Lighting

Josephine Minutillo -- Interior Design, 4/1/2008 12:00:00 AM

Intimate Illuminations

Some turn lamp shades into hats. Joséphine Repetto of Manjaca turns lingerie-style lace into lamp shades—for a touch of pure romance. An allusion to her fifth wedding anniversary, 5 Ans is shaped like an engagement ring, only with a lacy shade instead of a diamond. And the simple lace screen in front of T's 40-watt bulb leaves little to the imagination. For both table lamps, the lace is offered in black or gray. 33-6-03-81-43-97; manjaca.com. circle 421

Totally Wired

The client list for Marie Christophe's pewter-wirelamps includes the crème de la crème of French fashion. For Christian Dior's Paris boutiques, Atelier Marie Christophe recently designed three chandeliers, fanciful fixtures that shimmer with a combination of opalescent and transparent crystals.

Her latest series of production pieces, all table lamps, plays with very different materials: steel wire, colored ceramic beads, and black, white, blue, or yellow PVC shades. Baigneuse, a female bather with those beads covering just the right places, stands 36 ½ inches tall. She's joined by a menagerie of similar designs, from the bird-footed Oiseau (19 1/4 inches tall) to the Pelican (29 inches) and the Fugu Fish (38 ½ inches). Lisa Fontanarosa Collection, 505-872-1929; lisafontanarosa.com. circle 422

As Nature Intended

For the folks at Bleu Nature, making good design is a day at the beach—combing the sandy shores of northern France for driftwood. "I love these gifts from Mother Nature," founder and general director Frank Lefebvre says. He used to work exclusively with this free-spirited material when he founded his furniture and lighting company in 1995. Sometimes he still does: The Triton chandelier looks like the makings of a great bonfire, though it lights up with the help of six 25-watt bulbs, not a match. Other pieces in his repertoire incorporate different natural materials. The three Tropique floor lamps' groovy fringed shades are made from goat's hair, while the floor lamp Aqsarniit is crowned by a paper globe shade. Table lamps featuring conventional cotton shades are Qaqortoq, its stacked base accented by gestural jags; Nerikoh, anchored by a bundle of vertical twigs; and Rafiot, a cubist composition available in two heights. With another table lamp, Nvya, Lefebvre abandons driftwood altogether in favor of smooth stones arranged on a square lacquered-steel base. 33-3-20-11-18-16; bleunature.com. circle 423

Clip Art

manufacturer: Alan Tanksley.

product: Paperclip chandelier.

standout: As the paperless office becomes a reality, 4,000-plus aluminum clips find a new function.

After commissioning several of these chandeliers for projects by his namesake firm, Alan Tanksley assumed the role of manufacturing partner for their designer, Gary Ponzo. The partnership has produced a number of custom efforts for residential and hospitality settings. In addition to the paper clips, each fixture features a chrome canopy and rod and a half-silvered bulb suspended from black silk-wrapped wire. 212-481-8454; alantanskley.com. circle 424

Babette Holland Design

Although their shapes seem fresh off a potter's wheel, the shades of the Kiss, Ostrich, and Val pendant fixtures are actually hand-spun aluminum, offered in fade finishes including Smoke and Mirrors, Deep Mocha Rust, copper, and ice blue. Coordinating sconce and table lamp available. 718-349-1325; babetteholland.com. circle 425

KXdesigners

With a powder-coated steel base that's the reverse of the diffuser, the Contents 01 table lamp can store small household items such as keys and pens. It comes in any custom color but only one size, 15 ¾ inches in diameter by 20 inches high. 34-65-942-01-35; kxdesigners.com. circle 426

Viso

Taking a cue from pocket billiards, playful 8 Ball's ceramic globe comes in shiny black and three other glossy glazes. (The interior is always white.) There are two versions, table lamp and pendant fixture, and two sizes, 10 and 20 inches across. 416-461-8476; visoinc.com. circle 427

Kara Mann Design

Where did the Arctic Pear table lamp gets its name? From the two tiers of icy-clear, pear-shape drops of solid glass. They're suspended from a 22-inch-tall armature finished in bronze or patinated nickel. Four pendant fixtures round out the collection. 312-893-7590; karamann.com. circle 428

Gérard

When you turn on the light, a stick figure comes to life. The Sarona floor lamp's bronze body stands 67 inches tall—think of the linen shade, which conceals two 100-watt bulbs, as a summer hat. DessinFournirCompanies, 785-434-2777; dessinfournir.com. circle 429

Puff-Buff Design

Orca is a whale of an inflatable chandelier. Filled with air, the black-and-white PVC shade expands to 31 ½ inches in diameter. A single compact-fluorescent bulb provides the light. 48-22-6210834; puff-buff.com. circle 430

Urban Archaeology

It's a salute to two European masters. The Gio Ponti chandelier incorporates glass cubes salvaged from its namesake's Alitalia office in New York. The painted-aluminum Mouille sconce, as in Serge, is distinguished by lamps that switch on and off separately. 212-431-4646; urbanarchaeology.com. circle 431

