By now, it’s likely that all of us have begun replacing incandescent bulbs with more efficient (but less lovely) compact flourescents in at least some parts of our homes. There have been all sorts of design attempts to make new CFLs look and operate more like their watt-hungry older sibling, but until recently little attention had been paid to the outgoing style.
Last week, I spotted these genius little oil lamps made from reclaimed incandescent bulbs by Brooklyn-based designer Sergio Silva. A mere day or two later, I happened across DIY instructions on ReadyMade for a recycled incandescent vase.
Yesterday, an image featuring ship models in lightbulbs popped up on my Tumblr feed; a quick google search led me to eHow instructions for making your own, as well as pre-made versions available for sale online.
And today, designer Cristina Ferraz’s lovely experiments with liquid light graced my monitor.
It’s interesting to see all the ways that the ever-present form of a light bulb is being re-imagined only now, as it becomes outdated in its original capacity. How else might we rework the lowly incandescent in the future? I’m looking forward to the results – perhaps they’ll make me less concerned with the incessant buzzing of “dimmable” CFLs.
image credits: 1-Sergio Silva, 2-ReadyMade, 3-unknown, 4-Cristina Ferraz
