Maarten Voorhuis with his dynamic floor lamp, Bright Brenda.
He combines his knowledge of light with his experience in marketing and sales to combat diseases like dementia. His weapon: a dynamic daylight lamp.
In 2014, in collaboration with Maarten, we developed the dynamic floor lamp Bright Brenda under the brand name Sparckel. With this unique lamp, you experience a spring-like feeling all year round. The light, at 1,000 lux, has a proven positive effect on your energy, mood, and sleep. Healthy indoor light — that’s Sparckel in a nutshell. I was curious about the entrepreneur in Maarten Voorhuis. So, with my camera in hand, I went to visit him at the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven.
Maarten: Both in science and in practice, there is a lot of amazement about the positive effects of dynamic daylight. Yet, stories about depression, dementia, sleep, mood, and behavior continue to grow. It's frustrating that the benefits of dynamic light haven't yet found their way to the market. With a multidisciplinary team that understands state-of-the-art LED technology, software, optics, and design, we searched for a solution people would embrace. Together, we developed the world's first plug-and-play dynamic lamp that truly benefits your health. How cool is it that we're just doing that here in the City of Light, Eindhoven?!
Maarten: From the beginning, the designers believed at GBO Innovation makers in the innovative concept. Jacques Gramser told me back then: 'We see a lot of ideas come our way, but we can’t develop them all. We choose ideas that we believe in—meaningful, relevant, and beautiful ideas. Sparckel was one of those ideas.'
That belief was crucial in getting the concept off the ground. Ultimately, the concept has grown into a full collection, and we double our revenue each year. The design has been awarded a GIO Recognition and the lamp has often appeared in the media, including NOS and RTL Nieuws. Rightly so, because issues with our biological clock simply deserve more attention. A lack of energy, poor sleep, and a gloomy mood are symptoms that continue to rise. Our ambition goes beyond just addressing these problems in the Netherlands. We are expanding internationally, targeting countries like Germany and Scandinavia. To achieve this, we are currently seeking additional funding.
The Bright Brenda model from the Sparckel collection has been included in the Workplace Vitality hub.
Maarten: With the beautiful product sketches of GBO Innovation makers we started the market research. We presented the sketches to visionary individuals in an attempt to gauge which design would gain the most traction in the market. Sometimes you have to make choices, and in our case, that meant going back to the drawing board. The designers at GBO Innovation makers have handled this process exceptionally well. The final design features a restrained form factor that many people appreciate: elegant, natural shapes that align with the 'inspired by nature' philosophy.
In 2015, the Dutch design was awarded a Good Industrial Design Recognition during the Dutch Design Week. The jury particularly praised the user-friendly and simple control ring. Yet, the greatest compliment I hear from customers time and again is: 'the light really works' or 'I think the lamp is very beautiful.' Especially the latter, I consider a significant compliment. Because, beneath the surface, there are actually many advanced professional LED technologies at work.
Now, several years later, we still encounter each other regularly. We are both proactively involved in the ecosystem of the Brainport region. Whenever an opportunity arises, we know how to find each other.
We are known for our distinctive designs, with which we have already won many prestigious design awards. We develop products with the right choices of materials and constructions, using knowledge of the latest technology and always with attention to people and the environment.
