Who are behind LiliLite?
LiliLite was invented by Dutch designer Thijs Smeets and his bookloving girlfriend Liedewij. She was always adjusting the bed lamp to get better lighting and piling her books on top of her nightstand and the floor. Together they came up with the ultimate product for reading in bed. LiliLite helps to keep the bedroom clutter free, stores a stash of books at arms length and makes reading in bed extra comfortable by providing light from a perfect angle.
Thijs and Liedewij produced the LiliLite in small numbers in the past and got an overwhelming response from people all over the world. It went viral and because of that they couldn’t meet the demand anymore. To make the step to mass production they decided to start a crowdfunding campaign.
Thijs founded his Amsterdam based Studio Smeets in 2007 after working for several design studio's in The Netherlands and New York. Educated as a designer and an engineer, his designs cover a broad spectrum of products: from furniture to consumer electronics, from in-flight tableware to sauna's.
As a student he won his first design award for eyeglasses MaxMara runs in the collection up to this date. His biodegradable tableware for Hampi Products was awarded with the Toon van Tuijl Design Award at the Dutch Design Award Show in 2010. The line of furniture he designed for Gispen Today was launched at the Salone del Mobile in Milan and got a recognition for Good Industrial Design at the Dutch Design Week in 2012. The Gispen Today chair is included in the design collection of the Stedelijk Museum (MoMA) in Amsterdam.
Designs by Thijs Smeets have been exhibited all over the world, from Seoul to Hamburg, from Amsterdam to New York. He works for multinationals like Rabobank, Unilever, Sara Lee and Nokia and for smaller, design minded companies. Millions of his products have been sold.
