You probably weren’t aware of craft lighting, but it’s as expansive a space as craft beer. In that circle, British lighting company Plumen is one of the forerunners. Plumen is known for designing energy-efficient and sculpture-esque light bulbs, like the Plumen 002 ($30), which grabbed a British Design Award in 2014. Now, the company is coming out with its most innovative (and most expensive) light bulb to date — the Plumen 003 ($200). If Plumen is The Alchemist of lighting, this is its Heady Topper.
The Plumen 003, available in April 2017, is the culmination of five years of work between design firm Hulger, British product designer Claire Norcross, and French jeweler Marie Laure Giroux. The team’s goal: to create the most beautiful light bulb ever by merging the “burning” effect of Edison bulbs with the efficiency of LED technology.
Plumen 003: Specs
Power: 6.5 watts
Brightness: 250 lumens
Lifetime: 10,000 hours
Dimmable: Yes
Pre-Order: $200
The 003’s secret sauce is the meticulously designed brass central structure — a floating, gold-like chamber. The structure encases the LED filament to diffuse and reflect light. The result is a hybrid light: the directional light of an LED, the ambiance and warmth of a 60W incandescent bulb, and the natural beauty of an Edison bulb. Because the 003 is, at its heart, an LED bulb, it burns at 250 lumens and uses just 6.5W of power. It will last at least 10,000 hours.
The finished light is glowing, golden and seductive enough for Hulger to believe that it can make people look more attractive. Does it actually? That’s for you to decide. But hang it over a home bar counter, combine it with a few well-poured beers, and we’ll bet most things will look pretty alluring.