AFTEN is a concept project designed to spark a collaboration between two of Denmark’s most iconic design houses: Louis Poulsen and Bang & Olufsen.

The idea started last summer in Copenhagen, while I was shooting 3daysofdesign. Between assignments, I found myself repeatedly stepping into the showrooms of the Danish design giants — not as a customer, but as a student. I became fascinated by the way these brands think: light as atmosphere, sound as engineering made human, and a shared belief that everyday objects can be both useful and deeply calming.

*Speculative design concepts © Sam Harrons 2026. All rights reserved.*

After that trip, I went deeper — into the histories, the principles, and the way Danish design tends to hold one question at the centre: does this improve how people live? I began sketching ideas in my notebooks. I’m not a formally trained product designer, but designing practical tools with a considered edge isn’t new to me — it’s been a thread through everything I’ve made across photography, filmmaking, spatial work, and objects.

That thread intensified after my Samu Studio debut exhibition, Here Comes the Sun — an environment where lighting, material, and atmosphere weren’t just decoration, they were the point. The show reinforced something I’ve been feeling for a while: home ambience is health tech. Light, sound, and spatial calm shape sleep, stress, mood, and presence. They’re not “nice to have” — they’re part of how we regulate our nervous systems.

AFTEN is my attempt to turn that belief into a product concept.

The problem: harsh light at the wrong time

The starting problem was simple and personal: walking into the bathroom from a dark room and being hit by an abrupt overhead light.

It’s functional — but it’s the wrong kind of functional. Too bright, too harsh, too sudden. It spikes alertness, disrupts sleepiness, and feels like the opposite of what evenings should be.

I wanted to design something calmer: a warm, non-glare, motion-activated light that guides you gently at night without waking you up.

From that, AFTEN became a broader proposition: a portable, ambient household essential that merges glare-free lightwith 360° sound presence — a single tool for evening rituals.

What does “AFTEN” mean?

Aften is Danish for “evening.”

It felt like the right name because this product is designed for the hours when you’re winding down — the transition from stimulation to stillness.

And the modes follow that same language:

Ro Mode — “Ro” in Danish means calm / quiet / rest
Mo Mode — “Mo” as shorthand for motion (a functional, practical mode)

The core idea: light + sound for evening rituals

AFTEN imagines an object that lets people own a small piece of both worlds — Louis Poulsen’s relationship with light and glare control, and Bang & Olufsen’s mastery of sound and tactile engineering — united through balance: form that follows function, and function that solves a real human moment.

It’s designed to be moved around your home like a candle — but smarter, healthier, and built for daily use.

Where it lives (and why it matters)

Bathroom: night visits without overhead shock
Bedside: wind-down light + low-volume audio, no blue glare
Reading: warm task glow without harshness
Bath / self-care: calm ambience, soft sound, no wires
Dinner tables: a portable centrepiece that sets tone
Terraces / camping / travel: outdoor safe, durable, atmospheric
Social rituals: slow conversations, background music that feels present not loud

You could describe it as a portable ambience tool — sitting in the realm of health tech because it supports sleep, calm, and evening routine design.

Interaction: two modes, one intention

Ro Mode (Calm)

A sleep-friendly ritual mode designed to reduce disruption:

Ultra-warm, non-glare light (candle-warm colour temperature)
Optional ambient sound layer (soft 360° presence — music, radio, nature tones)
Slow fade-in (so you’re guided, not jolted)
Auto fade-out after a set time (so you don’t have to think)

Mo Mode (Motion)

A practical mode for navigation:

Motion triggers a low, warm guidance light
Designed for bathrooms, hallways, kitchens at night
Turns itself off automatically after inactivity
Keeps brightness gentle and directional, not room-filling

AFTEN’s intention is simple: support the body’s evening state, not fight it.

Design direction: biophilic, durable, “forever object”

AFTEN is imagined as metal-first and built for real life — bathrooms, drops, splashes, travel bags, outdoor tables.

Material choices (and why)

Anodised aluminium body
Durable, repairable, premium feel, and naturally aligned with both brands’ language.
Opal frosted diffuser
Softens the light into a non-glare glow — candle-like, not clinical.
Silicone bumper base
Grip, knock protection, and stable placement on wet surfaces.
Braided carry cord
Makes it feel like a modern lantern — move it, hang it, carry it.
Acoustic fabric grille
Warm tactile contrast, and functional sound transparency.

This is biophilic by behaviour: it creates the kind of gentle lighting humans associate with safety (firelight, dusk, sunrise), and it encourages slower, calmer patterns in the home.

Tech concept: simple, premium, realistic

AFTEN is intentionally not overloaded. It’s designed to feel inevitable.

Proposed spec (concept-level)

Battery life:
- Light-only: 20–30 hours (depending on brightness)
- Light + sound: 8–12 hours (depending on volume)
Charging: USB-C (black cord supplied)
Water resistance: IPX4–IPX5 (bathroom and outdoor safe)
Sensors: motion + ambient light sensor (so it knows when not to turn on)
Controls: minimal, tactile (one dial / one slider philosophy)
Connectivity: Bluetooth for audio, but optional app pairing (the lamp should work perfectly without your phone)
Sound: 360° tuned presence — designed for atmosphere, not booming volume

Repairability, built in

AFTEN is imagined as a forever object, with:

Replaceable battery
Replaceable light module
Replaceable seals
Screwed construction where possible (not sealed-glue disposability)

That’s not only sustainability — it’s emotional durability. People keep objects that can be maintained.

Why this collaboration makes sense

Louis Poulsen’s legacy is the craft of shaping light — controlling glare, atmosphere, warmth, and the psychology of a room.

Bang & Olufsen’s legacy is making technology feel like design — sound engineered into objects that people love living with.

AFTEN sits right at the intersection:

designed to shape light and sound — not as a gimmick, but as a quiet solution to a real moment that happens every night in every home.

My role

If this concept is taken forward, I would lead the project from the concept stage:

Research and narrative framing
Product positioning and brand fit
Industrial design direction (form + CMF)
Interaction design (Ro / Mo behaviour)
Early technical spec development
Visual storytelling through renders and in-context scenes
Campaign concepting rooted in real rituals, not hype

AFTEN began as a simple frustration with harsh bathroom lighting — but it’s grown into something bigger: a belief that the next generation of home objects will be calm tools, and that the best design will increasingly sit in the overlap between well-being, ambience, and everyday life.

AFTEN — a collaboration concept between Louis Poulsen × Bang & Olufsen