If a good roommate brings warmth and harmony to a space, then the Rumee 220 Portable Lamp does the same – only through light. As Louis Poulsen’s award-winning Designer of the Year, Gabriel Tan reimagines what it means for light to feel personal. How can an object that performs the simple act of illumination also create an emotional connection? With Rumee for Louis Poulsen, Tan explores that question through gentle form, intuitive function, and a quiet sense of companionship.
The partnership between Tan and Louis Poulsen feels almost destined – Tan’s intuition for emotional design merges effortlessly with Louis Poulsen’s philosophy of shaping light. “Gabriel Tan has successfully embraced Louis Poulsen’s lighting philosophy, Design to Shape Light, through an emotionally appealing design,” shares Monique Faber, Chief Design Officer at Louis Poulsen. “With Rumee, he upholds the proud tradition of maintaining high lighting standards while incorporating a distinctive Gabriel Tan design style.” Together, they remind us that our connection to objects can extend beyond their function – into feeling, familiarity, and quiet companionship.
Rumee’s design expresses this human connection through form and tactility. As a portable lamp, it has an intuitive shape – one that makes you instinctively reach for the slender half of its stem, while the wider base confidently grounds it once placed. As you carry it, your eye naturally traces its soft, fluid curves, inspired by the silhouette of a broad-brimmed hat, inviting curiosity about what lies beneath. Its name, partially derived from the Danish word for room (rum), speaks to the light’s quiet affinity for closeness – it’s designed to stay near, wherever you go. “I’m really pleased with Rumee and use it as my bedside reading lamp,” Tan shares. “I like that when you hold the organic stem of Rumee, it feels nice and has an emotional quality that invites you to explore its form with your hands.”
Available in three soft tones (Warm Grey, White, and Blue), Rumee carries its warmth through both color and light. A built-in diffuser ensures its glow remains gentle and uniform, radiating comfort rather than intensity. With its dimmable function, it’s meant to move with you, from desk to bedside, indoors to out. If Tan envisioned Rumee as the kind of roommate everyone wishes they had, we know you’ll never want to terminate its lease.
To learn more about the Rumee Portable Lamp by Gabriel Tan for Louis Poulsen, visit louispoulsen.com.
Photography courtesy of Louis Poulsen.
