Rumee 220 Portable Lamp by Gabriel Tan: Where It Works Best

Most of Louis Poulsen's portable lamps are cordless versions of older classics. The Rumee 220 Portable Lamp by Gabriel Tan was drawn for the format from the start, and this piece looks at what defines it, how it is made, and where it earns its place against the Tomoshi and the PH 2/1 on a dinner table, a balcony and a bedside.

A hat brim, a room and a roommate

Gabriel Tan, the Singapore-born designer, took the silhouette from the wavy curves of a broad-brimmed hat. The shade is wide and low, with a gently undulating edge that stops the lamp from reading as a plain dome. Underneath, a diffuser sends the light downward, so what you notice first is a pool of light on the table rather than a glowing object.

The name is a small joke across two languages. "Rum" is Danish for room, add "me" and you get "roomie", the housemate who drifts between spaces with you. That is a fair description of how the lamp is meant to be used: desk companion in the afternoon, centre of the dinner table, balcony light after dark, then a low glow by the bed.

The downward light is not a styling choice made in isolation. Louis Poulsen has built its identity on glare-free lighting since its long collaboration with Poul Henningsen, and Rumee follows the same principle: the source stays hidden, faces and surfaces are lit softly, and a board game or a late drink happens in light that feels considered rather than bright.

How the Rumee 220 is made

Everything you see is injection-moulded polycarbonate: top, diffuser and base, all with a glossy finish. Injection-moulded silicone feet sit underneath, which keeps the lamp from sliding on a glass tabletop or scratching a lacquered bedside table. There is no metal stem and no glass shade, which matters for a lamp that is picked up and carried several times a day.

The lamp measures 220 mm wide, 243 mm high and 223 mm deep, and weighs 1.8 kg. That weight is noticeable for a lamp of this height: it gives the Rumee a planted feel on an outdoor table where a gust or an elbow would topple something lighter. Inside is a built-in rechargeable LED of 3.2 W at 2700 K, a warm white that sits comfortably next to candlelight.

It is rated IP44, so it is made for indoor and outdoor use. Three colours are available: Cloud White, Earth Grey and Night Blue. Cloud White disappears into pale interiors, Earth Grey is the quietest choice against wood and stone, and Night Blue turns the lamp into a deliberate accent, especially when it is switched off during the day.

Rumee, Tomoshi and PH 2/1 side by side

Louis Poulsen offers three portable lamps that often end up on the same shortlist, and they solve the problem in very different ways. The Tomoshi Portable Lamp by nendo (the Tokyo studio led by Oki Sato) is a slim lantern with a leather strap. The PH 2/1 Portable Lamp puts the smallest set of Poul Henningsen's three-shade system on a cordless base.

The numbers explain most of the character. Rumee and Tomoshi are almost the same height, but Rumee is nearly twice as wide, so it spreads its light across a larger circle. The PH 2/1 is the tallest by a clear margin, which lifts the light source higher and throws a broader, layered glow. Weight is close across all three, so the real difference is footprint and shade shape.

Dinner table, balcony, bedside: where each one fits

The dinner table

At 243 mm, the Rumee sits below eye level for seated diners, so nobody talks around it. Its broad brim lights plates and hands rather than faces from the side, which is what you want for a long meal. The PH 2/1 is the other strong candidate here: at 360 mm it is taller, but the three-shade geometry means the LED is never visible, and its stepless and 4-step dimming lets you bring the light down as the evening goes on. Its battery is rated for 5 hours at full brightness and up to 120 hours at 5%. On a narrow table for two, the Tomoshi takes up the least room, just 125 mm across.

The balcony

This is where Rumee is the clearest choice. It is IP44 rated, it has no glass to break if it is knocked off a ledge, and its 1.8 kg with silicone feet keeps it steady in a breeze. The PH 2/1 is also IP44, but its mouth-blown glass shades ask for more care outside. No IP rating is given for the Tomoshi, so treat it as a lamp you carry out for a dry evening and bring back in.

The bedside

Bedside tables are often small, and here the Tomoshi's 125 mm footprint is hard to beat. Its Dim-to-Warm LED drops from 2700 K towards 2000 K, which reads as candlelight when you are winding down, and the leather strap makes it easy to carry to the bathroom at night. Rumee works by the bed too, as a low, even glow for reading the last pages, but it needs a table at least as wide as its 220 mm brim with room to spare for a glass of water. The PH 2/1 is tall enough to light a book held in bed, though its glass is better suited to a steady nightstand than a crowded one.

Living with the Rumee 220

Because the whole lamp is polycarbonate, cleaning is a matter of a soft, slightly damp cloth over the glossy surfaces; avoid abrasive cleaners that would dull the shine. Charge it where it spends the least time, for example on a sideboard during the day, so it is ready when it moves to the dinner table. If you plan to leave it outside for a season, bring it in during heavy rain even with the IP44 rating, which covers splashing water rather than standing in it.

Choosing the colour is mostly about daytime. A portable lamp is switched off far more hours than it is on, and it will often sit in plain view. Cloud White and Earth Grey blend in; Night Blue gives the room one clear note of colour, much as a single coloured vase would.

If the Rumee is on your shortlist, compare it with the other cordless designs in our guide to the best portable designer lamps, or browse the full Portable Lamps collection to see every size and shade shape side by side.