I'm a believer in the effect enviroment can have on one's productivity. I've found that I'm much more productive when I can turn the lights down low, put on my headphones, some ambient music, and hone in on my work. I've tried many things to get my workspace just right. The Lumio, a unique lamp made from wood, has found permanent placement in my office thanks to it's great design and soft-light capability.
The [Lumio in dark walnut](http://www.hellolumio.com/shop/), along with the included accessories.
The Book of Light
To the layman, the Lumio looks like a book with a wooden cover. At 6.5" x 8.5", it gives an aura of importance without demanding attention. That is, you could put the Lumio in your daily bag and it's likely most people would be none the wiser.
The Lumio's wonderful design begins and ends with the stunning all-wood cover.
The Lumio comes in two different types of wood: walnut and maple. As a fan of dark-toned wood, I have the former, and it looks really great. Moreover, the Lumio is made with FSC-certified wood, which means the Lumio is made with nature preservation in mind.
I particularly like the walnut cover over the maple cover. Plus, the Lumio is made with FSC-certified wood, meaning it's made with some environmentalism in mind.
The spine of the Lumio is especially pleasing. There are small slivers cut out that allow the Lumio to open a full 360 degrees without damaging the high quality wood. The pattern of the cutouts make the Lumio look even greater than it does on it's own.
The Lumio's spine is wondrous. Not only do the slats have a purpose, they add a unique personality to the Lumio.
When you open the Lumio, you'll have nostalgia for the popup books of yesteryear. Constructed of DuPont Tyvek (a synthetic fiber), the Lumio opens to show "pages", lit from the inside. Upon first opening, I was taken back by the feeling I had. It was almost magical.
The Lumio unfolded to 180 degrees.
The Book of Versatility
While the Lumio looks like a book, it can take many forms. The Lumio comes packaged with several pieces of hardware that will help the lamp fit your needs, including magnetic wooden pegs for mounting it to a wall and a leather strap for hanging. This is great for those with limited desk or shelf space and often resort to floor lamps.
The Lumio unfolded 360 degrees. This gives off some of the most unique light one could ask for.
What makes the Lumio so innovative is the ability to take it anywhere you'd need more light, from your nightstand to the tent during a camping trip. In fact, Lumio has some great use cases of the lamp on their website.
I'll often use the Lumio in the morning, while I'm drinking coffee at our dining room table. I wake up at 5 AM everyday, while my wife prefers to sleep in. Using the Lumio at our dining room table allows me to obtain enough light to make a cup of coffee in my Chemex and start the day off reading from my Instapaper queue.
The lamp puts out 500 lumen, which is a comfortable reading light. I wish it could be boosted to a brighter light if needed.
Lumio claims approximately 8 hours of battery life, which I've found to be accurate. Admittedly, I was skeptical at the claim, considering the lamp puts out 500 lumen (which is slightly brighter than a 40w light bulb), but thanks to the internal LED at 2700K, my skepticism was unfounded.
The Lumio comes with a handsome orange USB A to micro USB connector for charging. The cable itself is braided, and of great quality.
The small micro USB port is used solely for charging. The Lumio claims eight hours of battery life, which I've found to be accurate.
My only qualm with the Lumio is that you cannot change the intensity of the LED, and are locked into the 500 lumen. There have been several instances where I'd love just a little more or less light, depending on the situation. If Lumio was able to address this with, say, a button near the charger, the Lumio would be practically perfect.
Conclusion
[The Lumio](http://www.hellolumio.com/shop/) is easily the most unique lamp I've ever owned.
The Lumio is the most unique lamp I've ever encountered. It's made of beautiful dark walnut (or maple, if you so choose), durable thanks to the DuPont Tyvek, and goes wherever you go. With 8 hours of battery life, I've found that I only need to charge it every month or so. The included hardware is top-notch and allows uses for the Lumio that I hadn't thought of.
The Lumio is both practical and a piece of art, and one that's not meant to just be looked at.