A young German designer has produced a lamp known as the Soft Light which has a spongy, squeezable foam exterior but still provides the same lighting power as a conventional table lamp.
The prototype, designed and developed by 24 year old Simon Frambach, is crafted from lightweight soft milled polyurethane foam and can be used for a variety of purposes around the home; it can even double as a pillow. The design of the product means it can be squeezed into places where conventional lamps would not fit and is designed to “change the whole concept of a product that we see daily”.
Consumers seeking multi-use products
Consumers are always looking for value for money from their products while they’re also looking for products that provide increased functionality and usefulness.
The Soft Light aims to challenge our perceptions of what conventional consumer products can do around the home. It also aims to provide a multipurpose solution to improve a conventional product. This links to the trend of smaller homes which examines how homes are becoming smaller in size over time and as a result people will require more versatile products which have a number of uses.
According to Mintel’s German Consumer Lifestyles: Food and Health report, approximately 64% of the Shrewd Shoppers demographic live in small one- or two-person households in Germany. These consumers are most likely to consider several options before making a purchase and are likely to do their own thing regardless of current trends. It is these people who will find the Soft Light appealing as the product will be a useful and versatile addition to their small homes.
Any product which provides added functionality and usefulness when compared to a conventional model is likely to win favour with consumers. In the current age of shrinking house sizes and cash-strapped consumers, a product that can perform two tasks at once and can fit where comparable products can’t is sure to light the way for future innovations.
This is an observation from our Inspire trend Minimize Me which looks at how consumers are looking for space-saving solutions and multifunctional items. For the latest trends and observations on Inspire click here.
