested into padding until I was satisfied that it won't break. I was a bit nervous about that, as I previously carried some vases without wrapping them properly in Hong Kong and they cracked.
The ceiling rose, the delicate top plate that mounts to the ceiling, went into my hand-carry luggage, stuffed with clothes to protect the sides. Putting the less fragile piece in the carry-on was a good decision in hindsight, since it arrived unscathed.
I had business class tickets from London back to Hong Kong, which was why I decided that I couldd carry back these 3 glass orbs and assemble the Poltrona Frau lamp back home.
The best part about business class is that nobody batted an eyelid. I strolled into the business class lounge with a lamp-large bundle, boarded the plane with it, and the Cathay Pacific crew could not have been lovelier.
They let me put the bags in my suite (which was large enough for the two bags). I genuinely expected some complaints at some point, but was met with positivity from the crew. Maybe people do this all the time? Business class perks!
The 13-hour flight back to Hong Kong was relaxing, though I did keep an eye out on the bags during turbulence. During take-off and landing, I had to physically hug one of the huge glass orbs on my lap, as they wouldn't let me place it on the ledge besides me.
When I landed, I carried the two bags out past immigration without problems, and hired yet another large cab to take me home.
A small tip: hire 7 seater cars if you are transporting larger furniture- it really helps. I also paid extra for the driver to come and greet me, so he could help me carry some of the luggage which meant that I had free hands to carry the Poltrona Frau Soffi lamp orbs on me.
Installation and...Ta Dah!
The next day, I hired an electrician to swap out the old light (if you're local and need a recommendation, leave a comment and I'll happily share).
I'm very pleased with the Soffi Lamp- it's a rare piece and I couldn't find much information online about it. I feel like I've acquired something special! It looks beautiful against my living room and the size was just right. It looked gorgeous and I'm super happy!
Would I recommend flying a fragile designer lamp across the world in a plane? Honestly, it was one of the most interesting/intense experiences I've had whilst thrifting.
It was hard- I'm not going to lie. In fact, it cost me quite a bit more money than I expected especially with the extra taxi rides and hands you need to help. I probably paid an extra $200-250 just for the logistics of carrying this big, fragile ceiling lamp across the world. I was also lucky because this lamp came apart in just the right bits and allowed for me to fit everything in the shopping bag/suitcase.
I'm not sure if I'd do this again, but it proves it is possible to thrift and buy secondhand furniture when you're travelling abroad, if you see a piece that you really love.
Have you ever hand-carried something precious home from a trip? I'd love to hear your stories.
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