As we get further and further into these new health paradigms of functional movement and natural foods (witness Amanda’s recent post concerning Coconut Water), we hear ever more talk about being in tune with natural cycles. This extends to the increasing sense that we should sleep when it’s dark and rise when the sun shines. Not that anybody’s ready to ditch their nightly dose of 9 pm sitcoms just yet, but products like Philip Bogaerts’ Night and Day Lamps are attuned to this emerging mindset. And that’s a good thing, especially when they give the right cues to help us get healthful rest and appropriate levels of activity.

Night and Day Lamp. Designed by Philip Bogaert.

Night and Day Lamps Jibe with the Cycles of the Sun and Moon

Both of Bogaerts’ table lamps are made of acrylic and recycled aluminum, both employ energy efficient LEDs, and both sport the same slim, circular silhouette—very like a seductive plate spinner or a halo atop an elongated figurine. But the similar appearance belies contrapuntal functions: Night is equipped with an integrated timer attuned to the lunar calendar, while Day comes standard with a sensor that emits the right amount of light for given conditions. In Short, Night gets bright with the cycles of the moon, while Day gets dim when sunshine fills the room. The idea is to put users on a par with these natural diurnal and nocturnal cycles, so they feel more attuned with the environment.

Via Inhabitat.

About the Designer: Philip Bogaerts created his Night and Day Lamps as a participant in the Eindhoven Design Academy’s This Way Exhibition at the Milan Furniture Fair. Similar to past satellite exhibits including the Savannah College of Art and Design (NeoCon) and the Yale School of Architecture (ICFF), This Way allows budding designers a potential inroad to commercial A&D, which is certainly a boon, but exhibit attendees are actually the lucky ones. At this year’s Salone, This Way gave an eager audience an advance look at Bogaerts’ innovative paired lamps—one that automatically shines when the sun does not, and one that—very like the moon—“spreads a soft blue light which creates a calm and serene atmosphere and will not blind you as you enter from a darkened room.”