GABRIEL TAN IS
DESIGNER OF THE YEAR 2025
The Rumee Portable Lamp is Gabriel Tan's first design collaboration with Louis Poulsen.
Its appealing and emotionally engaging design, combined with a noteworthy partnership, has earned Tan the title of Designer of the Year 2025 from Louis Poulsen.
A calling
Gabriel Tan has been an industrial designer for more than 18 years, earning worldwide acclaim for his work.
It all began in the National Library of Singapore, when Tan accidentally stumbled upon some design books, while training to become a combat officer in the navy.
"I fell in love with design that day and eventually realised I wanted to be a designer.
So, I decided to give up my navy career and enrolled at the National University of Singapore to study industrial design."
"The usefulness of a product is important, but equally so is its emotional form, which can touch people in intangible and profound ways."
- GABRIEL TAN
Something else
Rumee is not only pleasing to look at, but its asymmetrical form also invites you to explore it with your hands.
And it feels good to hold, when carrying it from room to room, or outside. It's distinctive in several ways, Tan explains:
"I use Rumee a lot beside my bed. It provides a lovely ambient light, and when I need to read, I can pull it closer for better visibility.
It also works well when telling bedtime stories to the kids, because I can direct the glare-free light at the book. If I wake up before sunrise and my wife is still asleep, I take Rumee with me when I leave the bed so I don't disturb her."
The Rumee
Gabriel has designed Rumee to be used anywhere life takes you.
Its beautiful 360-degree soft, ambient glow works perfectly indoors and outdoors, while the tilted shade provides a diagonal, downward-facing light with an expanded beam angle, making it a versatile light source and an excellent reading lamp with glare-free illumination.
