Design accessories, from Humble

The Dutch brand Humble was launched in 2019 by Gert, Tom, Lenny, and Douwe, collectively known as APE Amsterdam. These four Dutch industrial design engineers have been working together since 2005. They met while studying at Delft University of Technology, where they specialized in integrated product design—including 3D modeling, product development, production techniques, prototyping, and design solutions. Since then, they have been developing products in collaboration with brands they love.

The creation of the Humble brand stemmed from an observation. A few years ago, a Dutch entrepreneur named Jorren was working as a lighting technician in Thailand. He loved lamps but hated electrical cords. Seeing an opportunity to get rid of them, Jorren wanted to launch a brand of cordless lamps, but he didn’t know what they should look like.

Back in his home country, the Netherlands, he teamed up with four designer friends for a little brainstorming session. As they mulled over his idea, they came back to the original cordless lamp: the candle.

But as simple and classic as the candle is, they wondered why there wasn’t a more modern alternative. What if there were a cleaner, safer, and more sustainable substitute that still created that candlelight ambiance? That’s how the team came up with the Humble One: the first energy-efficient battery-powered lamp, featuring a bulb that glows like the old incandescent bulb and creates the same atmosphere as a candle. “Humble” was thus born, a name that pays homage to this first small and inviting model.