Let's start at this point with Goethe, that can never be wrong: "That too is art, / is God's gift, / from a few sunny days/ to carry so much light into one's heart / that when the summer has long since passed , /the glow still exists.” One cannot go into the dark season with more beautiful lines.

We should take them to heart and limit ourselves to light, also in view of the many crises in which we are supposed to save electricity and energy.

Peter Philipp Schmitt

Editor in the department "Germany and the World".

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It's no longer a rare commodity these days.

But it doesn't have to be as glitzy and glitzy as it is in the gambling metropolis of Las Vegas.

Light can now be taken anywhere.

Now you will say that we used to be able to do that with lanterns and flashlights.

But portable light has never been as beautiful and practical as it is today, since it can be charged as required and usually also dimmed thanks to rechargeable batteries.

Romantic and practical

Just take the Ivy lamp (1st row; top right) by designer Lucie Koldova.

Her work (for Brokis) climbs up like ivy, but instead of fruit it bears mouth-blown balls.

The small sculptures can even grow and become large floor lamps.

Ani (5th row; bottom right) from Studio Kaschkasch in Cologne also has a firm footing.

Protected by a lampshade, it almost looks like an old miniature street lamp, but the shade can also be turned around so that the light cone changes.

For Florian Kallus and Sebastian Schneider, Ani was the first collaboration with the Blomus brand.

The PL 1 (1st row; top left) from Sowdenlight is also convertible.

This is eighty-year-old George Sowden, who equips his portable lights with lightweight and colorful silicone shades.

Flowerpot (4th row; left) is no less colourful, which goes back to an even more famous designer (Verner Panton) and is intended by the Danish brand &tradition as a kind of sixties revival with a flower power look.

Salt & Pepper (3rd row; right) from Tobias Grau is even more robust, but just as handy.

In passing, the hourglass-shaped lamp can be taken off the table and taken into the garden.

That's the beauty of the glowing companions: Some can even be hung in trees and bushes.

For example, the Lola lamp (5th row; bottom left) by Roche Bobois, which has a handle and is made of alabaster.

Even more practical is Cri Cri (2nd row; centre), designed for Foscarini by Marco De Santi and Alessandro Paoletti of Studio Natural.

The silicone body of her work can be folded up.

A real alternative for Martin parades.