pop up book lamp lumio sf by max gunawan now in production
image © designboom

the pop up book lamp ‘lumio sf’ is a wood-covered book, filled with tyvek ‘pages’ — for durability — that turns on when users open it. the LED lights get brighter the further it’s opened — up to eight times the illumination of an iPhone. its lithium ion is rechargeable with a discreet charging USB port hidden within the spine and can stay lit for eight hours. earlier this year (in february), designboom reported that the designer max gunawan made a video for a kickstarter campaign, and within one month, donors had given $600,000 and placed 5,500 orders. with the funds, he was able to buy his own laser cutter and electronics for the illumination, as well as hire some people to assemble the first lumios, but also had to figure out how to go into production. thanks to the overwhelming requests, he recognized that he couldn’t cut and glue them alone anymore. shown in the exhibition at ‘any tokyo’, lumio is now available for purchase, and will be available to the japanese market through arktrading starting in spring 2013.

there are two meanings for illumination: light and knowledge. as such, a lamp that looks like a book seems just right. lumio is a cross between origami and a pop-up book, it can unfold into an arc or full circle.
image © designboom

its external cover is available in three FSC certified wood

open to its fullest spine bending capacity

lumio combines laser-cut wood cover design with durable water-resistant tyvek pages containing high-performing LEDs

neodymium magnets are embedded in the cover allow the lumio lamp to stick to metallic surfaces, attachments allow it to hang on a wall or from a leather strap like a lantern, and it can stand on its own as a table lamp

gunawan lists a number of applications for its use: table lamp, wall sconce, ceiling pendant, task lighting, accent light, outdoor lighting, and emergency light

indonesia-born US-based designer max gunawan and his lumio, developed in a techshop in san francisco, which still serves as his office

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