Designing Atmosphere: Chelsom on the Launch of PORTABLES

As Chelsom approaches its 80th anniversary, the launch of PORTABLES marks a significant evolution for the hospitality lighting specialist. Designed specifically for hotels, bars, restaurants and cruise environments, the new cordless collection combines decorative character with hospitality-grade performance.

In this exclusive Q&A, Will Chelsom, Managing Director at Chelsom, discusses the thinking behind the collection, the growing role of portable lighting within hospitality interiors, and how PORTABLES balances atmosphere, flexibility and operational practicality.

1. To begin, could you introduce yourself, your role at Chelsom, and how you are involved in the launch of the new PORTABLES collection?

I’m Will Chelsom, Managing Director at Chelsom, and I lead the design direction of the business alongside our Chief Design Officer, James Bartlett. James has been instrumental in bringing the PORTABLES collection to life, and, as with all successful product development at Chelsom, this has been a highly collaborative process involving our creative, technical and project teams.

My role within the business is multi-faceted, but product design has always been a particular passion of mine. I’m constantly looking at how we can evolve our collections in ways that feel relevant to the hospitality sector whilst remaining true to the Chelsom identity. Over many years we’ve developed a distinctive design language across our decorative lighting collections, so it was incredibly important that this new category felt like a natural extension of the brand rather than a departure from it.

2. Chelsom is approaching its 80th anniversary in 2027. What makes this the right moment for the business to introduce an entirely new product category?

Businesses with a strong heritage always must strike a careful balance between respecting their history and continuing to evolve and at Chelsom, we’ve never been a company that stands still. While our foundations and values remain unchanged, we are always looking ahead at how hospitality interiors are developing and where opportunities exist to innovate. Launching an entirely new product category is a significant moment for the business, and it feels particularly fitting as we approach our 80th anniversary. PORTABLES represents a new chapter for Chelsom, one that reflects changing hospitality environments, advances in technology, and the increasing importance of flexible, atmosphere-driven lighting within hotels, restaurants, bars and cruise ship interiors.

3. PORTABLES marks a significant evolution for Chelsom. How would you describe the ambition behind the collection, and what does it say about where the brand is heading?

From the outset, the collection was designed specifically with hospitality in mind. While these lamps will sit beautifully within residential interiors, our focus has always been on the hotel, cruise, bar and restaurant sectors, where we felt there was a real gap in the market for portable lighting that combines decorative appeal with genuine hospitality-grade performance. As with all Chelsom products, design integrity has been central to the collection.

We wanted to create portable lamps that interior designers would genuinely want to specify – pieces with character, materiality and presence – whilst also delivering the practical functionality required within demanding commercial environments. PORTABLES also reflects how the business is evolving. We have embraced new battery and charging technologies, invested heavily in research and development, and explored how portable lighting can enhance the guest experience across a variety of hospitality settings. At the same time, the collection remains firmly rooted in our core market and reinforces our commitment to being a trusted, long-term partner to the global hospitality industry.

4. Cordless table lighting has become increasingly visible across hospitality interiors in recent years. Why was it important for Chelsom to take a considered approach, rather than entering the category earlier?

Portable lighting has grown enormously within hospitality over recent years, but it has also become an increasingly crowded part of the market, often dominated by products driven primarily by price rather than design quality or lighting performance. You now see cordless table lamps everywhere, in restaurants, cocktail bars, hotel lounges and terraces, yet many fail to enhance the space in the way they should. Poor light quality, weak materials and overly generic designs can detract from the atmosphere a designer is trying to create. For us, it was important not to enter the category simply for the sake of it and we have spent over two years curating this collection as a result. We wanted to take the time to understand how portable lighting was being used operationally within hospitality settings and develop a collection that genuinely elevated the experience. That meant focusing not only on aesthetics, but also on light effect, dimming quality, charging efficiency, durability and material integrity.

5. The collection has been developed specifically with hospitality in mind, particularly bars and restaurants. What needs within those environments shaped the design brief?

The bar and restaurant sector is one of the most exciting and creatively dynamic areas within hospitality design today. These spaces are increasingly immersive, experience-led environments where lighting plays a huge role in shaping mood, energy and atmosphere. From the beginning, we wanted the collection to feel versatile enough to work across a wide range of interior styles, from intimate cocktail bars and fine dining spaces through to relaxed terrace environments and contemporary hotel restaurants. Scale, proportion, materiality and finish were therefore incredibly important considerations throughout the design process. At the same time, we had to think very carefully about operational practicality. In busy hospitality settings, portable lighting becomes part of the service experience, so factors such as charging efficiency, illumination time, ease of handling and durability were all fundamental to the brief. Considerable research and development went into ensuring the lamps deliver exceptional battery performance alongside practical multi-charging solutions that work seamlessly for hospitality teams.

6. Chelsom is known for decorative lighting within hospitality. How did you ensure PORTABLES felt like a natural extension of the brand’s design heritage?

Chelsom has developed a recognisable design handwriting over many years, built around the use of high-quality materials, refined detailing and carefully considered finishes. It was essential that PORTABLES carried that same identity. Across the collection we have incorporated many of the signature finishes and design details associated with the brand, including Aged Brass and Oil-Rubbed Bronze, alongside intricate reeded textures, layered materials and strong decorative forms. Although this is a new category for us, we wanted the collection to feel immediately recognisable as Chelsom.

