blog:proleno

Designed by Valentina Trimani. A leaf of light. As thin as a page of a book, to enlighten rooms and tents, maps and books. Wireless, rechargeable, autonomous.

With adjustable brightness, A leaf of light offers private or shared light, for those who read and travel everywhere.

Strategically placed, the Spout Lamp, from German based Russian designer Jan Schreiner, has to be the funkiest lamp so far this year.

Practical? Well time will tell but for pure fun and a great talking point the Spout Lamp has style in bucket loads!

What a great talking point if used in, say, a contemporary kitchen diner.

Take a look at Jan’s website. It’s a stylish site, as you would expect, and you can also see some of his other designs.

With lighter nights and warmer weather on the horizon add an extra dimension to evening garden parties this summer with Edge Company’s new powder coated Strip Lanterns.

Available in a choice of hot pink or a rather debonair plum, these lanterns offer a fresh avant-garde feel to the garden and with the addition of a simple tealight, are guaranteed to bring the wow-factor. No matter how compact (or concrete) your outdoor space you can rely on the Strip Lanterns to bring pazzazz to the patio.

Their purse friendly price-point makes them the ideal gift for any design-conscious friend or relative. Hand crafted from stainless steel, the lanterns are coated in a bright powder and nickel plating. Pop a little tealight inside and watch them glow!

More details can be found at www.edgecompany.co.uk or you can call them on 01273 491391

At Stockholm Furniture Fair 2010 (Feb 9^th to 13^th 2010), Wästberg launches a lighting fixture developed in collaboration with French designer Inga Sempé.

This elementary lamp is meant to be as simple and solid as a nail or a push pin. As with traditional tool machine lighting, the mechanics are sturdy and long-lasting, with the aim of improving classical industrial elements: the clamp is inverted to offer a better way of using it.

The lamp mixes solidity and lightness: a thin beam joins the two opposite pieces of the lamp: the heavy cast foot to a delicate shade.

The lamp, called Sempé, features an LED solution, hand spun aluminum shade and steel beam, clamp or base in cast iron.

Lift your spirits with the Daylight Biobulb!

This time of year is not the most pleasant for everyone. The cold weather, long nights and dark mornings makes many of us feel low but the winter blues can often be a sign of a physical problem that affects millions of people every year.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a genuine mood disorder that many people suffer from during the winter months.

These seasonal mood variations are believed to be light related. Light, as we know, is essential for human health. Not only does sunlight help us produce vitamin D but it also appears to affect our mood and internal rhythms – such as our body clock.

Normal light-bulbs do not produce the same type of light that daylight does. The Daylight Biobulb produces a more natural light that can go a long way to lift the depression that affects so many people during the winter months.

The natural daylight producing bulb gives off three times the amount of natural light, or lumens, that conventional bulbs do. But this high output doesn’t mean they are not environmentally friendly, the Biobulbs are only 25W and work in a similar fashion to energy saving light bulbs – lasting for over 10,000 hours.

And even if Seasonal Affective Disorder doesn’t affect you, having a natural light source can improve mood, prevent headaches and give a more natural, softer feeling to your home in the evening.

Avaialble from Greenstamp at www.greenstamp.co.uk or call 01637 854717

Candles and Christmas go together like…, well, candles and Christmas.

Perhaps because it is a light that is both alive and natural, a candle in a room or near a window is all it takes to lift the gloom of a winter’s day. Suddenly, dark December is transformed into jovial Yuletide by the welcoming flicker of candlelight.

Braybrook & Britten make candlesticks and candelabra using sterling silver. From traditional to modern (their designs have been exhibited at Goldsmith’s Hall) a good pair of silver candlesticks is one of those rare gifts that is practical, beautiful and totally unisex.

A centrepiece for dining. An example of contemporary British decorative arts. A family heirloom. A symbol of life.

Hallmarked British Designer Silver Candlesticks & Holders from £89 to £3,000

More details can be found at www.braybrook.co.uk

Terry De Havilland is the ultimate Rock & Roll shoe designer. His haute couture shoes are lusted after; they are desired. They adorn the feet of beautiful women. They demand to be presented to the world on a pedestal, as they are, timeless works of art. Fiona Gall also loves De Havilland’s shoes and in their honour created this fantastical chandelier ‘Cinderella’s Revenge’.

Fiona, designer of the Emerald Faerie bespoke lighting collections, has now created a chandelier that encapsulates the luxury, glamour, customized finish and detail inherent in both her and De Havilland’s bespoke creations. ‘Cinderella’s Revenge’ reinterprets the design of his shoes echoing and celebrating the glamour of the fabrics and adornments, the shape of the 7-inch heels, and the very tools used to make them. It amplifies their theatrical presence.

Inspired by this extravagant homage, De Havilland returned the compliment and designed a pair of shoes especially for Cinderella’s Revenge. With heels and bespoke leatherwork in gold & silver iguana skin, these shoes now form the apex of the chandelier. Suspended beneath the crown, the spotlit shoes hang surrounded by a curtain of tubular glass, metallic chain, Swarovski crystal, and other carefully crafted details. Miniature magnifying glasses add an Alice-in-Wonderland playfulness allowing viewers to take a closer look, admire the craftsmanship, the signature metalwork with an 8-ft drop and fibre optic illumination. The chandelier is a towering altar to the love of shoes. Its tubular glass fringes cause light to subtly fade amidst a trail of luxuriously covered heels, all elegantly trailing along the floor.

Canadian Éric Sauvé brings us his Broken Glass Chandelier. With an 80cms diameter it appears to be available in either green or clear glass. I can’t find any price details but further information can be found at his website along with his contact details.

Italian designer, Filippo Protasoni, introduces the Platone, an indirect wall uplighter. Manufactured in a matt white painted thermoplastic moulded shell with an aluminium reflector and metal wall support. Also available with a fluorescent fitting.

More details at http://www.prandina.it.

From Australian designer Marc Pascal comes the Orchid Light, a feature pendant/table/floor-standing light.

Inspired by sensuous orchid flowers, each flower is hand dyed sometimes up to three different times, layering the colours in surprising and unexpected ways. Each light is made to order in any colour combination you choose!

More details can be found at Marc’s website.