Hasta La Ideas

The Plumen attempts to marry beauty with utility in a low energy lightbulb that doesn’t need to hide its charms under a shade

The Plumen comes from Hulger, the electronics company set up by Michael-George Hemus and Nicolas Roope, founder of digital agency Poke, which first came to prominence by retooling vintage telephone handsets to work with modern mobiles.

It was developed with designer Sam Wilkinson and protype versions have already been acquired by the collections of MoMa in New York and the V&A.

“It’s strange that the bulb, an object so synonymous with ideas, is almost entirely absent of imagination,” says Roope of the idea behind its development.

Today sees its launch as a commercial product. The Plumen 001, its makers say, uses 80% less energy and lasts eight times longer than incandescent bulbs. It costs £20, has a predicted lifetime of eight years and puts out the equivalent of 60 watts.

The Plumen is available here.

Product photographs: Andrew Penketh. Interiors photographs: Tom Mannion