I'm not going to say that these Recycle Lights by Johanna Keimeyer are pretty because they really aren't (in my opinion), but that doesn't mean I don't like them. Inspired to re-purpose the ugly plastic bottles we all see laying all over the place to into something use-able again, Johanna Keimeyer took a trip through Europe that resulted in this unique collection of eclectic lights that incorporate bottles from water, soda, detergent, and numerous other products. They're especially interesting to me because they look so completely different when the inner bulb is illuminated versus when it isn't. Plus with all that melting and twisting they look really fun to put together!
It's amazing how something so common and simple like a classic pair of aviator style sunglasses can be the inspiration for a gaudy (but still strangely attractive) lamp called the Celebrity Lamp. Named after the many celebrities who are more often than not spotted in public wearing their favorite shades, this lamp is made up of 40 pairs of mirrored aviator glasses resting on a shiny linear stand with a temple light switch. It's a shiny silver sculpture during daylight and becomes a kaleidoscope of color and light when turned on at night. Like I said, gaudy but strangely attractive... $1,600.
It seems that in adventure movies whenever someone is about to enter a cave or a dark place there is a lighted torch at the ready. Scandinavian design company Menu, has taken that idea and created a modern torch. The Lighthouse Fakkel is designed specifically for wall-mounting with a brushed stainless steel mounting, an aluminum lamp head and a body of solid, white porcelain. The lamp has a newly developed oil burner that creates a big torch-like flame and can be filled from above so the lamp doesn't have to be dismantled. It' doesn't look like it is easy to take off the wall and use to go spelunking but it's a cool design look nevertheless. It can be found for $108.97.
I'm not sure if this Rubber Chandelier sets out to solve a problem (eliminating the breakability factor) or just strives to be unique and kooky. Either way, if you want a showstopping conversation piece for your home, voila! Designer TobiasWong adds his personal flare to the age-old chandelier by encapsulating each crystal in an thick coat of industrial grade white rubber. My theory is why mess with perfection...and to me, chandeliers are pretty perfect, but I must admit this thing is kind of cool. I'm dying to know if it bounces. Rubber chandeliers don't come cheap, this quirky collectible will cost you $4,499!
Master interior designer Tord Boontje is renowned for his decorative pieces that combine the whimsical beauty of nature with the latest technology. Ornate layers and vivid colors are his trademark, his work is breathtaking and quite often his designs look like they belong in a museum. Tord tries his artful hand at kid's decor with this beautiful shadow light, the perfect addition to any baby's nursery or older child's room. It features scenes from nature that are projected in multi colored images onto surrounding walls. I imagine any child would fall in love with a nightly light show featuring animals! The Tord Boontje Shadow Light is available online for $359.
Lotus Flower Chandeliers are created by artisans combining hundreds of hand-cut capiz shells edged in metal together into large pearl and smoke colored spheres. When lit from within the pendants shimmer and shine like stained glass and look equally impressive hanging alone or in a grouping. Two sizes (13" and 21" diameters) are available from Viva Terra for $329 and $629, and in keeping with their eco-friendly and sustainable stance as many supplies as possible are recycled and reclaimed in the manufacturing of the product -- plus the company recommends using an energy saving light bulb to illuminate your new purchase.
The Polaris Floor Lamp is more like a piece of art than a lamp. Made of lacquered nylon that has been rotationally molded, it's a modern, clean piece that would work well in a corner or next to a bed or sofa. The lamp pivots, "revealing a different fluid vertical form on its satin steel footprint base." No fancy bulbs required, just one 300-watt halogen bulb (included). For atmosphere, use the floor dimmer.
A 2008 design by Marco Acerbis for Fontana Arte, it's available in glossy white, glossy black or glossy amethyst (aubergine/eggplant). Retromodern.com sells it for $1,840 (a 20% discount from the list price of $2,300). Measures 11.8" W x 76" H. Delivery in 2-4 weeks.
