Plumen
Plumen is a London-based designer lighting brand known for decorative low-energy light bulbs, shades, and lighting accessories.
Last updated August 31, 2026
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Overview
Plumen is a British designer lighting brand associated with decorative, energy-efficient light sources intended to be displayed rather than hidden inside conventional lamp fixtures. The brand emerged from the London design and technology company Hulger, whose team collaborated with designers to rethink the appearance of compact fluorescent and later LED bulbs. Its central proposition was that a low-energy bulb could function as a visible design object, combining reduced energy consumption with an expressive form suitable for pendant fittings, open lamps, and other exposed-light applications. Plumen's debut product, the Plumen 001, was launched in September 2010. It used compact fluorescent technology and became notable for its sculptural tubular form, which contrasted with the familiar spiral or stick-shaped energy-saving bulb. The design was developed through a collaboration between the Hulger team and industrial designer Samuel Wilkinson. Rather than treating the bulb as a disposable technical component, the product made the glass tubes and internal structure part of the visual language of a room. A prototype entered the permanent design collection of the Museum of Modern Art in New York, and the product received substantial design recognition, including the 2011 Brit Insurance Design Award for Design of the Year. The brand expanded its portfolio with the Plumen 002, an LED lamp introduced through Kickstarter in January 2014. The 002 continued the company's emphasis on visible form while moving to LED technology, using 4 watts to produce up to 245 lumens with a very warm 2200 K color temperature. Plumen later introduced the Plumen 003, another LED design using 6.5 watts to produce up to 250 lumens at 2400 K. The 003 was developed through a collaboration involving Hulger, British industrial designer Claire Norcross, and French jewelry designer Marie-Laure Giroux. These products positioned Plumen within the overlap between lighting, interior design, and sustainable consumer goods. In addition to bulbs, Plumen developed shades, fittings, and other accessories intended to complement its lamp designs. This broader range allowed the company to sell complete decorative lighting concepts rather than only replacement bulbs. In 2016, it also introduced WattNott, a lower-cost range of designer filament LED bulbs, extending the design-led approach into a more accessible product segment. Plumen's products and prototypes were represented in collections and exhibitions at institutions including MoMA, the Cooper Hewitt, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Helsinki Design Museum. Its awards and critical attention helped establish decorative energy-efficient lighting as a recognizable design category. The brand reported distribution in more than 75 countries, giving it an international retail presence despite its London base. In 2022, Plumen's designs and intellectual property were sold to Creative Cables Srl. Creative Cables continued to sell and develop products under the Plumen name. The transaction marked a change in ownership and stewardship while preserving the brand's association with sculptural low-energy bulbs and coordinated decorative lighting products.
History
Plumen developed from the London-based design and technology company Hulger, which sought to make everyday technology more visually distinctive. Its best-known innovation was to apply this design-led thinking to the energy-saving light bulb. At a time when compact fluorescent bulbs were commonly regarded as functional but unattractive, the company explored how the bulb itself could become a visible part of a lighting installation. The first major result was the Plumen 001, launched in September 2010. Created through a collaboration between the Hulger team and designer Samuel Wilkinson, the bulb used compact fluorescent technology but presented its tubes in a deliberately sculptural arrangement. This allowed the product to be used without a conventional opaque shade. The design helped establish Plumen's identity: energy efficiency was important, but the brand communicated it through form, material presence, and interior-design appeal rather than through purely technical specifications. The 001 received significant institutional and commercial recognition. A prototype was acquired for the permanent design collection of the Museum of Modern Art, and the design was included in other museum collections and design exhibitions. In 2011 it won the Brit Insurance Design Award for Design of the Year, alongside further recognition from organizations and publications including D&AD, Homes & Gardens, Smarta, and GQ. These awards gave Plumen visibility beyond the specialist lighting market and helped frame the energy-saving bulb as a design product. The company subsequently moved toward LED technology. The Plumen 002 launched in January 2014 through Kickstarter. It used 4 watts and produced up to 245 lumens, with a 2200 K color temperature intended to create a very warm light. Like the 001, it was designed to remain visible, but it reflected the changing technical and commercial importance of LED lighting. The 002 also received design attention, including an Elle Deco sustainable design award and recognition from GQ's China edition. Plumen expanded the range with the Plumen 003, a 6.5-watt LED bulb producing up to 250 lumens at 2400 K. Its design involved Hulger, British industrial designer Claire Norcross, and French jewelry designer Marie-Laure Giroux. The collaboration reinforced the brand's interest in treating the bulb as an ornamental object, with a visual language closer to jewelry or small-scale sculpture than to standard electrical hardware. The brand's business scope broadened beyond individual bulbs. Plumen produced shades, fittings, and accessories designed to work with its lamps, enabling retailers and customers to assemble coordinated decorative lighting. In 2016, the company introduced WattNott, a lower-priced range of designer filament LED bulbs. This gave the brand a more accessible product tier while retaining its focus on visible filament effects and decorative use. Plumen developed an international distribution network and reported sales in more than 75 countries. Its products and prototypes appeared in the permanent collections of MoMA, the Cooper Hewitt, the Victoria and Albert Museum, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Helsinki Design Museum, among others. This institutional presence distinguished the brand from ordinary replacement-lamp manufacturers and supported its positioning at the intersection of product design, home furnishing, and energy-efficient technology. In 2022, Plumen's designs and intellectual property were sold to Creative Cables Srl. Creative Cables continued to sell and develop products bearing the Plumen name. The ownership change shifted the brand's corporate stewardship, but the product concept remained centered on decorative, low-energy bulbs and related lighting systems.
