Shutter Lumina

This project focuses on designing a new bedside lamp. The lamp will explore how people interact with products in the morning, creating a functional and user-friendly experience.

The lamp simulates sunlight filtering through window blinds, creating a gentle, gradual wake-up experience. It is designed to blend into a bedroom environment, fit neatly on a side table, and use standardised parts to keep costs low. The user interaction points will need to be easy to operate and tactile.

The lamp uses segmented sheets to fragment the light, mimicking sunlight through window blinds. These sheets direct light at specific angles, and when two beams cross, they create brighter areas, producing the desired waking effect. The design creates a visually dynamic pattern that enhances the natural wake-up experience.

The lamp is activated by pushing the top plate, which moves a clear acrylic rod to a push-button switch in the base, turning the light on or off. Each level of the lamp contains four spring-loaded pistons, so pressing the top compresses the springs and creates a kinetic motion throughout the lamp, making it look like a moving sculpture while operating.

The final lamp, built from oak, opaque and clear acrylic, and springs, cost £46.70 and took just over three months to complete. Manufacturing involved laser cutting, wood turning, and band saw work. The kinetic lighting piece effectively produces the intended light pattern to help users wake naturally, provides an easy-to-use on/off mechanism, and has been used for over two years without issue