A bedside lamp is seen every evening: it is the last thing you switch off and, often, the first thing you touch in the morning. When it has the shape of a mountain, it also becomes a keepsake. Here is what we look at in the workshop so that a wooden mountain lamp makes a good bedside lamp — and not just a beautiful object.
The right size for a nightstand
A nightstand already holds a phone, a book, a glass of water. Our lamps are about 15 cm across and weigh 400 g: heavy enough not to move when you reach for the switch in the dark, compact enough to leave room for the rest. Beyond 20 cm, a decorative lamp starts to crowd the table.
A light you can adjust
A bedside lamp has to know how to stay discreet. Ours is backlit by a dimmable 5 V LED: at its lowest, a soft night light for a child's room or a night-time waking; at its highest, a warm mood light for the end of the evening. The LED stays cool and runs on USB, mains adapter included.
Let's be honest: it is a mood lamp. For long reading in bed, keep an adjustable reading light; the mountain keeps you company when you put the book down.
The material: wood and light
The base is pear wood, turned by hand by L'Atelier du Mont in Le Chinaillon: a fine-grained wood, soft to the touch, that takes on a patina over the years. The relief is printed in high-definition PLA, a plant-based material that becomes translucent once lit: the light then draws the ridges and leaves the valleys in shadow.
Choosing your summit
That is the real question. A mountain bedside lamp means all the more when it shows a mountain of your own: the one you see from the chalet window, the one you climbed, the one where you met. A few pointers:
- Silhouettes everyone recognises: the Matterhorn, Mont Blanc.
- Summits close to the heart: the Mont Charvin in the Aravis, Pic du Midi d'Ossau in the Pyrenees.
- Your exact summit: the online lamp creator lets you pick the place and the framing.
All our lamps are pinned on their real summit in the mountain lamp map, and our guide to choosing your massif compares the reliefs.
A bedside lamp to give
Because it has a daily use and a story, the mountain bedside lamp is one of the gifts we prepare most often: for a birthday, a housewarming, a retirement or a first flat. Our tips by occasion are on the gift a mountain lamp.
In practice
- About 15 cm across and 400 g, with a pear-wood base hand-turned by L'Atelier du Mont in Le Chinaillon;
- Relief printed in high-definition PLA, translucent once lit;
- Dimmable 5 V LED, USB powered, mains adapter included;
- A numbered one-of-a-kind piece, made to order in Thônes (Haute-Savoie), €89;
- Dispatched within 2 to 3 working days, Colissimo delivery in 3 to 5 days, or free collection from the workshop.
Frequently asked questions
Is a mountain lamp enough to read in bed?
It is a mood lamp: its adjustable light goes from a night light to a soft end-of-evening glow. For long reading, an adjustable reading light remains more comfortable.
What size for a mountain bedside lamp?
About 15 cm across and 400 g: heavy enough to stay steady, compact enough to leave room for the phone and the book on the nightstand.
How is the lamp powered?
By USB, with a mains adapter included. The 5 V LED stays cool and its brightness is adjustable.
Can I choose my own mountain?
Yes: pick one of our models on the mountain lamp map, or design your exact summit with the online lamp creator.