"La vie est une aventure faite de rencontres comme autant de lumières" ("Life is an adventure made up of encounters like so many lights"). This is the inscription on the Louise table lamp, designed by Jean Marie Massaud and this year's winner of the Chicago Athenaeum's prestigious Prize Designs for Modern Furniture + Lighting Award 2024.

But the story of this lamp goes back even further, to when Alessandro Mendini, a brilliant architect, designer and historical editor of Domus, founded Ramun, a high-end lighting company, and launched the 7stars project. Inspired by the constellation of the Big Dipper, the series of seven lamps began with one of his creations, Campanello, continued with Bella, designed by Marcel Wanders, and reached the third, Louise.

Dimmable and rechargeable, elegant and versatile. The plissé-effect shade protects the dancing flame and enhances the suggestive effect of its movement, accompanying intimate moments such as a romantic dinner or reading a book at bedtime.

The top features a metal ring for easier portability, as the lamp is designed to be moved according to the user's needs.

The global aim of the project is to offer a table-"jewel" that provides a luminous intimacy at dinner, which is the specific of Ramun. Magnify the magic dancing of a candle flame, accompanying wonderful moments: a romantic dinner or a reading until the threshold of sleep. Developed under the guidance of expert ophthalmologists, Louise - like all Ramun products - is optimised to protect eye health, guarantees total photobiological safety, emits no ultraviolet or infrared radiation and is flicker-free. "The real goal was to bring emotion and life to an object by using technology appropriately, and not to create just another gadget," says Jean Marie Massaud, who used his technical knowledge to create a light source that feels natural and alive, simulating the flicker of a candle flame in its vibrant mode, while also offering a static mode. This, along with the choice of one of the 20 available brightness levels, can be adjusted directly from the power button.
 

But Louise's experience goes beyond light: what makes this lamp even more unique is its ability to play selected pieces by famous composers, from Bach to Schubert. The designer explains: "The Ramun Louise lamp is a comforting, friendly, romantic and intimate night light. It creates connections: on a dining table, as a candlelight, it becomes a bond between people. It helps to create a warm and romantic atmosphere, playing a gentle melody. At home, it is a refined table or bedside lamp with typical French refinement".

But it is also suitable for meditation, yoga and Pilates, and with Christmas approaching, Louise is a gift idea with a special meaning. Jean Marie Massaud said: "I just offered it to a friend, for the birth of his son: the wish that it offers the baby a climate of sweetness and wonder. Maybe Chopin’s lullaby will accompany him in his dreams."

Available in various colours - gold, rose gold, bronze and silver - the third lamp in the 7stars project represents a synthesis of technological research and poetic expression, transforming an everyday object into an emotional experience. "Light has a strong symbolic value," concludes Massaud. "Especially the flame. It symbolises passion, knowledge, love and devotion... wonder, magic!