Rhea: the SAD lamp

To design a piece of furniture that is useful in the interiors during the times of pandemics.

During the winter season and when having a restricted access to go outside, humans lack daylight. It is proven to affect our mood and bodily functions, and can have a major impact on our mental health.

I have also interviewed a group of people on the topic of how they cope with the lack of daylight, finding out there is another issue: the lack of variability of lightning at home, during the day. My idea was to solve these two issues by a single, minimal piece of furniture, that could fit any interior.

The seasonal affective disorder
‍I have done a research on the SAD - seasonal affective disorder - that occurs in the winter months. One of the methods of treating it, called 'light therapy'. This type of therapy uses an intensive light - in the case of my lamp, full spectrum white light at intensity of 10 000 lux, which emits far more lumens than a common house lamp. It should be used for 30-60 minutes per day, with the user sitting 50 cm from the light source, not looking straight into the source.*

In the interviews I have asked the users how they cope with the lack of direct sunlight if they do, and most common answer was that by short walks - if possible, combined with vitamin D supplement. The light therapy should have the similar effect as being exposed to the natural daylight, and during the process you can do minor things while being in the front of the light source. When I presented this solution, most of the respondents agreed that they would give a try in combination with already used techniques, and believed it could help them.

The variability of interior light
What we discussed a lot was the lack to change the intensity and colour of the lights at home. Most of my respondents had 1-3 sources of light in the room where they spent most of the day, where they weren't able to affect the temperature nor intensity of the light.

Having the option to modify the light properties can positively affect the body being in tact with the circadian rhythm. Human body is sensitive to the colour of the light, and as the bright, white light keeps us up, the warmer tones can make us fall asleep easier at nights.

The solution for me was a lightbulb that can change its warmth and intensity and is operated by remote control or a phone app. It can also be preset to change the modes automatically.

My idea was to combine the two mentioned aspects into one piece of furniture that could over all improve our stay at home, in the times of restricted access to the daylight.I focused on combining the two main functions mentioned, and finding the way how to combine them so that they work together perfectly.

Shape choice
While discovering the ideal shape for the lamp to work properly in both of the modes, I looked for the combination that:

a) distributes the daily used modifiable light evenly
b) fullfils the needs to make the SAD lamp work

By combining the classical hemispheric lamp shade with a flat ring I found the ideal form to put both principles into one - a shape that reminds of a planet with a ring.

Material choice
When picking the glass for the SAD lamp, I paid attention to the fact it should be opaque, so that the direct light is less harsh for users eyes. I was looking for the solution that would make the lamp look not boring, while paying attention to make the least waste possible, taking in consideration that glass production is energy-intensive.

That is when I discovered the BROKISGLASS: recycled glass made form unused shards by re-melting them. It is also made in a glasswork in Janštejn, Czech Republic, which gives my lamp the additional value of a local product. Its texture was ideal, combining interesting organic pattern with the opaqueness needed for the SAD lamp.

For the construction of the lampshade I chose the method of 3D print from PLA, which is produced form renewable resources. The 3D printing method also leaves the least residual waste possible, which makes the lamp environmentally friendly.