7. Each piece is decorative and carefully proportioned, with finishes including Aged Brass and Oil Rubbed Bronze. How did materiality, proportion and finish help you balance visual impact with commercial practicality?

Finding the balance between decorative impact and commercial practicality was central to the design process. These lamps are intended to sit directly within intimate hospitality settings, on restaurant tables, bar tops and lounge surfaces, so scale and proportion had to feel absolutely right. We wanted the designs to have presence and personality without overpowering the food and beverage landscape or interrupting conversation and sight lines. The finishes themselves are intentionally rich and atmospheric, chosen to complement a broad range of hospitality interiors whilst adding warmth and depth to the overall scheme. Each design also explores a particular material expression or surface detail, whether through ribbed glass, patterned fabrics or marble-inspired finishes, giving every lamp its own distinct character and light quality. 

8. The shade options include ribbed blown glass, vibrant fabrics and precision-formed metal. How do these different options allow designers to create varied lighting effects and atmospheres?

Although the collection maintains a consistent scale and visual footprint throughout, we wanted each design to deliver its own unique atmosphere and lighting effect. For example, Brera features mouth-blown ribbed opal glass which creates a beautifully soft, layered glow, while the marble-effect shade on Soho produces a warm and inviting ambient light inspired by classic Art Deco interiors. The fabric-shaded designs, Marais and Bowland, introduce a softer and more relaxed aesthetic, with the pleated Ian Mankin striped fabrics adding texture and familiarity that feel especially suited to boutique hospitality settings. By contrast, Fitzroy and Ribeira feature precision-formed metal shades designed to direct warm pools of light onto the surface below, creating intimacy, drama and focus within bar and dining environments.

9.  Lighting in hospitality is often about mood, pace and atmosphere. How can PORTABLES help designers shape the guest experience throughout the day and into the evening?

Hospitality lighting should evolve with the rhythm of a space throughout the day, and that was a major consideration when developing the collection. We incorporated four-step dimming across the range, allowing each lamp to operate at 15%, 25%, 50% and 100% brightness. This gives designers and operators the flexibility to adapt the atmosphere depending on the setting and time of day, from bright and energetic breakfast service through to intimate late-night dining or cocktail environments. Ultimately, the aim was to create lighting that enhances the guest experience emotionally as well as functionally, helping spaces feel warmer, more inviting and more memorable.

10. When developing a cordless lighting collection for demanding hospitality environments, what were the key performance considerations the team needed to resolve?

Durability and performance were fundamental to the development process. Hospitality environments are demanding, particularly within restaurants, bars and cruise ship settings where products are handled continuously and expected to perform consistently over long operating hours. We focused heavily on material quality, structural integrity and finish durability to ensure the lamps feel substantial, refined and robust in equal measure. At the same time, battery performance, charging speed and dimming capability were all critical areas of development. Our fast-charge technology allows the lamps to recharge fully in as little as two hours, while illumination times can extend to up to 90 hours at lower dimming levels. That level of performance is essential within hospitality settings where reliability and operational efficiency are paramount.

11. Charging is often one of the biggest operational considerations with portable lighting. How did Chelsom approach the development of charging trays, multi-lamp solutions and trolleys to support hospitality teams?

From the outset, we understood that charging infrastructure would be just as important as the lamps themselves. Unlike residential portable lighting, hospitality environments require solutions that work efficiently at scale and integrate seamlessly into operational workflows. Each lamp is supplied with a USB-C charging cable fitted with a dedicated DC pin connector unique to our design, helping to reduce misuse and theft. We also developed fast-charging multi-lamp trays capable of charging eight lamps simultaneously, allowing hospitality teams to manage large quantities of lamps quickly and efficiently. In addition, because every hospitality environment operates differently, we are offering bespoke charging trolley solutions tailored to individual client requirements. Flexibility was very important to us, particularly across hotels, cruise ships and high-volume restaurant operations where storage, charging and deployment needs can vary significantly.

12. While designed primarily for hospitality, the collection also translates well into guestrooms, cruise environments and residential interiors. Where do you see the greatest opportunities for PORTABLES beyond bars and restaurants?

Beyond bars and restaurants, we see enormous potential within guestrooms, suites, cruise ship cabins and public spaces, wellness environments and outdoor hospitality settings. One of the strengths of portable lighting is its flexibility. Designers are increasingly looking for ways to create layered, adaptable lighting schemes that feel more residential and emotionally engaging within commercial interiors. Portable lamps allow lighting to become more intimate, movable and experiential. Cruise is another particularly exciting area for us given our longstanding involvement within the marine sector. Portable lighting offers huge opportunities within cabins, speciality dining venues, lounges and outdoor deck areas where atmosphere and flexibility are incredibly important to the guest experience. Ultimately, we see PORTABLES as a natural extension of the broader shift towards more relaxed and flexible hospitality interiors, and we see an array of different application potential for this exciting new collection. 

PORTABLES, Designed for Hospitality, Launches Tuesday 19th May 2026

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