Power Us With Love

When it comes to providing convenient power to users, it seems that most manufacturers of casegoods and desking systems are at least providing the option to specify convenient power and data connections above the desktop. As workers become more mobile, and laptops and tablets begin to dominate the work world, that trend is only going to accelerate.

And it makes absolute sense; as people are moving around more in their day-to-day lives, working from offices and coffee shops and from home, the cables and power supply bricks that fuel our lives need to travel just as easily (at least until wireless power becomes a reality). The concept of providing power above the desk is simple enough, and about as revolutionary as the radio controls on your steering wheel.

But here’s a question—what if you’re not working on the latest and greatest iteration of the desking system from [insert your favorite manufacturer here]? What if, like many journalists in the modern media age, you’re just lucky to have a job at all, let alone a new desk? Are we doomed to spend our mornings and evenings crawling around on our hands and knees, using the Flashlight app on our cellphones to find an outlet and hoping that no one notices our skivvies?

In the name of the workplace’s huddled masses, I ask: where is our convenience? Does the proletariat have any less need for dignity??

Sure, you can go aftermarket with these sorts of things, but the results typically leave a lot to be desired—at least in my experience. Besides costing upwards of $150-$200, these add-ons typically require the detailed modification of one’s desk surface (for installed, grommet-style units) or clamp crudely onto the side of a desk. Worst of all, they lack that certain je ne sais quoi that we’re all looking for when it comes to creating a space to call our own.

Turns out, it’s not just a domestic complaint—even the Swedes can’t find a good outlet when they need one.

“It seems like we’re always in need of a plug socket to charge our computer, tablet or smartphone,” says the website of innovative design collective, Form Us With Love. “For this particular reason, Form Us With Love has designed Plug Lamp for [Swedish lighting company] ateljé Lyktan—a lamp with a bonus of an electrical socket.”

(You might remember FUWL as the folks behind those cool Dekor tiles made from wood wool, cement and water we showed you some time back.)

Unveiled earlier this year during an exhibit at the Swedish Museum of Architecture, the Plug Lamp features a central plug socket set into a powder coated aluminum base as a “decorative detail.” A opal glass shade covers the LED light source inside; the fixture is also dimmable.

“Besides giving you an electrical socket, the Plug Lamp also gives a pleasant aesthetic to the process of recharging,” says the ateljé Lyktan website noting that the Plug Lamp is equally at home in places like hotels, cafes and restaurants—wherever consumer electronics can be found (so, everywhere, basically). And sure, the lamps currently accommodate only European power plugs, but how much are adapters these days? Ten bucks?

I’ll take two, please!