Lighting Trends

I hope everyone had a nice Thanksgiving holiday. I know I ate my fill and am still recuperating - very much looking forward to a relaxing weekend. In an effort to keep it light, I found this cool "Sticky Lamp" on Yanko Design. Designed by Chris Kabel, the Sticky Lamp is essentially a light bulb in a socket, self-contained in a plastic case with an adhesive ring around the edge.

The socket connects to an extension cord with a clicker. The light makes total use of it's plastic packaging, turning it into part of the fixture. Stick it on your windows for a cool effect, or on your walls, ceilings - wherever! The packaging does open, allowing you to change the bulb. It appears that these lights are only conceptual at present, but they seem perfectly viable for the retail market, don't you think? While I'm never a fan of a dangling cord, there's something about these lights that are cartoonish and fun. Lights out until next time! - Via Yanko Design

If you like this post, then you might also want to check out these posts:

• Lots of Pulp, Please - Paper Pulp Lamp
• Krank This LED Light
• Recycled Battery-Powered Lights

Seeing as it is the day before the most gluttonous of all holidays - Thanksgiving, I thought that I would make today's post light and...well...feathery!

Apartment Therapy recently did a virtual house tour of South African designer Haldane Martin's home less than 48 hours after he moved in there! Very brave, if you ask me! Once I got over how quickly he was able to set up his space for the house tour, I was immediately struck by the gorgeous feather chandelier hanging in his living room! One of his own designs, the Fiela Feather Lights are made from soft, white ostrich feathers! Named after the Dalene Mathews book 'Fiela se Kind,' which is set in Oudtshoorn, an ostrich farming district in South Africa - the very same area Martin sources his feathers from. The lights are available either as a free standing lamp or as a chandelier. Pricing is not available on the website but you may contact him to inquire.

On a completely unrelated, but equally festive note I found this amazing Red Rider Leg Lamp which is an identical replica of the one found in "A Christmas Story." While I've admittedly never seen "A Christmas Story," I know this lamp all too well from a 30 second re-telling of the movie with animated bunnies. Angry Alien Productions takes classic and contemporary movies and retells them in 30 seconds or less using animated bunnies. Perhaps with the day off tomorrow, I'll finally get to watching the real thing! The company that makes this light even gives you the chance to have it shipped in a full-size wooden crate, packed with straw and stenciled with "FRAGILE" - just like in the movie! How festive (and tacky) is this?! If I was lacking any class I might just get this as a gift for someone! You can order yours here, if I haven't scared you off. It'll set you back between $140 and $175.

Happy Thanksgiving and Lights out until next time! -Via Apartment Therapy, Dezeen & Uncrate

If you like this post, you might also want to check out these posts:

• Halloween Bug Lights
• Election-Inspired Pendant Lights
• Batman-Inspired Joker Pendant by Le Klint

Hey guys! A little bit of business to discuss first. If any of you loyal readers out there would be so kind as to become one of my official 'Followers,' I would appreciate it! I added a little 'Followers' widget to the middle-left side of my blog. Not only would this help me out but you can stay up to date on all of the latest lighting trends! Cool, huh?

Now, back to the lighting! When it comes to ceiling lights - there is certainly an abundance of choices out there. From chandeliers to pendants, flush mounts and semi flush lights - the list is seemingly endless!

Well here's a new concept - what would you say about a ceiling light that doubles as a table lamp? Well, let me introduce to you - The Drop Light, a new concept by Korean designer Doosan Baek. It's a chandelier but it's also several little table or desk lamps. The base of the light features a series of tracks or slots where several bulbs or "drops" hang down, lighting whatever room you choose. Each bulb can detach from the base and provide you with an individual lamp, suitable for a table or desk. The tracks located in the chandelier's base have hidden electric lines that charge each "drop" so that if you want to take one of the lights into the other room - you can! Super efficient, cool-burning LED lights illuminate each drop, making for a beautiful and totally versatile light fixture! I might even go as far to call it an "every light." Lights out until next time! - Via Yanko Design

If you liked this post, you might also want to check these posts:

• Colorful Chandeliers
• Sit On Your Light - Lighting By Ingo Maurer
• Liquid Lighting by Daniel Becker & Charles Kalpakian

