Lighten Up Your Life

Light is one of the most unique materials that designers have at their disposal. It can be molded, shaped, dimmed, brightened, colored, contained, and released all at the flick of a switch. With that, it’s no surprise that today’s designers have taken light to a whole new level - bringing dimension, interactivity, and color into a substance that’s as old as time itself.

The Airswitch 1 by Mathmos Design is, in fact, so cool that I tried to order one about a minute after I learned of its existence. Based on the design of a flask reminiscent of your high-school chemistry class, the Airswitch adds a touch of flare to the way your average light turns itself on and off. Instead of a switch, the Airswitch utilizes the presence of your hand above the flask to turn the light on and off. In itself, that’s an interesting feature; what really makes the Airswitch shine, however, is its unique integration of a dimmer. Moving your hand up or down above the flask will brighten or dim the light, respectively.

Of course, you don’t have to have any table space to lighten up your life; you could just buy a new table. The Ed Table by G. Berchicci joins the power of light with contemporary European design to bring you a new table that, while pricey (as most things in the design world are), is the only one of its kind.

Giuseppe Colonna’s X Cross is equally intriguing; with its forty colored cubes of light, the structure looks just as intriguing on the wall as it does on the floor - that is, of course, assuming that you have quite a bit of floor space. The X Cross is only 8″ deep, but measures 40″ wide and 64″ tall. That’s a lot of light; your wall may thank you, but your energy bill won’t.

If you’re in the market for something a little more natural, Carl Mertens’ Tabletop Fireplace may be just what you need to spice up your dining room. Mertens’ design brings a much-needed upgrade to the oil lamps of yesteryear with a design that speaks for itself.

The Fit Lamp by Giuseppe Colonna Romano is the last of our first look at the modern world of light. Two interweaving cubes intersect to add both light and color to any room. Of course, some rope lights would do the trick too, but they’re just not the same as spending thousands on one-of-a-kind twists on the material that we all know and love - light.