Prize(s) Winners in Ambient Lighting
University / School Name Georgia Institute of Technology
Lead Designers Vu Ly
Professor Names Thomas Clifton
Photo Credits Vu Ly
Other Credits Lanie Barone, Megan Truong, Eleanor K. Nowlan, Victor Cavaletti
Completion Date 04/28/25
Project Location Atlanta, Georgia
Entry DescriptionDaydreamr intends to reimagine how floor lighting can change the ambiance of a space beyond color, brightness, and diffusion by casting light sourced from distant scenes. Visions of window blinds at golden hour, spring branches in bloom, and sunlight under the waves create new context for a space: in a different place and at a different time.
A bold red accent highlight points of interaction that key adjustments. Focus is adjusted with a pinch, angle is adjusted with a pull, and mode is adjusted with a spin. These elements reduce frustration and champion intuitive engagement.
Motifs representing travel and journey are adapted to DAYDREAMR's essentialist appearance and form. The frosted, translucent hood is reminiscent of ship sails and forgotten bottles long lost at sea. The lamp's stem is the ship's mast, and the lamp's base are the ship's barrels. In the same manner that ships of the past brought with them stories from beyond the shore, Daydreamr brings with landscapes beyond the room.
Sustainability ApproachThrough consolidation of all major components, the Daydreamr lamp is intended to be assembled without additional tooling or metal fasteners. The stem, base, and main arm consist of multiple threaded components, which are the key to Daydreamr's structural strength and ease of assembly. This design decision: lowers cost for the end consumer, cuts required manufacturing resources, which results in a sleeker look, and enables an easy disassembly process in the event that the user decides to move homes or wishes to recycle the product.
The production model of this lamp would the same fastener system, albeit with further split bodies for transport. The hollow cavity of the rotomolded base would allow for nested parts during transport, reducing transportation volume & emissions. Individual customer lifecycle is hard to calculate, but with a unique lamp they are unlikely to replace the product.
