‘Milo’ is a portable light designed by Max Gunawan for Lumio. Powered by a 5,000mAh Li-Po battery that gives over 30 hours of use (at the lowest brightness setting), the little desk or table lamp is inspired by the form of mushrooms and can be bought with a variety of different shades, or ‘hats’.
The ‘Milo’ light family by Lumio
Both lamp and shade are made from high-gloss lacquer-coated aluminium, with the latter snapping on and off as required. Three shapes, Cone, Mushroom and Flat, are available, each offered in six different colours, just like the light itself: red, blue, green, pink, white and black.
‘The idea for “Milo” started with my fascination with mushrooms and their playful, organic shapes,’ says Gunawan. ‘But beyond the silhouette, I wanted to capture that same sense of play in how we actually interact with light.’
‘Milo’ departs from convention in several ways, not least in the way you turn the light on. Rather than have a regular switch, the stem serves as both on/off mechanism and dimmer switch; the higher the hat is raised, the brighter the light becomes.
All of the interchangeable hats are able to swivel through 360-degrees in order to direct the light wherever you want it, while the base contains a hidden magnet to allow the ultra-portable lamp to switch between desk light and wall sconce. The light temperature can also be altered depending on your mood.
Charging is via USB-C and should take around five hours, while the light itself comes from an integrated 4.5W LED bulb. ‘“Milo” is simple: a playful, interactive light designed to follow you throughout your space,’ Gunawan says of the new model. ‘Most portable lamps frustrate me because you can only use them one way,’ he adds. ‘They are static objects that just sit on a desk. We live in dynamic spaces, shifting constantly from work to rest, and I believe the objects we own should adapt right alongside us.’
‘Milo’ table light, £169, Milo Hat shades, £27 each, HelloLumio.com, @HelloLumio