Founded in New York City by AAPI solo female entrepreneur and industrial designer Chevy Chanpaiboonrat in 2023, Buddy is an iF Design Award 2026-winning wellness lifestyle brand dedicated to bringing presence and mindfulness back to modern life through emotive, analog lighting.

Buddy's debut collection features three design-patented portable tabletop mood lamps, Teddy, Puppy, and Arvin, each translating a distinct emotional archetype into form, where shape, posture, and proportion embody feeling. Together, they create a new category of emotive analog lighting where form, gesture, and light collectively support emotional well-being.

At the heart of each Buddy is a single tactile winding key that powers the lamp, adjusts brightness, and cycles through eight light modes, six gradient colors, and two white temperatures, all informed by color psychology to help users transition between focus, relaxation, and rest throughout the day. The analog interface removes digital friction entirely, offering intuitive control without screens or apps. Portable and rechargeable via USB-C.

Designed in response to a growing modern wellness gap, Buddy's impact is backed by user research: 90% of users report wellness benefits, 83% feel calmer after just 10 minutes of use, and 94% describe Buddy as a positive emotional presence in their space.

Since launching in July 2025, Buddy sold over 40% of its first inventory before launch through a pre-order campaign. Buddy is available through retail partners Lumens and Uncommon Goods, as well as directly at buddydesign.co, with international shipping to Thailand and Canada. As one of the few AAPI solo female founders in the hardware and wellness space, Chevy continues to build Buddy at the intersection of design, technology, and daily living, creating tools that feel intentional, human, and grounding for an increasingly screen-dominated world.

Buddy Design

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