Nay! I hate them and can't understand why they are in any residential space! Yes, the fixtures can be beautiful, but the light is harsh and cold and piercing on the eyes, and in any house with children, damaging to them.

I'm pretty much a nay too ... Aesthetically, they're beautiful, but they light they produce is cold, harsh and dis-comforting

I find the light of the Edison bulbs much less offensive than a CFL, lampshade or not.

The Edison bulbs shouldn't be both exposed and at full brightness, which is why you might be complaining of the glare.

My only qualm with them is when they're combined in regular old light fixtures. The look should either be industrial or antique, but putting an edison bulb into a cieling fan (the kind with exposed bulbs) just looks weird to me.

Okay, I have one more issue with these bulbs - apparently they are really really energy inefficient which annoys me if they are just used willy-nilly (as in a main light source rather than in an occasional decorative fixture).

I like them but didn't realize they are energy INefficient. Sad..I was going to purchase but now I'll stick to my more energy efficient option.

As primary lights, i say nay. As an accent, yes, with a few caveats. Keep them away from windy areas! Use dimmers and keep them low. There's nothing as annoying as being blasted by a bright bare lamp filament, keep it at a glow.

They look great in photos... just not tolerable IRL!

Nay. Aside from the practical complaints, I just think this look is pretty fleeting so it's stupid to change out fixtures for something with such silly functionality. Leave the exposed bulbs to trendy steampunk bars and install something that actually lights your space better at home.

I think this is one of those things, like strategically-styled dresser tops and throws on the side of couches, that looks lovely as long as it's kept to design pictures.

In practice, styled dresser tops look cluttered, throws get muddled and pushed and slept on by cats, and bare light bulbs are incredibly and annoyingly blinding.

I love it. Granted I'm seeing a photo and it depends on the bulb. The least wasteful types should be the top priority. But as long as a bulb does not bother my eye, I prefer it exposed. Most lamp shades are hideous.

I think they look cool, but bare bulbs give me headaches.

Yay, but with a dimmer switch so that they can be tailored to task.

Nay!
I love the look in catalogs, and I've been to restaurants where they had these fixtures, and it didn't bother me. But install in my home? Very unlikely.

Nay. They're brutal on my eyes and I have very poor vision as it is.

We have some CB2 pendant lights with Edison bulbs over our bar. When we first hooked them up and flipped them on, we were nearly blinded by them. So, I put them on a dimmer, and they work great. The glowing incandescent light is so much easier on your eyes late at night or early in the morning than any CFLs or LEDs that we have in the house.

Their energy inefficiency makes them a definite "no" for me. I do like the look of them, though.

They'd have to tie into the rest of the room really well; otherwise, no.

The only thing worse than these is when they are hung in DIY Ball jar fixtures. And then sold on Etsy.

No. Interesting in photos and in restaurants, but at a level of brightness useful in a home they are way too harsh.

Yay.

The trick is to use the right bulb and the right wattage.

Inefficient? True, but it depends on how they are used in a space. Personally I'd rather spend my watts on have pleasing light than a 60 inch television.

And speaking of watts, that's where these fixtures will get a bad rap. I have neither reason nor desire to use them to light up a room like an operating theatre. I think of them more as a candle for warm ambient light.

I love it if it's an Edison bulb that's under 40W. The light is softer, dimmer, and a warm amber--more like candles. And that softly glowing filament just looks neat.

Otherwise I don't like exposed bulbs. Like what so many people have in their bathrooms--myself included, unfortunately. Too harsh.

Nopie. Just too cutsie country for me. (I don't see them as industrial chic, I see them as shabby chic, not my favorite look by any means.) Give me a Noguchi lantern instead...

Love the idea, but not the reality. HORRIBLE for migraine sufferers.

Nay. Nay. NAY. It's horribly blinding. And with the way things are going, incandenscent bulbs will be banned in the US. Then we'll have to stare at those even worse CFLs. A bare CFL. Now that's an instant migraine.

