Dezeen Magazine

Inga Sempé adds functions to the clip lamp for Wästberg

Stockholm 2015: this small clip lamp by French designer Inga Sempé can also stand unassisted or be fixed to a wall.

Inga Sempé w153 for Wästberg

The Sempé w153 lamp was designed for Swedish lighting brand Wästberg, which is also showing new products by Industrial Facility and Claesson Koivisto Rune at Stockholm Furniture Fair this week.

Inga Sempé's aim was to elevate the prominence of the humble clip lamp, which she remembers finding in hardware stores as a child.

Inga Sempé w153 for Wästberg

"Just as with folding chairs compared to normal ones, clamp lamps don't have the same status as table lamps," said the designer. "It seems unfair, as clamp lamps are very useful."

"Maybe it is linked to their unique use and the fact that when not clamped they look like infirms, unable to stand on their own without losing their balance or falling over."

Inga Sempé w153 for Wästberg

To raise the "happy and light" typology's profile, Sempé added a flat base to the design so it can stand unsupported or be mounted on the wall, as well as clamping to a table edge.

The aluminium lamp has a shade shaped like a cymbal in a drum kit, which directs the light from an LED bulb downward.

Inga Sempé w153 for Wästberg

This shade is attached to the thin stand with a magnet, so it can be easily assembled after flat-pack transportation and tilted to point the light in different directions.

Sempé w153 comes in poppy red, sky blue, light yellow, grey brown and petrol.

Inga Sempé w153 for Wästberg
Prototype models of the w153 lamp

Running until Saturday, this year's Stockholm Furniture Fair also features a globe-shaped outdoor light for streets and parks, and a series of lamps wrapped in pastel-coloured textiles.