Lamps: The Latest Architecture and News

The 2025 edition of Milan Design Week took place from April 8 to April 13, 2025. During these five days, the city of Milan hosted special events, exhibitions, installations, and discussions centered on the creative disciplines, including the 63rd edition of the Salone del Mobile at Fiera Milano fairgrounds. Among the numerous activities, the event serves as an ideal opportunity to introduce the latest trends and showcase upcoming pieces from brands and designers worldwide. Among the new releases and product launches, the ArchDaily team identified a selection of products designed by architects, ranging from lighting and furniture systems to materials and small objects.

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"You’ve got a friend in me…" sings Randy Newman, in the Oscar-winning toy-box-fearing romp, Toy Story. But although the song refers to the relationship between a young boy and his favorite toys, it could equally apply to another of Pixar Animation’s most iconic characters, the loveable Luxo Jr, seen hopping around the studio’s production logo.

Combining a stable base with an independently moveable arm and head may make anthropomorphic desk lamps more functional, but while size, position, brightness, temperature, and the adjustability of all of the above are important features, what you really look for in someone to share a desk with, is a friend. Here are some of the friendliest desk light characters.

Artificial lighting plays an essential role in spatial quality. Badly thought-out lights can disrupt an architecture project and even bring harmful effects to occupants' health; while a well-balanced luminotechnic project can highlight positive aspects of the surroundings and make it much more enjoyable. Generally, however, projects tend to be too rigid and not in-tune with the flexibility of contemporary spaces. In addition, a badly made lighting decision can be complex and expensive to rectify. For example, electrical points in slabs, linings or walls are not easily modified if the distribution of a space is changed. At most, when this is resolved with hanging or free-standing lamps, we end up having to deal with bothersome electrical wires throughout the space.