Scrapbook

After designing and finalizing the TourreMini lamp, I was exhausted. Through many, many prototypes and tweaks, I created a lamp that met all my goals: affordable, compact, functional, and aesthetic AF. I took a well-deserved break from designing—which didn’t last long.

Because of my love for this business and my craft, I was back at it in no time. But this time, things were different. How do I top my favorite lamp so far? What more can I offer people? I hit a double-layered brick wall. I had no foundation to build on.

I settled on designing a “safe” lamp—one that was similar to the TourreMini in many ways but offered some variation. But I wasn’t quite happy with it. Something was missing. I wasn’t passionate about it. It felt too safe. I wouldn’t learn anything new from it, since it used the same materials as before.

For hours, I paced around my entire house, trying to think of a solution. Something you should know about me: I anxious-walk… a lot. If I’m thinking about a school problem, my kitchen becomes a track. If I’m on the phone, my backyard turns into an endless roundabout. So to solve this design problem, I paced—hard.

Then suddenly, it dawned on me. I remembered a video I’d seen about a mechanism that flips numbers or letters rapidly until it lands on the correct one. Could I do this with pictures? Could someone spin through their photos in a carousel that lights up?

I spent the next hour trying to make this concept work in my head, but couldn’t quite piece it together. How could I make the spinning box big enough to be practical? Would it be too bulky? Too small?

Then I snapped back to reality: Why do I need a spinning box at all?

I formulated a new design, with a similar core idea—something like a scrapbook. But better. So much better. With a scrapbook lamp, it could light up the room and showcase your favorite pictures.

As the design quickly formed in my head, I got more and more excited. This would top the TourreMini as my favorite lamp.

When I graduated at the end of spring, I was obsessed with making this idea come to life. I spent most of my summer sourcing parts from manufacturers across the globe. The hardest part? Making sure all the parts were sourced safely—no cheap knock-offs. I focused on keeping the lamp functionally simple to control, while still maintaining the cozy, emotional feel of a real scrapbook.

At the end of this journey, I can say with complete confidence: this is one of the most beautiful lamps I’ve ever seen or created. And I can’t wait to share it with you.

Stay tuned for more.

The First One…

It all begins with an idea. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. Or maybe you have a creative project to share with the world. Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

Don’t worry about sounding professional. Sound like you. There are over 1.5 billion websites out there, but your story is what’s going to separate this one from the rest. If you read the words back and don’t hear your own voice in your head, that’s a good sign you still have more work to do.

Be clear, be confident and don’t overthink it. The beauty of your story is that it’s going to continue to evolve and your site can evolve with it. Your goal should be to make it feel right for right now. Later will take care of itself. It always does.