A minimalistic and versatile lamp that can be oriented and positioned freely, making Laika a perfect companion for small apartments. Part of my thesis about incentives to design in contemporary spaces, this lamp aims to offer an alternative to multifunctional products as space savers. It does so by only performing one function, shining light, but doing so in a myriad of ways coming directly from its form.

While designing for compact living, I have seen too many projects that cram too many functions into a single product, sacrificing style and comfort in the process. My incentive for this project was to design a lamp that is both minimal and versatile. Laika is only a lamp, but strikes a balance between versatility and character, in the sense that you can position and direct the light in a multitude of ways while still keeping the desired expression.

I wanted to make a simple design that could work anywhere, and so I developed a minimalistic appearance and chose to power it through a USB cable. My background is from Norway, my degree is in Product Design from a Korean university and my supervisor was prof. Simone Carena, an Italian architect, so while the style is very Scandinavian, I believe Laika would fit in many modern homes around the world.

I chose the teal/petrol color because it is between natural (green) and technological (blue), adding to the semi-organic expression I wanted. Because the final shape looks kind of like a dog, and it is intended for contemporary spaces, I named it Laika after the famous Sovjet cosmonaut dog.

As most projects, I started of with a simple drawing in my sketchbook. I made a simple mockup from wood and found a shape that was attractive, stable and comfortable to use before I sketched out the refined shapes. I decided to go for metal instead of wood and found a standard steel tube size that was perfect for my project. Then I could model everything in Fusion 360 and use that data to make a proper mock-up. I 3D printed the plastic parts and ordered the metal pipes cut and threaded, took apart a simple USB lamp and connected it with a textile covered cable that matched the plastic color.

Laika got a good reception at the graduate exhibition, and was also well appreciated online, with many expressing how they wanted to use it and compared it to an animal. I think humans are naturally drawn to animals, and will interact with them if they appear friendly. Invoking this eagerness to touch and interact was very important for my project since a good product is useless unless somebody uses it. Laika would never reach its full potential if it was not touched and adjusted.

Erlend Storsul Opdahl

A product/industrial designer from Norway, educated at AHO, Norway and Hongik University, Korea. Now running Almond Design Studio in Seoul as a designer/co-founder. Specializes in modern, Scandinavian minimalism and methodology, with experience ranging from bottle openers to table tennis shoes.

Website