Table lamps are one of those decor accessories that can completely change the look of a room without necessarily making a bold or dramatic statement. Lorin Marsh has table lamp designs that can either fit in with whatever you've got now or maybe inspire you to go in a new direction. Hand-blown Murano glass, Italian alabaster, and sleek metal are the design materials, and they're put together into a wide variety of shapes and colors. Classic and understated but hardly plain, these lamps are gorgeous. I love several of them but my favorite is the Kyoto lamp.
Today, my friend Art Donovan from Donovan Design out in Southampton, New York sent me pictures of his latest design. This new lamp is his first in a style known as Steampunk. Steampunk combines modern technology with a style sensibility taken from the Victorian era. The new lamp is called the Siddartha Pod Lantern and Art reports that is it the most labor intensive lamp he has ever worked on. He spent several months designing and creating the lamp from solid bass, copper and mahogany. It is over four feet tall and signed and dated, engraved in brass at the top. The lamp sells for $23,000.
The latest design from superdesigner Marcel Wanders is the Flos Skygarden is a new pendant light series. The Skygarden was inspired by an antique decorated plaster ceiling in one of Wanders's previous homes. The exterior of the lamp is done in sleek glossy black, white, rust or gold. The interior shows intricate old-fashioned detail including leaves flowers and branches. The light bulb cover also has a laser cut pattern featuring one of Marcel Wanders design patterns. The design is typical of the way Wanders blends the modern and the classic. It sells for $1940.
The Builtby lamps by Inhabit are fun because you can either design your own or choose one from their preselected designs with cutesy names like Chump Change, Even Steven and Mack Daddy. The personalized way is definitely the way to go, if only because their selection website is really easy and fun to use. The color scheme is rather firmly entrenched in the hipster modern with colors like periwinkle, pea green and orange but you can do something a little more stark by combining silver, white and wenge wood blocks. I'd love to see this with more color options though. The price varies depending on selections but most lamps are in the $200 range.
I love this light! I'm partial to anything with nature in it but usually art and decorative pieces that include animals end up so cheesy and overdone. But Shoal 284 by Dominic Bromley is simple, classy, and really does capture the essence of shoaling fish. You can almost feel the movement! It's created by taking 284 unglazed bone china fish and stringing them by hand from a chrome steel frame to hang around a light source in the center. About 50cm wide and 1m high it's an impressive piece of art.
And if you like the look of this light but aren't into the fish so much then check out his Drawn to the Light creation.
Gallery: Dominic Bromley: 'Shoal 284' and 'Drawn to the Light'
It's all about "multimedia" these days with cell phones that double as mp3 players and iPods that play movies. But have you ever considered getting yourself a multimedia washbasin? It probably strikes you as ridiculous (and if it doesn't it probably should), but honestly I think it's actually a pretty cool idea. At least I think this interpretation, the Meltdown Sink by WET STUDIO, is a cool idea. The Meltdown functions as (of course) a sink, but in addition to that it has the following decidedly unique and weird (but totally fun and useful) multimedia features: • It glows from within in your choice of orange, lemon, white, or black. • The glow can be customized with a small static projection screen to display personalized messages, artwork, or anything else onto the sink's surface from within. • An internal amplified speaker system allows the sink to play your CDs and mp3s. No more ugly radio in the bathroom messing up your decor!
If there's one thing I always go for it's delicate sparkling lights in bunches -- half the reason I like Christmas so much is because of Christmas lights suddenly being everywhere I look. So obviously I'm loving these Contemporary Suspension Lights from Kundalini. Individually each orb is nothing special really, but in a group they have a truly unique and beautiful impact. Made of cast glass and chrome-plated metal these lights will certainly bring a festive sparkle to your home on a year-round basis.
It may look like intricately carved wood, but this magnificent chandelier is actually made from laser-cut aluminum, glass and stainless steel. Halogen bulbs illuminate faux candles and the result is a glowing spectacle that is surely fit for a mansion. If you don't actually have a mansion in which to hang this chandelier, you will at least need a very large room as the fixture measures 3 feet across. Suspended by aircraft cables and available in several colors , this made-to-order chandelier sells for $3,700.
I love this light! I'm partial to anything with nature in it but usually art and decorative pieces that include animals end up so cheesy and overdone. But 
