This is our first episode and we have an awesome guest for you.

Michael-George Hemus is the Co-founder of Plumen, makers of the world’s first designer low-energy light bulb. Michael-George was a great guest and we loved his story about buying neon tubes on the back streets of Stepney, London.

The Plumen project was launched by Hulger back in 2007 to challenge the lack of diversity in the design of energy-saving light-bulbs. In 2010, Michael-George Hemus along with Nicolas Roope and Ronnie Renton established Plumen as a company and the journey began.

The first generation Plumen bulb, known ambitiously 001, was designed in collaboration with Samuel Wilkinson and went on sale in September 2010. The Plumen 001 has since won a raft of awards including a Brit Insurance Design Award, and has been included in the permanent collections of MoMA and the V&A.

In early 2014, Plumen ran a Kickstarter campaign to launch it’s second generation light bulb, not surprisingly called the 002. With a radical new design by Bertrand Clerc and inspired by the work of British sculptor Barbara Hepworth, the Plumen 002 demonstrates that Plumen is not prepared to stand still.

I’ve been captivated by the Plumen bulb since I first set eyes on one. Compared to other low-energy bulbs, they have a playful, organic quality that sits at odds with other designs on the market.

If you want to find out more about the journey that led to the Plumen 001, check out this case study by the D&AD. If you want to get hold of a Plumen bulb, head over to their online store. And you can follow the new chapters of their story on their Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest pages.