Before Tulip, we had never heard of the International Day of Light.
Now it feels impossible not to love the idea.
The day was established by UNESCO in 2018 as a global celebration of light and the role it plays in our lives. Not just scientifically, but culturally and emotionally too.
The date, May 16, marks the anniversary of the first successful laser operation in 1960 by physicist Theodore Maiman. That breakthrough eventually shaped technologies we use constantly today, from fiber optics and medical imaging to barcode scanners and high-speed internet.
But the idea behind the day extends far beyond technology. UNESCO describes light as something that connects science, art, education, communication, and human wellbeing. Which makes sense when you start thinking about how much of life is shaped by it.
Light determines how we experience architecture. It changes the mood of a meal. It affects sleep, energy, focus, and our circadian rhythms. Entire cities, rituals, and traditions are built around it.
For most of human history, people lived in much closer rhythm with natural light. Bright mornings. Candlelit evenings. Darkness at night.
Modern life changed that almost overnight.
Today, most of us spend our evenings under lighting designed primarily for function: bright, direct, efficient. Somewhere along the way, many spaces lost softness.
Tulip came from thinking about that tension.
What would happen if overhead light felt gentler to live with?
Not just prettier. Better.
A softer light changes how a room feels. Conversations linger longer. Evenings slow down. Spaces feel warmer, calmer, more human.
The International Day of Light celebrates major scientific breakthroughs, but we also love what it says about the quieter side of light.
The emotional side.
The atmospheric side.
The way light shapes daily life in ways we barely notice until it changes.
Holding onto golden hour,
The Tulip Team
Why There’s An International Day Of Light
Before Tulip, we had never heard of the International Day of Light.
Now it feels impossible not to love the idea.
The day was established by UNESCO in 2018 as a global celebration of light and the role it plays in our lives. Not just scientifically, but culturally and emotionally too.
The date, May 16, marks the anniversary of the first successful laser operation in 1960 by physicist Theodore Maiman. That breakthrough eventually shaped technologies we use constantly today, from fiber optics and medical imaging to barcode scanners and high-speed internet.
But the idea behind the day extends far beyond technology. UNESCO describes light as something that connects science, art, education, communication, and human wellbeing. Which makes sense when you start thinking about how much of life is shaped by it.
Light determines how we experience architecture. It changes the mood of a meal. It affects sleep, energy, focus, and our circadian rhythms. Entire cities, rituals, and traditions are built around it.
For most of human history, people lived in much closer rhythm with natural light. Bright mornings. Candlelit evenings. Darkness at night.
Modern life changed that almost overnight.
Today, most of us spend our evenings under lighting designed primarily for function: bright, direct, efficient. Somewhere along the way, many spaces lost softness.
Tulip came from thinking about that tension.
What would happen if overhead light felt gentler to live with?
Not just prettier. Better.
A softer light changes how a room feels. Conversations linger longer. Evenings slow down. Spaces feel warmer, calmer, more human.
The International Day of Light celebrates major scientific breakthroughs, but we also love what it says about the quieter side of light.
The emotional side.
The atmospheric side.
The way light shapes daily life in ways we barely notice until it changes.
Holding onto golden hour,
The Tulip Team