Designer Sander Bakker created a little lamp to reflect the beauty and fragility of life. It is now available on kickstarter and a portion of the proceeds from the Project will be used to support Los Angeles Ronald McDonald House. Test

Simply a beautiful little lamp for everybody to enjoy. If only that was all that needed to be said about it.

When Sander and Maral Bakker were anxiously awaiting the birth of their baby boy, Nikolaas, or Niki, they had no idea what was ahead of them. Niki was diagnosed with Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia which prevents the lungs from fully forming in utero. So the family, who lives in Tehachapi, scheduled the birth in Los Angeles therefore allowing for immediate post-natal care at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles which would give Niki access to specialists who might be able to save their baby despite the odds.

"It was not until I experienced what the Los Angeles Ronald McDonald House did for us that I realized how important the work is that they do. To be close to our son Nikolaas when he was gravely ill is all my wife and I wanted...RMCHLA made that possible for us," Sander remembers.

Ultimately, the family only had a few short days with their son, but during that time, Sander and Maral fell deeply in love with the child as any parent does.

Several months after the loss of Niki, Sander, a product designer, found a way to commemorate Niki’s legacy by creating a custom lamp to honor the child’s life. “I decided to start designing this lamp earlier this year, after I was faced with the unthinkable: to have to make a decision regarding the life of Nikolaas. This project would be my haven. It would allow me to dwell in the few memories I would have of him, while creating something beautiful that he might have loved to look at.” says Sander. 

Therefore, on July 14, Sander’s company Splinter Seed will launch a Kickstarter Campaign that features the Niki lamp.  Sander describes the lamp:

“Those chunky pencils for legs are intended to put a smile on the faces of children and adults alike. The single butterfly hidden amongst its glowing leaves is just that to a child. However, for me and most adults a more abstract meaning is often attached to the appearance of a butterfly: the memory of a loved one.”

The stunning design will be available exclusively on Kickstarter here. Proceeds will go toward research for CDH as well as the organizations that supported their family during their most difficult days – the Los Angeles Ronald McDonald House, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Breathe Easy, an organization that provides support for CDH families.

Simply a beautiful little lamp to remind everybody to enjoy life...