LumiSource

Nessie may be named for the Loch Ness Monster, but we think this flexible bedside lamp for kids looks more like Tickle Me Elmo. Other versions sport animal prints or a range of colors in spandex or furry polyester. The LEDs can be set to shine bright white or to change colors. 888-461-5864; lumisource.com. circle 432

Zia-Priven Design

The polished-nickel stem of Twiggy is just that, bark and all. Overall height for this table lamp is 23 inches once you factor in a shade that comes in a variety of veneers—including ebony, rosewood, and zebrawood—as well as in silk or custom materials. 818-765-2777; ziapriven.com. circle 433

Nora Lighting

Hung above tables and counters, Angoor pendant fixtures create dramatic effects. That's because the light, low voltage or line voltage, shines through shades made from glass beads in red, amber, aqua, or clear. Select one of four shapes: oval, round, cylindrical, and flared. 800-686-6672; noralighting.com. circle 434

Fuse Lighting

The hefty Alex chandelier weighs in at 70 pounds, with dimensions of 36 by 17 by 12 inches. Not only is the frame solid brass—available in dark antiqued brass or a variety of bronze, nickel, and powder-coated finishes —but the dangling ornaments also run the gamut from rock crystal to citrine and smoky topaz. There are also two smaller pendant sizes, 40 and 25 pounds, plus a sconce and a table lamp. 310-652-2411; fuselighting.com. circle 435

Seascape Lamps

Printed patterns animate the white linen shades of Thomaspaul's pendant fixtures and lamps. His Starburst brown pendant comes in one standard size, with an 8-inch diameter and an 18-inch drop, as well as custom ones. The fixture is fitted with a corkscrew socket unless you request a socket for pin-style bulbs. 800-444-0233; seascapelamps.com. circle 436

Jamie Young Company

Sometimes a fake is better than the real thing. Ram's Skull features a hand-painted resin facsimile—although the shade is genuine burlap. Add a hand-painted resin base, and this table lamp measures 19 inches tall. 866-295-2677; jamieyoung.com. circle 437

Arturo Álvarez

With Norman, strips of black opalescent glass adhere to a clear methacrylate diffuser, allowing light to pass through the gaps. The linear fixture measures 47 inches long. A wall-mounted version, which installs vertically or horizontally, comes in two lengths, 46 3/5 and 12 inches. 707-586-5483; thebasicsource.com. circle 438

Re-Surface Design

Solo invites you to step onstage. The aluminum-mesh microphone contains a 6-watt bulb, enough to emit a little disco dazzle. The handle is cherrywood-veneered. And the cord is 15 feet long. 917-669-2642; re-surface.net. circle 439

Ivalo Lighting

Conceived by Audi, dynamic Daedalus fuses automotive design and sculpture on a monumental scale—there's a full 5-foot drop between the aluminum ceiling plate and the bottommost of the feathered glass blades. The fixture accepts eight dimmable MR11 halogen lamps. 610-282-7472; ivalolighting.com. circle 440

Triode Design

Thanks to hinges on the brushed stainless-steel rings around the convex acrylic lenses, Mahmoud Akram's T33 modules attach to form an infinite ribbon of illumination. (Three to 11 modules are standard.) Either red or colorless, they take incandescent light sources. 33-1-43-29-40-05; triode-design.com. circle 441

Bocci

For a mix of diffused light and crisp spots, cluster a selection of 21 pendant fixtures. Each unique shade is frosted borosilicate blown glass, wrapped in raw white porcelain, and each is suspended from a superfine steel cable that doubles as a power cord for the low-voltage halogen bulb inside. 604-710-4486; bocci.ca. circle 442

Donovan Design

Unsurprisingly, the drum shade of the Patent pendant fixture is patent leather on the exterior. The surprise is the interior, with its harlequin pattern in black, white, and silver fiberglass. Available in custom diameters up to 48 inches and heights up to 24 inches. 631-283-8175; donovandesign.com. circle 443

A Touch of Tradition

Known for antique and reproduction lighting, Marvin Alexander has introduced a deco-influenced table lamp with a base of colorful or colorless crystal. The choice of shade is up to you. 212-838-2320; marvinalexanderinc.com. circle 444

Move In, Turn On

There were no klieg lights when Giorgetti unveiled its showroom in the New York Design Center. But inside the 3,900-square-foot space, designed by image consultant Ricardo Bello Dias, table lamps by Chi Wing Lo supplied the shine. Lo says he sees his designs as an invitation "to worship light," and he adapted the Greek word for temple when naming them Nao. Each lamp has a diffuser of white or amber pressed glass, framed in maple, and a dimmer switch of pau ferro, a Brazilian hardwood. Praise be. 201-836-9100; giorgettiusa.com. circle 445