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Weekly Innovation: Huggable Lamp Fits Into Dark Corners

The Soft Light is currently a prototype only.
Simon-Frambach.com
The Soft Light is currently a prototype only.
The Soft Light's lampshade is crafted from a massive block of polyurethane foam.
/ Simon-Frambach.com
/
Simon-Frambach.com
The Soft Light's lampshade is crafted from a massive block of polyurethane foam.

In ourWeekly Innovation series, we pick an interesting idea, design or product that you may not have heard of yet.

Why do lamps have to stand apart from the surfaces you're trying to light? That was a question noodling around the mind of German design student Simon Frambach, who ultimately came up with the Soft Light, a thick, flexible lampshade that can be shoved into dark corners, furniture gaps or even used as a pillow.

"To me it is fascinating how one little alteration (the softness) can really change the whole concept of a product that surrounds us," Frambach explained to Design Milk.

Frambach made the Soft Light with squishy, polyurethane foam on a device he created for rotational milling. An energy-saving light bulb, protected by a cage, illuminates the porous foam from the inside.

You can't purchase the Soft Light just yet. It's currently a prototype and being shown at design shows in Europe, where it's winning awards.

We usually choose innovations from your submissions (the form is open) but came across this in New York magazine's latest global design issue. It's also a timely pick, with Halloween right around the corner. Frambach said he got his inspiration from a calabash pumpkin.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Elise Hu is a host-at-large based at NPR West in Culver City, Calif. Previously, she explored the future with her video series, Future You with Elise Hu, and served as the founding bureau chief and International Correspondent for NPR's Seoul office. She was based in Seoul for nearly four years, responsible for the network's coverage of both Koreas and Japan, and filed from a dozen countries across Asia.