Main Project Aesthetics: Plans and Alternatives

For my project, I am planning on making a lamp either for my desk or bedside table. I want it to be something that I can turn on late at night to provide me with light without keeping me awake. This would be done through the use of a smart lightbullb that is able to project a softer, warmer tone of light than most lightbulbs currently do. I also want the light to be indirect, as I have found that diffused and indirect light help me fall asleep better.

The aesthetic I have chosen for my project is Scandanavian. Scandanavian design is almost an extension of minimalism. It includes natural tones more intentionally, and additionally focuses on creating a comforting environment. This is drawn from the Danish concept of “hygge”. Hygge, while not directly translatable to English, encompasses the concept of coziness and comfort. Scandanavian designers accomplish this through the use of warm tones, natural materials like wood,  and clean lines.

For my lamp, I am going to take inspiration from the designer Seppo Koho and his work at Secto Lighting. Secto is a design group that creates handmade wooden lighting, from Finland. Shown below is my sketch of my lamp. The goal is to have the light diffuse outward and down, to avoid lightening the entire room too much.

Here are some examples from Secto Lighting. Hopefully you can discern the similarities in idea. One difference that I will be implementing is a layer of semi-opaque material to diffuse the light.

The two aesthetics I chose to reimagine my lamp in are industrial and naturecore.

I think a lamp in an industrial style would include lots of square tubing to make the frame, with some acrylic to help protect the bulb. I think an industrial style lamp would be effective, and understated.

For the naturecore lamp, I chose to imagine it as a mushroom. I think a mushroom shape would be a great idea for a lamp. There also are many mid-century modern designers that make lamps in roughly the shape of a mushroom. I think that making a naturecore lamp could be very fun and a good experiment in 3D printing.