![]() Technology advances at such a pace it opens up opportunities for different types or different archetypes of products. And maybe in two or three years’ time, we might be able to get 50 hours out of it. Ten years ago you might have got two, three hours out of it. So the lamp that we’ve produced now, the Bellhop, on a medium power of light, lasts about 20 hours, or 24 hours, which is incredible. And they’ve not only quadrupled or more in their battery life but charging time is better, the size of them is better and as time goes on, I’m sure it will improve again. If you can go back 10 years, batteries didn’t last very long. And they’d always said that no, up until that point because of battery life. The concept was always to produce a lamp that would have a long enough battery life to make it a viable product –we’d approached Flos many years earlier about doing a lamp that was battery powered. So plastic is more resilient and paint doesn’t come off and all those kinds of things. It’s more durable because the original metal version is painted and it’s a movable lamp, so there’s more opportunity for you to drop it, over knock it over or that kind of thing. Bellhop for Flos is much better engineered. For mass-produced products, you’re developing every component of the lamp specifically for that project instead of using off the shelf components and trying to make them work into the design that you’ve done. I con: So partnering with Flos to launch it commercially was an opportunity for you to refine Bellhop further?Įdward Barber: We definitely refined it much, much more. When we went into production and to make it more cost-effective and to make it more durable, we did it out of a hard plastic. The Design Museum lamp was made from metal because it was easily made in a small batch. So you end up using existing components and fabrication tends to be more elementary. Some of our projects are four years in the development, lighting tends to be two to three years in development, and for the Design Museum, we only had a number of months. Because the projects are typically well underway when they realize that they need something. The biggest thing is that when you’re doing a site-specific project you typically don’t have so much time. What is the process like of making something that’s supposed to be bespoke for a room and then making it into a commercially available product that’s supposed to be mass marketed?Įdward Barber: The difference between those two projects, whilst the light itself is visually very similar, the internal workings of it are quite different. Icon: Bellhop was originally designed for the Design Museum. Icon spoke to Edward Barber as the Bellhop went on sale in the UK. Based on an earlier lamp the pair created for the London Design Museum, the Bellhop is now a family of nine distinct pieces, including a forthcoming streetlight model. Bellhop casts an atmospheric pool of light and the portable version is like a modern day candle.All photos: Germano Borrelli ‘There comes a point in the life of a product where technology makes things possible,’ says Edward Barber, one half of design duo Barber & Osgerby, about their cordless, battery-powered Bellhop light family.īarber & Osgerby first launched the first Bellhop lamp, a cordless battery-powered lighting system for Flos in Milan last year, since then it has developed into a sophisticated line of products. The table top Bellhop gives the user ultimate flexibility as a portable lamp. "The Bellhop began when we designed a table lamp for the new London Design Museum. ![]() Inspiration behind the design: Designed by Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby, Bellhop is a portable tabletop lamp that evokes the spirit of a modern day candle. The beloved, cordless tabletop can be carried around anywhere, bringing light where it is needed the most, casting a pool of direct light wherever it goes. Remains charged up to 24 hours after fully charging the battery. USB battery charging on plug with universal plugs. Battery status indicator positioned under the base. British designers Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby pay homage to the hatted hotel porter, where it gets its name from.īellhop introduced in two new colors in 2020: Grey Blue and Yellow to give a fresh touch and bring warm light into modern interiors.Īvailable in 6 finishes: Brown, Burnt Orange, Grey, Grey Blue, White and Yellow.įeatures: Push-button switch positioned on the base provides the 4-step dimmer function. Portable and elegant, Bellhop functions like a modern day candle by providing a soft atmospheric pool of light. Made for the twenty-first century, Bellhop charges via a micro USB-C and holds a charge for up to 24 hours. ![]() Originally designed by renowned designers Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby for the London Design Museum. Portable, rechargeable and wireless, Bellhop is a sleek modern LED tabletop lamp.
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