- 2022
Creative Cables acquires Plumen designs and intellectual property
[1]Creative Cables Srl acquired the brand's designs and intellectual property and continued product development and sales.
- 2016
WattNott range introduced
[1]Plumen launched WattNott, a lower-cost designer filament LED range.
- 2014
Plumen 002 launches on Kickstarter
[1]The company introduced the Plumen 002, an LED lamp developed as a warm, decorative successor to the original compact fluorescent product.
- 2011
Plumen 001 wins Design of the Year
[1]The Plumen 001 won the Brit Insurance Design Award for Design of the Year and received additional recognition from design and lifestyle organizations.
- 2010
Plumen 001 launches
[1]The brand launched its debut Plumen 001 compact fluorescent bulb in September, introducing a sculptural visible-bulb design.
Products and positioning
Designer, energy-efficient lighting that treats the visible light bulb as an interior-design object. Plumen combines low-energy technologies with sculptural forms, warm color temperatures, and complementary shades and fittings.
Compact fluorescent light bulb · 2010
Plumen 001
Plumen's debut product, launched in 2010, is a decorative compact fluorescent bulb designed to be used visibly in open fixtures. It consumes 11 watts and produces up to 680 lumens with a 2700 K warm-white color temperature. Its exposed, sculptural tubes made the energy-saving bulb part of the visual design of a room. The product was developed by the Hulger team with designer Samuel Wilkinson and became the brand's signature early product.
LED light bulb · 2014
Plumen 002
The Plumen 002 is an LED lamp launched through Kickstarter in January 2014. It uses 4 watts to produce up to 245 lumens and has a very warm 2200 K color temperature. The product continued Plumen's practice of making the bulb itself an ornamental feature, while shifting the technology from compact fluorescent lighting to LED. Its design received additional recognition in the mid-2010s.
LED light bulb
Plumen 003
The Plumen 003 is a decorative LED lamp using 6.5 watts to produce up to 250 lumens at a 2400 K very warm color temperature. Its design was developed through a collaboration involving Hulger, British industrial designer Claire Norcross, and French jewelry designer Marie-Laure Giroux. The product extended Plumen's design vocabulary into another ornamental LED form.
Filament LED light bulbs · 2016
WattNott
WattNott was introduced in 2016 as a lower-cost range of designer filament LED bulbs. The line broadened Plumen's market proposition by offering decorative filament effects at a more accessible price point while maintaining the brand's emphasis on visible bulb design and energy-efficient LED technology.
Lighting accessories
Plumen shades and accessories
Plumen also produced shades, fittings, and related accessories designed to complement its decorative bulbs. These products supported complete lighting installations and allowed the brand to operate beyond the replacement-bulb category, linking its lamps with interior decoration and pendant-light applications.
Brand decisions
2022
Sale of designs and intellectual property to Creative CablesM&ABackground
Plumen's product designs and intellectual property changed ownership after the brand's development as a designer lighting business.
Action taken
Creative Cables Srl acquired Plumen's designs and intellectual property.
Aftermath
Creative Cables continued to sell and develop products under the Plumen brand.
2016
Introduction of the WattNott accessible rangeStrategyBackground
Plumen had established a premium design identity around decorative low-energy bulbs and sought to serve a broader price segment.
Action taken
The company launched WattNott, a lower-cost range of designer filament LED bulbs.
Aftermath
The range extended Plumen's design-led approach to a more accessible product tier.
2014
Launch of the Plumen 002 through KickstarterProduct launchBackground
Following the compact fluorescent Plumen 001, the brand sought to extend its designer lighting concept into LED technology.
Action taken
Plumen introduced the Plumen 002 through a Kickstarter launch in January 2014.
Aftermath
The 002 expanded the brand's LED portfolio and received further design recognition.
Recent events
- 2022
Plumen designs and intellectual property sold to Creative Cables[1]
M&A
Creative Cables Srl acquired Plumen's designs and intellectual property and continued selling and developing products under the brand.
- 2016
Plumen introduces WattNott designer filament range[1]
Product launch
The brand launched WattNott, a lower-cost range of designer filament LED bulbs intended to broaden access to its decorative lighting approach.
- 2014
Plumen 002 launches through Kickstarter[1]
Product launch
Plumen introduced the Plumen 002, an LED lamp launched through Kickstarter and designed as a warm, decorative successor to the original bulb.
- 2011
Plumen 001 receives major design recognition[1]
Other
The Plumen 001 won the Brit Insurance Design Award for Design of the Year and was associated with additional design and sustainability awards.
- 2010
Plumen 001 designer low-energy bulb launches[1]
Product launch
Plumen introduced the Plumen 001, a sculptural compact fluorescent bulb developed by the Hulger team with designer Samuel Wilkinson.
Sources1 sources
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