In the everyday spaces through which we move, all these places are not perceived strictly in aesthetic terms but as veritable relational ecosystems: every space speaks to us with a series of silent signals-the intensity of the light, the temperature of the materials, and the placement of objects. All of these elements condition our sensations and our behavior: they invite us either to relax, focus, socialize, or slow down.

In this sense, design objects are more than tools; they help shape our experiences on an emotional level. They add to the qualities of our time and space, create atmosphere, and affect the way we think, work, and relate to others. It is from this perspective-a sociological one, one that looks at design as a mediator of human experience-that Muuto's story takes on meaning.

“By expanding this heritage with forward-looking materials, techniques and bold creative thinking, our ambition is to deliver new perspectives on Scandinavian design.”

— Muuto.

Muuto was founded in Copenhagen in 2006 with the intention of reinterpreting the heritage of Scandinavian design and projecting it toward new visions. The name itself, derived from the Finnish muutos (“new perspective”), makes the mission clear: to recover the founding principles of Nordic design: functionality, simplicity, honest materials and update them for contemporary sensibilities.

Nordic tradition has always explored the relationship between humans and objects: a relationship built on formal restraint, balance, and attentiveness to use. Muuto renews this bond with a contemporary language, recognizing that today’s spaces are hybrid, fluid, and shared. Home and office blend into one another; private life enters the workplace and vice versa. What we need are objects capable of adapting, welcoming, and accompanying us.

In this context, Muuto guides its design toward a new emotional dimension: objects that not only work well, but that make us feel well. Among the products that most clearly embody this philosophy is the Set Table Lamp — a table lamp that merges industrial aesthetics, sculptural sensitivity, and a particular attention to physical interaction.

"The most interesting ideas come from looking a bit differently at something very familiar. For this project, I chose to explore the screw thread as a tool for modulation."

— Jamie Wolfond

The project is based on a simple, yet decisive idea: making light modifiable in intensity, but also in its physicality. The lamp has an aluminum diffuser that spreads the light upwards, creating a soft, indirect light-really an atmosphere of light, rather than a beam of light. This makes it particularly suitable for those spaces that require a balance between visual comfort and perceptual quality.

Simone Lorusso: Hi Jamie! The Set Table Lamp invites a slow, tactile interaction that feels almost meditative — a rare quality in an increasingly digital world. How important was this physical, gestural engagement in your design process?

Jamie Wolfond: I guess it was important! I haven't thought about it that way, but my practice in general is very concerned with understanding things by doing things, that's something I wanted to share with the light's user.

SL: The lamp creates an atmosphere of indirect light rather than a focused beam, influencing how people feel and behave in a space. How do you think lighting, and object design more broadly, shapes our emotional experience of everyday environments?

JW: Through context. Just as we can only understand warm if we have experienced cold, or mild if we have experienced spicy, objects get their meaning from their relationship to the other objects in our environment. When the Set Lamp elicits a reaction from someone, it is relative to that person's experience of other lights that move, other forms of modulation, and other times when the person has come into contact with a similar mechanism. With regard to the light quality itself, I'm thrilled to hear that people enjoy it, but it's not something that I consider novel or innovative outside of the context of how this light accomplishes it. 

SL: Muuto’s philosophy centers on objects that not only function well but also make people feel well. How did you interpret this emotional dimension in the Set Table Lamp, both technically and conceptually?

JW: I've come to realize that people form an emotional connection with objects that express an individual's point of view, as opposed to that of a group. Individual people are relatable- we have moods, we can be hyperbolic, understated, serious, silly etc. When an object reflects those subjective qualities, it's easy to relate to. So one successful thing about the way that Muuto and I worked on the lamp was their reverence for the logic that I felt defined it.

SL: The lamp’s presence is sculptural yet discreet, striking a balance between character and subtlety. What were the biggest challenges in achieving this equilibrium between form, materiality, and ambient effect?

JW: I don't think of those adjectives so much during the design process. In this case, I was curious as to whether a mechanism like a thread would be an interesting way to modulate light, and sought to find a concise way to ask that question. The result was this lamp. In other words, for every object that comes out subtle and sophisticated there are plenty that come out quirky and odd, brutal and severe, even ugly - but we have to make them before we can know that. It's the process of determining what experiments are worth sharing with the world that impacts the character of my work as a whole.

What really makes the object unique, however, is the adjustment system: the shade is threaded onto a cylindrical aluminum body and can be raised or lowered with a slow, satisfying motion, almost meditative. It's a tactile, inviting gesture that brings the interaction with light back to a physical dimension — something increasingly rare in a world dominated by digital controls. Adjusting the lamp therefore means shaping one's environment: lowering the shade to focus the light, lifting it to widen it and let it breathe into the space.

Its strength, however, lies not only in its technical details, but in its sculptural presence, which remains discreet yet characterful. It is an object that gives identity to a room without overpowering it, integrating naturally on a desk, a sideboard, a bedside table, or in a more contemporary choice even placed on the floor like a luminous sculpture.   

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Words: Simone Lorusso