Oh! Gizmo

By Andrew Liszewski

A lot of animators will keep a mirror next to their drawing desk so they can use their own faces and expressions as inspiration for their work. Well here’s a product designer who also used themselves for inspiration. But instead of looking at his face, Alexander Lervik wanted to delve deeper into his head so he had an MR scan of his brain done at the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm. The image of his brain was then processed by a rapid prototyping 3D printer to create this bizarre looking lamp. It’s lit internally by a set of bright LEDs and apparently does throw off quite a bit of light, but I think he missed the opportunity to have a single illuminated lightbulb floating above his brain. Now that’s a good idea!

[ MYBrain Table Lamp ] VIA [ DeZona ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I’m pretty sure this unique lamp isn’t going to appeal to the average homeowner. Designed and hand-made by enPieza! Studio, the Colgao table lamp is made to look like someone who’s hanging from a noose. It’s kind of morbid, but the lightbulb for a head idea almost makes it seem like this poor chap had a brilliant idea, just before they kicked the stool out from under his legs.

As far as I can tell it’s a one-off piece, and isn’t available for sale. So if you want one for yourself, you’ll have to break out the hot glue and pipe cleaners. And maybe some electrical wiring.

[ Calgao Table Lamp ] VIA [ Cribcandy ]

By Andrew Liszewski

There have been plenty of books written about ‘The Enlightenment’ over the years, but it takes a truly gifted mind to realize the word ‘enlightenment’ includes the word ‘light.’ And it takes a whole other level of genius to turn that realization into a clever pun-inspired lamp.

The appropriately-named Enlightenment lamp is made of white plexiglass, is 24cm x 17cm x 8cm and includes a 9-watt energy-saving lamp to illuminate it from the inside. For maximum enlightenment you’ll want to stick it on a shelf full of other hardcover tomes, or you can also go the less-classy route, and just use it as a bathroom nightlight.

The Enlightenment lamp will set you back about $130, but %10 of that cost actually goes to educational charities.

[ Enlightenment Lamp ] VIA [ DVICE ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Firebox.com seems to cater to the demographic of geeks with considerable amounts of disposable income. So while this Jellephish Lamp actually looks kind of cool, I think they’d sell a lot more if they tried to pass it off as a Mushroom Cloud Lamp instead. But who am I kidding? The fact that this lamp includes a wireless remote is enough to convince every cube dweller they must own one.

Under the dome on top you’ll find a set of LED lights that can actually be cycled through “an almost infinite palette of seductive colors…” to set the right mood. While I doubt there are more than a handful of people who find LED lighting seductive, I’m sure there are plenty who will be fascinated by the transparent acrylic base that lights up alongside the dome.

Firebox.com has it for about $156.

[ Jellephish Lamp ] VIA [ Cribcandy ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I’m really surprised no one has ever thought of this product tie-in before. Given the number of lightsaber toys and prop replicas, it only makes sense that the elegant weapon of the Jedi masters could also be turned into a regular household lamp.

Each one stands 40 inches tall and comes in either a Luke Skywalker or Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader version. There is some assembly required, and the lights run off 2 AAA batteries instead of plugging into the wall, which is kind of lame. You’ll also have to deal with either a red or green tint in your room since the blades are colored after the ones seen in them movies. While that’s probably a concern for some, true Star Wars fans have put up with far worse over the years.

You can find the Lightsaber Room Light at NCSX for just $23.

[ Star Wars Lightsaber Room Light ] VIA [ Ubergizmo ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Urban living is just another way to say you live in a small, cramped apartment in a big city. But if you furnish your pad correctly, you can actually make it seem a lot bigger than it really is. The Little Lamp designed by Sam Hurt and Jude Biddulph looks like a classic table lamp and comes complete with a clip-on shade and a pull-chain to turn it on or off. But the base of the lamp is actually a single D-cell battery, which of course also powers the LED bulb.

So not only is it saving you precious space, but it also won’t add anything to your monthly power bill. Just couple this with a 2-inch Sony Watchman TV in the living room, and an Easy Bake Oven in the kitchen and I guarantee your small apartment will seem like a spacious penthouse. (Note: Guarantee not guaranteed.)

You can find the Little Lamp at the MoMA Store for $19.95, and the LED bulb and battery are included.

[ Little Lamp ] VIA [ Cribcandy ]

By Andrew Liszewski

The cubicle where I used to work was always the place to be since people loved hearing my stories about epic space battles, amazing bank heists and other exciting things I did on the weekends. But with all those people stopping by, I never got much work done. If you have a similar problem I think this Duck Lamp created by Sebastian Errazuriz would serve as a pretty effective ’scarecrow’ for your office. But instead of scaring off crows, it would simply frighten your co-workers to the point where they would never disturb you.

Sadly the lamp isn’t for sale, but as an added bonus if you feel like making one yourself I’m sure working on the project in your kitchen would also serve to scare off your friends and family too.

[ Sebastian Errazuriz Duck Lamp ] VIA [ Productdose ]

By Andrew Liszewski

If there’s a space exploration buff on your gift list, this Satellite LED Lamp will serve as a unique reminder of those early days, and designs. The lamp bears a passing resemblance to the Russian Sputnik satellite as well as the United State’s own Project Vanguard satellites.

Of course I’m pretty sure Sputnik didn’t have a single LED on board, given the fact that it just celebrated its 50 year anniversary. However this satellite lamp has 24 of them in red, green and blue that flash on and off in one of 8 “dazzling display options.” It apparently also includes a realistic red “engage” button to cycle through the different patterns.

It’s currently available from the Discovery Channel Store for $39.95.

[ Satellite Lamp ]

By Andrew Liszewski

The MultiBook is from the same people who originally brought us the MultiPot charging station a few years back, but this new version adds a bit more functionality. Instead of a pot, the MultiBook is designed to look like an ordinary book sitting on your bedside table, that is until you turn it on.

Hidden on the spine of the MultiBook is a red LED clock and calendar that allows it to function as a bedside alarm clock. In addition the ‘pages’ of the book will actually glow with a diffuse white light thanks to 74 LEDs hidden inside. And finally, the lid of the MultiBook opens to reveal spots for three different chargers that allows you to keep the mess of cables hidden when they’re not in use.

It’s currently available from Questo Design for about $222 but only comes in a 220 volt configuration at this time.

[ Rotaliana MultiBook ] VIA [ technabob ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I realized it’s been quite a while since I’ve posted an over-priced designer lamp, so here you go. The Marie Louise was created by Buro Vormkrijgers and is made of PMMA (aka polymethyl methacrylate or ‘acrylic’) sheets cut out in the silhouette of a traditional lamp. A number of these sheets are then arranged together to form a 3D version. Kind of like those paper Christmas trees you used to make as a kid.

The lamp is illuminated with a special 14-watt fluorescent bulb running down the center that can be customized with a series of colored filters including amber, yellow, orange, purple, blue, pink, red and green. There’s also an engraved version of the lamp available that includes intricate etchings on the ’shade’ portion.

And the over-priced part? How does $999 for the standard version, and $1299 for the engraved version sound? Both are available from Generate with your choice of colored filter.

[ Marie Louise Lamp ] VIA [ Better Living Through Design ]