Everything you need to know about portable lighting
From recharging dilemmas to wattage, there’s a lot to understand when it comes to the new generation of portable lights and lamps. Here, some of the experts from the biggest innovators in the field break things down.
Can a portable lamp offer the same quality of light?
As with their wired cousins, all portable lamps are not created equal and it is important to consider what you want from your lighting before you invest. If you are looking for a tabletop lamp to set the mood with a soft glow during dinner parties, opt for one that diffuses the LED’s glare.
Occhio, a brand with a mission to offer every home the best quality of light at all times, has just released its first portable model, with the light source (referred to by the brand as the ‘fireball’) held within a partially mirrored globe that reflects the glow downwards to guarantee a more atmospheric effect.
You can also adjust the output, from a cooler, moonlight-like 3,500 kelvins to 2,200 kelvins, which is more akin to candlelight. ‘People want to experience light in different ways, depending on their needs, their desires and their moods,’ explains Occhio’s founder and chief designer Axel Meise. ‘For us, this means that they want to be even more active, intuitive and playful with lighting, and are keen to explore completely new ways of using it to shape their surroundings.’
Is every wireless lamp equipped for the great outdoors?
If you are popping outside with your portable to enjoy an al fresco dinner under clear skies, there’s obviously no need to consider IP ratings. However, if you are intending to use it in all weathers, or want to leave it outside to fend for itself, you need to pay attention to the numbers. The general rule for outdoor lights is to have an IP rating of 44 or higher.
Outdoor furniture and lighting expert Fermob’s new ‘Swiing’ lamp (below), for instance, is rated IP54, as well as having a unique tilt-to-turn-off feature that inspired its name. Even Fermob, however, has one indoor-only lamp (the ‘Hoopik’), CEO Baptiste Reybier reminds us, proving that it’s always best to check.
What is the next frontier of portable lighting?
According to Pooky, it’s your walls. ‘Rechargeable wall lights are as easy to put up as a picture frame, without an electrician in sight,’ says the brand’s head of design Jo Plant. ‘One of the things we really love about rechargeable lighting is the way it has helped democratise interior design, opening up all sorts of possibilities without the expense or disruption of installation.’
The brand has recently released five styles of rechargeable wall light that are perfect for illuminating artworks or brightening up awkward and hard-to- reach corners of the home. Pooky isn’t stopping at walls, either.
‘I think the cordless-light revolution has only really just begun,’ adds Plant. ‘One of the next exciting innovations is our cordless pendant lights. Requiring no wiring, they can be hung anywhere.’
For Fermob, meanwhile, there is, says Reybier, ‘a growing focus on sustainability, with an emphasis on longer battery life, the use of eco-friendly materials and the repairability of products’.
How do you ensure you keep things charged without creating clutter?
Switching on a portable only to find that it has powered down can be maddening, but there’s no need to devise a complex charging schedule or litter your home with ugly cables. Plant advises investing in two of the brand’s ‘Genesis’ cells, so that ‘when one runs out of juice, you can just do a quick swap with your fully charged backup’.
Recharge times are becoming quicker than ever before, which helps, but if you do plan to place your portable on a desk, sideboard or table for the majority of the time, it’s a good idea to look for a brand that has a stylish charging port. The station for Occhio’s ‘Luna Pura’, for instance, ‘can blend into any environment and be placed in visible places in the home without hesitation,’ according to Meise. Just be sure to place the lamp back again after you do move it!
