Everything old is new again, or so it goes with this latest novelty lamp design called “Good Night Eileen” by Christine Birkhoven. Mixing old uses with new technologies, this lamp design is intended for people who clearly posses the modern convenience of light switches and electricity, but prefer to walk around with their light source in hand, for those moments investigating that creepy breathing noise coming out of your attic or basement.

Designer: Christine Birkhoven

Lighting as art is one of my favorite mediums for decorative expression. I get suckered into every cool sconce, floor lamp, table lamp, projectors…pretty much anything that shines light in a new or interesting way. Which brings me to our latest find. This “Branch Light” by Michail Komarov. This concept allows for you to grow your own unique shape by providing a multitude of curved and straight segments in a variety of colors that easily connect via spherical plugs housing circuit closings.

Designer: Michail Komarov

Inspired by the 1950s “jet set” lifestyle of the rich and famed socialites, this ‘green’ chic solid state illumination coupled with sensual flamboyant mirror finish aims to reawaken the sense of interactive live-work-play realism within self and the surroundings. Having a dual purpose nature of a wall lamp and up-lighter, its usage is functional and adaptable.

Designer: Charles Cha

“O” the spherical ambient lamp is made out of composite materials and consists of elegant art nouveau symbols illuminated at varying intensities by rotating a ring. The lamp can be used as is to breath of refinement in your home but the same technology can be applied to larger installations for advertising.

Designer: Enache Florin

Preface; reading in the dark is bad people - like really bad. Students are especially notorious for this act. I know studying in the dark seems like a good idea because it makes you feel “cozy” but com’on, give your eyeballs a break. If you hate desk lamps that much, try the Sip of Light straw. Bend it to turn it on, straighten it to turn it off. Oh and keep drinking that caffeine. It’ll help you stay alert.

Designer: Sang Hoon Lee

Here is a brilliant (pun intended) idea from the minds of San Francisco based 3D and visualization studio, Transparent House. They took the classic camera housing design and re-purposed it to provide pose prompting light. This “Perspektiva Lamp” design is a great example of what I like to call “Design Flip”, taking ubiquitous items and reinterpreting their intended use for completely new ones.

Designer: Transparent House Studio

Here’s a neato way to combine nature with human technology. The Flower Filament only lights up if there’s a flower in it. Yes designer Ha-Na Yeom some how managed to use the flower as a switch to lights up the hollowed out design which just so happens looks like a light bulb.

Designer: Ha-Na Yeom

Here is the question of the moment in my head; should the use of light be considered a design aspect? Now I don’t mean the designing of light sources e.g.. lamps, chandeliers etc. I mean the light that is emitted itself. Standing on its own, is that design or simply a cool visual effect? For that matter, is it simply visual “art” like a movie, laser light show or music video? Which brings me to this temporary make-over of the Phyletic Museum in Germany by artist Robert Seidel.

Designer: Robert Seidel

“Lets Peel Eggs” initially starts as an unfinished product. Users need to complete the production by peeling off pieces of the shell. The polycarbonate bulb is covered with a layer of environmentally friendly, highly brittle plastic. The custom design comes from how you peel it. Done peeling? Then you’ve got custom lighting.

Designer: Jinhong Lin

To celebrate (or mock) the opening of the newest New York City museum, called appropriately enough, “New Museum”, designer Sherwood Forlee brings you this scaled down version in lamp form dubbed “New Lamp.” Disappointed by the lack of light being emitted by this new structure, Sherwood took Mihoko Ouchi’s original building design and added an extra dose of luminescence.

Designer: Sherwood Forlee