Neighbour

People are inescapably affected by their surroundings. Or at least, that is what I believe. This project is based on my longing to work with the objects that surround us in our everyday lives, and my fear of that not being enough.

Through an investigation of how people have worked with the concept of everyday things in the past, I established a set of basic principles and values to apply to my project – the essence being that the way we furnish and decorate our homes influences our wellbeing and that beauty and good design should be accessible to all.

Using an empathic design approach, I decided to create a product for my grandmother. In an experiment called “one picture per hour”, I asked her to document her day using a disposable camera. Through these pictures, I learned about how the sight of a light in her neighbour’s window eased her feelings of loneliness. I therefore decided to try to enhance this experience by designing a luminaire with a kind form language!

With the help of my own everyday things, I explored grips, dimensions and proportions. The result became a small portable table lamp with two light modes, allowing it to be used in multiple scenarios. It can be viewed both as a companion for my grandmother and as a symbol of my learnings in this project.