BEYOND INDUSTRIAL

We, of course, love the look of industrial style pipe lamps. With no crystal ball to predict the future, we actually bought three for our downtown warehouse loft before we owned a lamp store. The rustic, raw metal vibe is a perfect pairing with our 16 foot ceilings, exposed brick walls and original to the building, 1902 era 300 pound vault door on the bedroom. However, everyone does not live in a 120 year old warehouse and their décor tastes may favor other styles.

As we discussed our business model we determined that in order to appeal to a wider demographic of consumers, in addition to steampunk inspired pipe lamps, we would need to build lamps that could be unique, unexpected and could crossover and blend with other décor styles, but mostly they should be fun!

One of the first upcycled items that was "lampified" was a classic red gumball machine. We removed the majority of the working parts, added a LED bulb and then filled it with colorful bouncy balls that resemble gumballs. They were an immediate hit. The light shines through our choice of glittery transparent or bright translucent orbs. The happy light has found its way into all sorts of environments. From a baby nursery to offices and from kitchens to game rooms. The familiar shape is instantly recognized by kids from 8 to 80 and causes eyes to brighten and smiles to widen.

This simple light started the conversation, "what else could we rescue from spending eternity in a landfill that we could reimagine into unique, one of a kind lamps". Soon another of our signature items, the blender lamp was born. The quirky blender lamp took relics from the kitchen counter and with the addition of a few pipe fittings and a miniature bulb, created the perfect kitchen nightlight that soon was such a conversation starter that it has found a place in nearly every room of the home. The most popular blender is a vintage model that someone remembers their mother or grandmother having in their kitchen and it immediately brings back fond memories.

As with all good snowballs, the more we rolled with this idea, the more outrageous ideas were born out of our combined crazy bald heads to help fill the studio with what we call "conversation starters". From parts of planes, trains and automobiles we have crafted lamps that are both functional and fun. Almost nothing is off limits to us as we strive to continue to create lamp art from the likes of parking meters, vintage cameras, antique sausage presses, Toledo Scales, musical instruments and random oddities.

You may have seen just a small part of our collection of lamp wannabes in our shop and we are so looking forward to having three times as much space in our new location so that we can build bigger, better and even more outrageous lamps!