Ingo Maurer I Ricchi Poveri Toto table lamp, red

I Ricchi Poveri Toto table lamp by Ingo Maurer

This designer table lamp certainly doesn’t look like your run-of-the-mill lamp. It consists of a rectangular base, a very delicate metal rod, a low-voltage LED traditional light bulb and – last but not least – a brass ‘ear cap’! This is undoubtedly the main eye-catcher of the I Ricchi Poveri Toto, which quickly evokes a few associations and, of course, looks very amusing. It is supplied with a special E27 bulb that is compatible only with certain lights in the I Ricchi Poveri series; a replacement bulb is included. When dimmed using the control on the cable, this LED bulb not only adjusts the brightness but also shifts the light colour from 2,700 K to a warmer 2,000 K. This creates a particularly cosy atmosphere.

Ingo Maurer (born 1932) is a great admirer of the traditional light bulb. This is evident in some of his creations: for example, the ‘Bulb’ and ‘Birdie’s Busch’ table lamps. It was with the ‘traditional light bulb’ that the career of this trained typesetter and qualified graphic designer as a lighting and luminaire designer began in 1969. His works have been honoured with numerous awards – including the City of Munich Design Prize, the Collab’s Design Excellence Award from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Design Prize of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Together with his team, he designs unique lights of the highest technical standard at his company, Ingo Maurer GmbH, based in the Bavarian capital, Munich. He also carries out lighting projects in public spaces, such as the redesign of the ‘Münchner Freiheit’ underground station in Munich.