By Andrew Liszewski

I’m not saying there’s anything specifically wrong with using one of those caged hanging work lights. They’ve obviously found themselves a niche in workshops and garages, and they’re a perfect example of form following function. But thanks to designer Marti Guixé, you can now use them to light your living room as well, even if you’re not going for that industrial look.

His Cau Table lamp is basically just a turned aluminum shade, available in white or brown. that features a hidden support for hanging a work light. Think of it as a design avatar that disguises an ugly duckling as a beautiful swan. Or, think of it as a way for Marti Guixé to make ~$850 (€645) from two pieces of rolled aluminum.

[ Cau Table Lamp ] VIA [ Daily Icon ]

By Andrew Liszewski

They might look delicious, but these Marmeled Jelly lamps are not for eating, at least so says this warning on the JellyLamps website. When placed right side up the lamps are supposed to look like a jar of delicious preserves, but given the bright colors available they look more like a jar of hair gel. But either way, their true purpose is revealed when you flip them upside down which causes an LED light on the lid to switch on, casting a soft colored glow.

Each jar is powered by 2xAAA batteries which is good for about 50 hours of illumination, and they run ~$48 (€35) each from the JellyShop online store, with free shipping if you happen to live in Italy.

[ Marmeled Jelly Lamps ] VIA [ Holycool.net ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Besides being energy efficient and all that, the use of LEDs also means that you don’t necessarily have to just settle with boring white lighting any more. ThinkGeek’s latest creation, affectionately known as Huey (any relation to Pantone’s color calibration system?) takes advantage of the fact that multiple LEDs of different colors can be combined to create even more colors.

Using a couple of white LEDs and an optical sensor hidden underneath him, Huey is not only able to determine the color he’s currently sitting on, but he’ll do his best to adjust his internal lighting to match that color as closely as possible. When left alone he’ll cycle through the various colors in his spectrum, but at any time you can ‘lock’ him in to a specific color by giving his soft vinyl body a gentle squeeze. $29.99 including an AC adapter, though probably not the 3xAAA batteries if you want to use him cordless.

[ Huey the Color Copying Chameleon Lamp ]

By Andrew Liszewski

There’s a lot of crap and hard work that comes along with the holidays, so in order to remain in that festive spirit you need to cut corners wherever possible. Instead of decorating a tree I usually just leave my ornaments organized by color in a plastic container in my closet for all my other plastic containers to enjoy (I’m very giving that way) and instead of putting up lights in my windows, I’m switching to these illuminated Gel Gems this year.

I’m sure everyone has seen these Gel Gems things before, they look like flat pieces of Jello that you stick to your windows to celebrate various holidays, and now they come with built-in LED lights. So instead of having to find some way to mount a string of lights around a window frame (which does lead to some level of fun when you break out the old staple gun) you can just stick these directly onto the glass. They’re powered by a small battery pack so you don’t even need to worry about overloading the nearest power outlet, and a set of 6 is available from Solutions for $14.95.

[ Gel Gem Christmas Lights ]

By Andrew Liszewski

We may still be sorely lacking in flying cars and hoverboards here in the 21st century, but I’m pretty sure our 20th century ancestors would be impressed that we’ve managed to harness the power of levitation when it comes to designer lighting! These LOS!Series lamps, creatively named the LOS #1 and LOS #2, use magnetic technology developed by Crealev (Creative Levitation Design) for a unique hovering effect.

Each of the designs use energy-efficient LED lighting and the floaty bits hover about 3-4cm above the base. Personally I prefer the LOS #1 (pictured on the left) since the LOS #2 is a bit too sci-fi for my tastes, but unfortunately it’s currently sold out. However, LOS #2 is still available for ~$1,630 (€1,199) if you want it in white, or ~$1,700 (€1,249) if you prefer black.

[ LOS!Series Levitating Lamps ] VIA [ Freshome ]

By Andrew Liszewski

In addition to proving my theory that the letter ‘i’ will never be capitalized in a product name again (thank you Apple) the FLEXiT Light, which comes from the same people responsible for the Striker Magnetic Light Mine, is like a little magic carpet of LEDs that can be bent, folded or wrapped into any shape you need. The flat body is made from flexible silicone embedded with 16 Lumen Tech LEDs and what I assume is an inner wire frame allowing it to hold its shape once positioned for hands-free operation. It’s powered by 3xAA batteries which are housed in its ABS base, which also includes a loop for hanging and a pair of neodymium magnets for sticking it to metal surfaces. Available starting November 17 from the Striker Store for $29.99

[ FLEXiT Light ] VIA [ The Red Ferret Journal ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I’ve never had reason to complain, but apparently there is a subset of consumers who feel that energy efficient compact fluorescent bulbs don’t get bright enough, fast enough, for their needs. And that has prompted GE to create this new hybrid bulb which features a small halogen capsule surrounded by a CFL tube. When first turned on the halogen bulb illuminates along with the CFL to provide “noticeably brighter” illumination in less than half a second, but automatically shuts off when the CFL reaches its full brightness for maximum energy efficiency. The new hybrid bulbs will be available in Canada and the US starting next year with 15 and 20-watt versions designed to replace 60 and 75-watt incandescent bulbs, and pricing to be announced at a later date.

[ PR - GE Unveils Unique Hybrid Halogen-CFL Light Bulb Coming in 2011 ] VIA [ Inhabitat ]

By Andrew Liszewski

There always seems to be one person who forgets to bring a flashlight when camping, so with the Quad Lantern from Coleman you can be an illumination philanthropist, sharing your light with up to 3 other people. The base station features 4 removable panels that each contain 6 x 5mm white LEDs, and when they’re all ‘docked’ it can be used as a single lantern thanks to a master power switch on top.

Each of the panels can also be removed and used individually, and when fully charged they’ll each run for about 75 hours. The base station does require 8 x D size batteries instead of having its own built-in rechargeable power source, but when ‘roughing’ it they’re probably easier to replace when they die. $69.99 available directly from Coleman.

[ Coleman Quad Lantern ] VIA [ The Gadgeteer ]

By Andrew Liszewski

The beanbag chair might not be the most aesthetically pleasing piece of furniture, but damn if they aren’t comfortable. And while this beanbag lamp probably won’t be popular with interior design types, I’m sure it will find a home in college dorms or homes with children, which arguably aren’t that different.

The base of the lamp is made from DuPont fabric filled with fire dried quartz sand with an aluminum reflector on top focusing the light from the bulb. Based on a photo from Design Milk taken at a recent trade show in Frankfurt, a removable shade accessory might be available as well. I actually really like the idea and the execution since it makes the light easier to point and focus, not to mention the lamp is very difficult to break. At almost $70 (£43.95) it is a bit expensive, but if they make a battery-powered version with LED lights I’d buy one yesterday.

[ Sompex Beanbag Lamps ] VIA [ Design Milk ]