Apartment therapy is always full of solutions to every day problems. Case in point, last week they posted about this seemingly simple concept - a closet hanging rod with built-in LED lights! Brilliant! Closet lighting solutions up until this point have been pretty sparse. My closet at home for instance features a standard incandescent bulb and a simple switch. When closed, the door pushes up against a duct-tape-padded switch that shuts off the light. Turns out this isn't a safe idea! Incandescent bulbs get very hot very fast! While we don't leave the closet door open for hours on end, it's an old door so it has the of habit of opening by itself. Since incandescent bulbs give off 98 percent of their energy as heat, they are a significant fire hazard - and in a small, confined space like a closet, this is especially dangerous! Therefore, fluorescent bulbs or LEDs are preferable for closet lighting installations, as they are both cooler-burning than incandescents.


Hettich International introduces Lite Inside, an LED closet-lighting system. Since it's battery operated, Lite Inside has no messy cords or cables that get in the way, making for a super quick installation. It's super-efficient as well - the lights switch off automatically after a few minutes and because they are LEDs, they last considerably longer! Most LEDs last between 50,000 and 100,000 hours, vs. incandescent light bulbs which last around 1,000 hours. Lite Inside is also available in custom lengths to accommodate a larger or smaller closet space and can be retro-fitted into existing closet spaces. Hettich offers Lite Inside in a variety of shades and brightness levels for even more versatility.


While Light Inside doesn't appear to be on the market yet - a simple DIY solution might be to buy some inexpensive LED rope lights and wrap it around your closet's hanging rack. While these do require electricity and cords, it still beats closet-rummaging in the dark! Lights out until next time! - Via Apartment Therapy

If you liked this post, you might also want to check these posts:

• Coat Hook LED Light by Pallucco
• Illuminated Clothing by Enlighted Design

If you couldn't tell, I'm rather obsessed with Le Klint, that danish modern lighting company responsible for my absolute favorite modern light - that dollop of whipped cream, the Le Klint 172 pendant light (I've blogged about it a couple of times).

While reading checking out Apartment Therapy the other day, I learned that they are bringing back an old classic - the Joker pendant light! Originally designed by Christian Ræder in 1970, this piece won first prize at the Scandinavian Lighting Fair that same year!

Visibly inspired by Batman, this piece is a visual stunner! In the late 60s and early 70s, DC Comics revamped Batman, giving him a new look and more serious story lines, in an effort to distance itself from the very popular but campy "Batman" TV series (1966 - 1968) starring Adam West. The Joker Pendant came out around the same time this new Batman made his debut on news stands, but whether that served as Ræder's inspiration, I am not certain. Also, it's a mystery to me why this lamp was called "Joker" and not "Batman" - perhaps copyright issues?

At any rate, each Joker Pendant is assembled by hand, folding "out like a beautiful flower sculpture." A must have for Batman fanatics and modern design enthusiasts alike, this piece was supposedly re-launched in October of 2008 (although I can't find it online anywhere). It's available in both a black on white and white on white version. For more information on purchasing this light, contact Le Klint. Lights out until next time! - Via Apartment Therapy and Le Klint

If you liked this post, you might also want to check these posts:

• Pinkberry and Pendant Lights
• Election-Inspired Pendant Lights

George's Reading Room Wall Lamp - George Kovacs by Minka - $80.00

Apartment Therapy recently highlighted some of their picks for the best swing arm pendant lights - breaking them out from high-end to budget. One of my favorite designers, George Kovacs also makes some nice swing arm lamps - all for less than $200! Here are Apartment Therapy's top picks. What are yours? Lights out until next time! - Via Apartment Therapy

Potence Lamp by Jean Prouvé for Vitra - $2,030.86

BL10 Wall Lamp by Robert Dudley Best for BestLite by GUBI - $1,299.00

Falena Wall Lamp by Alvaro Siza - $538.00

Wall Sconces by George Nelson - $325.00

Tolomeo Wall Mount Lamp from Artemide - $277.60

Wall-Mounted Pendant Lamp from West Elm - $129.00

Swing Arm Wall Sconce from Crate & Barrel - $89.95

In yesterday's post, I talked about water-inspired lighting so it's only fitting that today's post be about food-inspired lighting, right? Wendy, over on the JUST COOL DESIGN blog did a post yesterday about the "Cereal Lamp" by Wanderlust Designs. The light looks like a bowl of Fruit Loops cereal and you turn it on by touching the spoon! Currently seeking a manufacturer, you can visit the designer's MySpace page for more information.

