A lamp does not always need to establish a permanent place in a room. Sometimes its most useful role is to follow a page, a menu, or a small surface that briefly needs light.
Mimi, designed by Andrea Quaglio and Manuela Simonelli for Lexon, works at that intimate scale. It received a Top Design distinction for portable lighting at the 2025 European Product Design Award.
The design combines a compact aluminium shade, a flexible arm, and a mounting clip. A table stand gives it a resting position. Removed from that support, the lamp can attach to a suitable slim surface, changing its relationship to the activity it illuminates.
That shift gives Mimi much of its character. The same recognisable light can stand beside a task or attach directly to it. Its role changes through the support, without requiring an entirely different object.
Lexon lists adjustable brightness, white and coloured light, touch control, and USB-C charging. The stated battery life is up to twelve hours, with actual duration dependent on settings and use. These features sit within a small, portable format rather than a larger desk fitting.
The flexible neck makes direction a physical adjustment: the user moves the light towards the page. The visible clip also makes the attachment understandable, showing where the object is held and suggesting where it might go next.
There is an appealing restraint to this approach. Mimi’s adaptability comes from a few familiar elements arranged to work together. Its modest scale allows it to join an activity without making that activity revolve around the lamp.
It is a small companion to reading, designed to move when the reader does.
View Mimi on the European Product Design Award winner’s page →
