What’s in a name? As someone who’s always dreamed of working exclusively as a namer (should the job exist), I always consider a product’s name. The lamp recently shown in Milan as part of the Established & Sons exhibit, entitled Flatliner, obviously conjures up the horizontal line on an electrocardiogram that indicates a stopped heart. But the lamp itself has little in common with heart rate machinery, unless of course you think the head has a slight resemblance to defibrillator pads.

Flatliner. Designed by Jason Bruges for Established & Sons.

Personally, it reminds me of a celestial body. Its constellation of dimmable lights looks like stars against the black dome of night. Perhaps its the luminous quality that gives Flatliner its name. After all, people who have come back from death report seeing a tunnel of light–one that may resemble Flatliner’s glowing incandescence.

In actuality, Flatliner produces less of a tunnel effect and more of a planetary radiance. Designed by Jason Bruges (and he has his own interesting namesake in the Belgian city, which incidentally is egg-shaped), Flatliner incorporates a touch-sensitive dimmer. Among the lamp’s incarnations are a ceiling, table, and floor model, so you can enjoy a lambent galaxy wherever you desire. Unlike the lamps we featured earlier by Established & Sons, which get their glow from glass, Flatliner uses a decidedly flat material to highlight the perforations of light. The end result is a study in contrast: like a midnight sky whose dark vault sets off the luminescent cosmos, Flatliner’s black head accentuates its enchanting pinpricks of light.