Many people can’t sleep with the lights on, especially bright ceiling lights, but it’s a habit that may have been developed over the course of years. In contrast, children find it hard to sleep in the dark, especially when their imaginations and senses get the better of them, increasing their body tension and preventing them from descending into more relaxed states. The market for night lamps for kids is a big one, and, unfortunately, it’s a wasteful one as well. There is plenty of room for improvement and many problems to tackle, and this lamp design concept for kids tries to address those concerns from multiple angles, providing a smarter yet friendlier companion for the night.

Designer: Arlen Smart

Children’s products are specially designed to appeal to the younger interests and sensibilities of kids, but for some reason, that is often equated to the use of plastic materials and designs that are hard to repair or disassemble. The end result is often mountains of improperly disposed of toys, furniture, and accessories that endanger the very future of the planet that these kids will have to live on. At the same time, however, designing for sustainability seems to be a bit harder to pull off for kids’ products, a presumption that the Lumo light concept is trying to prove wrong.

Right off the bat, the night lamp looks like a toy, making them feel and look like friends that children can trust to watch over them at night. The handles on the sides look like arms, while the lampshade at the top looks like its head. The lamp is also supposedly easy to clean, disassemble, repair, and recycle, but there are also parts that won’t be easy for kids to reach, like an anti-affordance area at the top to prevent kids’ fingers from being trapped.

The lamp is also designed to be a bit smarter in how much energy it uses up by changing the way it lights up a space to help a child through the different phases of falling asleep. A wide, projected light from the top, for example, could give something for kids to focus on, lulling them to sleep. A “full-body” night mode lamp brings a gentler glow around the room to provide a sense of security, while a torch lamp can help them navigate in the dark when they need to go to the toilet. The lamp is also equipped with sensors that will prevent damaging a child’s sensitive eyes with bright light.

Smart, sustainable, and friendly, the Lumo not only brings forward a new design but also a new way of thinking about designing kids’ products. A lot has changed in the world since the earliest days of plastic toys and products, and it’s high time to rethink the materials we use, which could actually be harmful to children, and the way we make them for longevity and sustainability.