Also on JUST COOL DESIGN, an egg-carton lamp by Igor Pinigin. The "Egg Light" is essentially a carton of illuminated eggs! It's in the conceptual stage still but what a nifty looking lamp! These foodie lamps had me reminiscing about those ice cream cone lamps by Mixko that I posted about a while back. I got so inspired that I did a little search for some other illuminated culinary creations. Take a look at some of my favorites! Lights out until next time! - Via JUST COOL DESIGN

Lily.Mgx Lamp by Janne Kyttanen - $500 - $1,200 (via CasaSugar) (This kind of reminded me of a Bloomin' Onion)

Chiquita Chandelier by Anneke Jakobs (via Inhabitat)

Rsoe Carry-Out Lamp - Discontinued :-( (via Perpetual Kid)

The reflective quality of water has always been a thing of beauty to me. The way the sunlight plays with the rain drops during those all too rare "sun showers," it's just so mystifying! Designers Daniel Becker and Charles Kalpakian bring us two modern lighting masterpieces, both inspired by nature's drink of choice - water.

"Melting Light," by Daniel Becker features an LED packed raindrop that hangs below a white rippled plastic reflector. The glare from the LED lights is softened by the white ripple, which spreads the reflection out over three concentric circles. The end result is a soothing glow. I love the white ripple, which resembles a glass of milk recently disturbed. The LED lights seem to just float inside the glass raindrop, creating such a cool effect!

"RainLight," by Charles Kalpakian, creates a virtual rainstorm of light! Neon tube lights hang from a beautiful glass rain cloud, that when prodded, illuminate creating some cool reflections from the glass. Water has long served as inspiration in modern design and this is another fine example.

Which design do you prefer - "Melting Light" or "RainLight?" Lights out until next time! - Via Yanko Design

Devo Square Table Lamp - $80.00

Large Meridian Table Lamp (in Black Mumm) - $150.00

Meridian Floor Lamp (top left) - $300.00

Demi Meridian Table or Floor Lamp (front left) - $200.00

Deco Pendant Light (top right) - $200.00

Deco Small Pendants (shown in White Linen) - $100.00 (each)

Weegee Floor Lamp (shown in Red Mumm) - $330.00

Mombo Table Lamp (in White Linen) - $115.00

Oscar Boudoir Lamp (left) (shown in Circles) - $80.00

Oscar Table Lamp (right) (shown in Stripes) - $130.00

When it comes to storage for your electronic devices, cable management is key. Nobody likes seeing a jumbled mass of cords, cables and wires haphazardly strewn about, stretching from one side of the room to the other. It just comes off looking sloppy and unorganized. Nanoo - makers of the Nan16 lamp, however have a different take on cable management. Nan16 is a new lamp that features a power socket built right into the lamp shade! Designed by Sebastian Herkner, Nan16 allows you to plug in other electrical appliances into the lamp. Made as both a ceiling and floor lamp, Nan16 proudly displays the cables and cords of whatever device you choose to plug in - in essence, making the cables and cords work as little decorative accents in the room.

I can see Nan16 working as a work lamp - great for painters, carpenters and other craftsmen. Workers could plug their AM/FM radio or even some of their power tools right into the lamp shade. As far as home lighting goes - I don't quite get the appeal. The cords seem like they would get in the way! I don't want to trip over a cord when rushing to turn off my alarm clock in the morning. Perhaps these are more suited for an industrial loft space, where there is more room to work with. Nan16 is available in varying sizes and both as a floor lamp and pendant light. The lamps made their debut last month as part of the Talent 08 exhibition at Designhuis in Eindhoven, the Netherlands.

What do you think of this design? Chic or sloppy? Lights out until next time! - Via Dezeen / Photos Via Nanoo, Dezeen & sebastianherkner.com