Our Favorite Things Volume 15: Let There Be Light!

by Maggie Flickinger

In honor of our recent Spring Forward, the first day of Spring, and a string of 70-80 degree days, we’re featuring some bright lighting options to spread the Spring Fever!  We’re also “Spring Cleaning” the Our Favorite Things series a bit – sprucing things up with larger images and general pricing information for featured products. Enjoy the light and the growth that spring brings!

Our Favorite Things Volume 15 Let There Be Light 2The craftspeople at Hubbardton Forge are devoting themselves to increasingly modern fixtures brought to life using traditional techniques and materials: hand forged wrought iron. These modern American blacksmiths play with bold geometry and often integrate biomorphic forms – albeit sometimes tritely as in their leafy table lamps. Our newest favorite is the modular Quill Pendant, all angles yet somehow softly organic. Outfitted with long-lasting, energy sipping LED bulbs, the sloped ceiling friendly fixture can be installed horizontally, vertically, and in connected multiples for varying spaces & volumes.  Reminiscent of a fractured feather quill, this piece would make a dramatic statement horizontally (as pictured) above a dining table, anchoring a living arrangement, or vertically above a double height stairwell.  Retail starting at $2,200.

Our Favorite Things Volume 15 Let There Be Light 2Absurdly minimal,  the LED Angled Plane Sconce from Sonneman Lighting is a study in simplicity. Something about a light fixture that looks like a precisely tacked up stray piece of paper makes us architects swoon. The sconce is part of the new in 2014 A Way of Light collection, which also features other pared down stunners such as the Bracket Sconce and the Panel Wedge Sconce.  In our brave new world where form often trumps function, fear not: the Angled Plane Sconce is a workhorse too; with 900 lumens of output, it’s equivalent to a 60 watt bulb. Featuring a slimline 2.25″ extension from the wall, this aluminum fixture is the perfect choice for that white-on-white connoisseur seeking a barely-there energy saving light fixture that blends right into the wall.  Retail starting at $300

 

Our Favorite Things Volume 15 Let There Be Light 2Every once in a long while a product is unveiled that seems like an April Fool’s joke, a magic trick, or a plain and simple hoax (popcorn tulips, anyone?)  However, as far as we can tell, the innovative Starpath from the UK’s Pro-Teq Surfacing is the real deal. The spray-on application absorbs and stores UV energy during the day then releases the energy at night, resulting in a glowing starscape that clearly delineates pathways. Like a responsive organism, the light emitted naturally adjusts itself to the ambient light levels. Users would have to weigh the social / environmental benefits of increased path usage & safety, reduced electrical lighting needs, and retaining embodied energy by resurfacing existing worn paths instead of replacing them, against the chemical makeup of the system: an elastomeric system with a polyurethane base and polyaspartic top coat.  Need to see it to believe it? Check out the video here.

Our Favorite Things Volume 15 Let There Be Light 2If the price of the Quill leaves your heart racing like the first jog of springtime, a simpler freshen up can be achieved by swapping out the lamps on your nightstands! Urban Outfitters, long reputed as a purveyor of “of the moment” fashions for of the moment hipsters, has dipped their toes into the home decor realm over the past few years. While often high on kitsch value but low on quality, some of their pieces stand out. We enjoy the whimsical yet modern Constellation Lamp. By day, the cool steel shade is subtly accented by the bright yellow pop of the interior. By night, the punched constellations glow, harkening back to sweet dreams under the summer stars.  Currently priced at $39.

 

 

 

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