A lamp that grows with you

Abstract: The main focus of this work is the relationship between person and object. My initial hypothesis was that people are “creators of meaning”. It is one of our basic cognitive functions. We all need an understandable motivation to comprehend, consider and experience the everyday-life environment around us. We have all experienced a special connection with items that we own. This is also true for the subject of my analysis: luminaries. Light is the main protagonist of our life. Besides the obvious role in making us see the world around us, it has a major impact on modifying our feelings. Following deep literature research, I proposed to a selected group of volunteers a questionnaire to answer a concise but complex question: why we consider a special object that we care about. Despite this topic has been broadly analyzed in the field, it is my opinion that there is a lack of understanding about the influence that objects have on attachment bonds.  The purpose of my analysis was to understand what would make a person holding on to a lamp for all of his/her life and maybe giving it as an heirloom further on in the family. A variety of aspects related to the concept of bonding to a specific object have been identified: time, value to the person, love and care, irreplaceability, person-object interactions, an extension of self-identity, and emotions. In general, as a conclusion from my survey, I have identified three main aspects important for the person-luminaire bond:- the features of the person itself - the characteristic of a lamp in its duality - the relation bond between the two In general, people are focusing more broadly on the effect and the atmosphere created by the luminaire in the house and I can conclude that the connection is created through an important association between the psychological momentum and the home environment where they are immersed into. I finally proposed a guideline applicable to future design projects and to define the most important characteristics that an object should have to bond with a person for life.In future perspectives, an obvious implication would be to rethink our approach to design and drive professionals towards customer-oriented needs and expectations to extend the life cycle of products.