Lighting Trends

Growing up I used to have a little Mickey Mouse night light in the corner of my bedroom, and let me tell you, it performed its function! Not only did I used to have monsters & boogeymen in my closet and under my bed, there were also giant, terrifying alien spiders creeping out of the cracks on my ceiling, a dragon living in my toychest and an army of toys that came to life once the lights went out. If it wasn't for my Mickey Mouse night light, I probably wouldn't have survived my childhood.

While you can still find cutesy, cartoony night lights for your little princess or prince, why not upgrade to something more stylish? There are plenty more imaginative night lights that will keep your kids nightmares at bay. Here are a few of my favorites.

The Night-Time Pals collection from Lumisource will surely usher sweet dreams into your child's room. Made of translucent Kumo paper and supported by a metal frame, these little guys come in all sort of fun animal shapes, each one carefully painted with a cute little expression. Enjoy Pinky the Pig, Ernie The Elephant, Ferris the Frog or any of the 10 other Night-Time Pals. At less than $20 this is a fun and affordable night light alternative!

Every little child would love a pet! What about a Pet Lamp from Offi? This whimsical and creative series of kids' lamps from modern designer Offi is the perfect addition to any kids' room. Available in a variety of animal shapes and bright colors, the plastic lamps are even available in white, and include a set of washable markers allowing your child to decorate it his or herself. Fun! A little more expensive, these guys will run you about $60 each.

For the slightly older child, UK design studio Suck UK has created the Teddy Bear Lamp. At first glance, this lamp appears to be exactly the stuff of which nightmares are made, but in reality it's a fun (albeit slightly morbid) lamp that your older child might enjoy. The base of the lamp is constructed of the body of a teddy bear, where instead of a head you have a lamp. A little creepy, but still cool! Once you convert the British pounds to dollars, it will cost you a little over $100.

Finally, designer Jonas Samson brings us a conceptual alternative to your standard night lights - light emitting wall paper! Samson's high-tech light-emitting wallpaper allows you to use a two-dimentional flat surface as light source instead of a 3D object! When "turned off" the wallpaper looks just like any other decorative wallpaper. When "turned on" however, set the room a glow! Use a lot to light up a room, or use a little and have it act like a night light!

However you choose to light up your kids' bedroom or bathroom, keep in mind some of these night-light alternatives. There's no shame in being scared of the dark! Lights out until next time.