In 1951 the German designer Wilhelm Wagenfeld created a glass punch bowl for Württembergische Metallwarenfabrik, WMF: the clou of which is a glass tube which passes through the lid and down to the bottom of the bowl. The ideas being to fill this tube with ice, when the ice, inevitably, melts the resulting water remains separate from the punch, can be thrown away and replaced with fresh ice. Thus ensuring your punch remains chilled, and unadulterated, until the last drop.
A revolution in its time and painfully obvious, well thought through concept in a genuinely charmingly, well crafted object.
We were greatly reminded of Wagenfeld 's punch bowl when we saw Lumist by Teresa van Dongen at the Design Academy Eindhoven 2014 graduate show.
In short Lumist uses the heat produced by a halogen light bulb to heat water, generate steam and so create a combination humidifier-cum-lamp.
In the photo below the humidifier is the narrower tube, the larger, wider bowl is the reservoir from which the humidifier tube is filled.
Obviously we've not tested Lumist, only seen it on display, but find the idea simply delightful, not least because Teresa has packaged it in such a charming, understated yet self-confident glass and metal structure,thus giving you,in effect three objects in one: lamp, humidifier and a room sculpture which is just as dignified and elegant when not in service as when in.
In addition what really attracted us to Lumist was the alternative uses for such a concept: one needn't remain at heating water for steam. Small amounts of controllable heat are needed for all manner of operations, consequently we are sure that if she wants Teresa could easily develop the idea further into a nice range of objects.
Ideally all with the same easy grace.
