Our increasingly hectic lifestyles mean even the keenest bibliophiles are often forced to ration their reading. What many people need is a space dedicated to their books, which are ready and waiting to be picked up and read whenever the opportunity arises. LiliLite may just fulfill those requirements.
Billed as "the ultimate bedside lamp for readers," LiliLite combines a shelf, a lamp, and a bookmark in one cleverly designed unit. LiliLite is, first and foremost, a bookshelf, but its Z-shaped design adds two extra functions.
A small selection of your books (weighing up to 5 kg/11 lb) sit diagonally on the shelf, with the one you're actually reading sitting open across the second peak. This means LiliLite acts as a physical bookmark, keeping your place until you're ready to sit down and read once again. A lamp sits under your current book, providing a light source for your reading. A built-in sensor means this lamp is switched on when you remove the book from the shelf, switching off again when it's returned. A manual switch can be used to override this function.
LiliLite is designed to fit any style of room, as it's made from a single piece of steam-pressed plywood finished with an oak veneer. The LED light bulb provided in the lamp can be replaced with a bulb of any intensity and color of your choosing, further helping you fit LiliLite in any room, regardless of style.
Dutch designer Thijs Smeets and his girlfriend Liedewij are the people behind LiliLite. After having produced the book shelf in small batches, the pair have refined the design and turned to Kickstarter to crowdfund mass production. They are seeking US$70,000, with the aim being to ship to backers by the end of 2015. The retail price is expected to be around $170, but Kickstarter backers can currently secure a single LiliLite for $139 if and when the campaign creators deliver on their promises.
Source: LiliLite, Kickstarter