Kenny Rogers knew when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em, but that was with cards. With lamps, don’t trust Kenny; trust the people behind Lumio, one of the sexier lighting devices we’ve seen in awhile. Not only does it neatly fold into a compact and lightweight book, it’s also cordless and ready to shine eight hours on a single charge. Built-in magnets let you get creative and convenient with placement. Just like Kenny’s plastic surgeon has gotten creative with his face.
Role playing that you’re a struggling blacksmith in the 1820s used to require hard-to-find antiques and an over-reliance on phrases like “Ye olde porridge bowl.” But with this Industrial Brewery Lamp ($155), you’re good to go. The lamp is made from American-made black iron piping, and the vintage amber bottle gives off a quaint, old-fashioned glow–perfect for donning knickers to.
The lure of technology can tempt even the most dedicated campers to bend the rules of the wilderness. Take the Hozuki Lantern by Snow Peak ($89.95), for instance. Instead of spending all night rubbing sticks and stones together, this LED lantern gets you three shades of light in a jiffy. It charges up via USB, lasts up to 40 hours on its dimmest setting, and even imitates the flicker of a candle as it responds to wind. Ya know, I actually do a candle flicker imitation myself. Kinda looks like this, only sexier.
Determining which one of your many fine leather-bound books you’d like to enjoy under while puffing on a lovely spiced (paprika) pipe is tough when you can’t see the titles. “Let’s see… there’s Maby Duck… Teh Grape Gabsy… A Tall of Two Titties.” That just won’t cut it. With the Enlightenment Book Lamp ($113), you can see what’s on your shelf, while also filling up a valuable space that otherwise would’ve required yet another icky book. Whew!
Finding an outlet usually involves – ugh – bending. Plug Lamp ($348) says funk that noise and delivers room-brightening light and a handy plug-in point all in one. Set it on your nightstand or your coffee table and you’ll always have a place to charge your phone or tablet, along with a dimmable light source. Plug Lamp is made of powder-coated aluminium and available in green, red, grey, black, and white. Stop bending and start plugging.
So how do you turn your lights off? The Clapper? Please. What is this, 1992? If you’re looking to impress and or scare the hell out of your house guests, investigate this little bit of badassery. The Bang! lamp comes with a pistol-shaped remote control that’s used to turn the lamp on and off. Want some darkness? Squeeze the trigger and watch the light go off as the shade cocks to the side. Afraid of the dark? Bring that bulb back with another shot as the shade rights itself when the light comes back on. For $379 you can shoot out the lights with the Bang! lamp, but for god’s sake, use a real gun on that Clapper, would ya?
