#HTE

A Japanese Desk Lamp Designed for Sketching, Based on No-Glare Surgeon’s Lamps

I prefer sketching on paper, but one undeniable benefit to sketching on a tablet is that you don’t have to worry about the light source. Back when I worked in a design office, the position of my desk lamp was a constant, if minor, irritation. I had a swing-arm with a heavy base, and would cantilever the head out over my sketchpad to avoid casting shadows. This inevitably blocked the monitor and/or got in the way of my head if I wanted to hunch and focus, and moving the lamp base to the side would get in the way of other stuff on my desk.

I’m not sure if this is the solution, but at least they’re trying something new. Japanese manufacturer Balmuda’s The Light is a dimmable LED desk lamp that borrows a trick from medical lamps used in surgery, casting the light outwards at an angle to illuminate the desktop without glaring into your eyes.

You can store markers, pens, pencils etc. right in the base, meaning the lamp’s footprint does double duty and allows you to keep one less item on your desktop, reducing clutter.

Alas, the well-designed lamp sure ain’t cheap; these babies run $540 a pop.