I had the halo chandelier (I think they sell it now at Anthropology) in my previous home right over my coffee table in the family room. I loved it! Light never seemed to harsh for me. I didn't use the old style Edison bulbs which were too pricey. I used regular round bulbs in a very low wattage. Wish I'd have taken that thing down before listing the house - new owners loved it too and didn't want us to take it. Boo.

@Sepher

Given the choice between staring at a bare CFL and darkness, I'd choose the latter.

Nay.

Nay. I get an ocular migraine from bare bulbs. I can't imagine these being any different.

Most of the older Edison bulbs that are reproduced that you see don't do much more than say, 40W, most are well less than that, and merely glow, and you can easily view the filaments without harming your eyesight. Most of them are made to be merely decorative, rather than provide copious amounts of light.

That said, I agree, not all bulbs work in this fashion. using soft white bulbs will cut the glare, considerably. That said, in certain applications, clear bulbs work great in certain fixtures, if you don't go whole hog and fit them with anything other than either a 40W, or a 60W max bulb, and fit them to a dimmer, especially if the fixture has nice, warm brass fittings to reflect the light.

Back when these types of bulbs were new in the early days of electricity, you had to have them be bare since they did not make a lot of light in those early years, so this is nothing new, and it's a way to throw lots of light out to see by, by also using a reflector as well.

This was true even in residential homes, due exactly as I had stated, a lack of brightness meant that a lot of homes built before the 30's had basic fixtures without shades and made do with bare bulbs.

Like I said, in certain instances, they work great, especially if up ON the ceiling, rather than hanging down in one's line of sight.

Nay for me. I think they can be very interesting to look in certain circumstances, but personally they seem too "statement-y" than filling a true design need. That said, the bottom line for me is that the light is too harsh for my tastes (at least in the ones I've seen in person.)

so many people dislike them it's making me want them

yea. in my old house i had three vintage sputnik ceiling chandeliers. tons of 'exposed' light bulbs. didn't once phase me that the light was harsh. two were on dimmers. maybe it was because they were a lower wattage bulbs. and i'm pretty sure i'd love the edison bulbs too.

I'm so tired of these in commercial spaces! They already look dated, as odd as it sounds to say that something so purposely vintage looks dated. One business I frequent has about thirty of these things hanging at different heights. The first time I saw that I thought it was a cool idea. Now not so much.

wow! a lot of nays.
I say yay. I think that they are best in hallway areas, and definitely require a taller ceiling and dimming options.

Sigh... I was a yay till I read all the nays.

I would love to go to a cocktail bar with these fixtures and a zinc countertop and mirrored walls.

I think they look cool as all get out, but I don't like how energy-inefficient the Edison bulbs are. And in my house, exposed bulbs wouldn't be safe. Active kids + nutty pets + klutzy parents = good reminder that lampshades don't just filter light, they protect the poor bulb.

I love them as long as you never turn them on

we LOOOOOOOVE our exposed bulbs (in caged pendants.) modern. industrial. warm. FAB! and there is something new out there called... DIMMERS! wow, people!

I have one in a vintage lamp and it looks gorgeous.

Bulbs like this fix the harsh light problem: http://www.amazon.com/Bulbrite-60A19HM-Half-Chrome-Shape/dp/B000GWKJZ8

I've got these, light is reflected upwards, and they look great hanging from west elm bare pendants.

No no no no. The lighting is waaay too harsh.

Nay. I would have to wear shades all day. And I also hate stores with a bunch of spotlights glaring at you so you have to hurry, buy, and get out.

Nay as a main lighting fixture in a room.. such as above a dining table. Yay for smaller spaces or as accent pieces. This is a typically uncommon feature which makes it more unique.. and making it look industrial can be awesome, in my opinion.

I am not sure how I feel about them in the home but almost every restaurant I've been to lately (particularly the "hip" ones) are using exposed bulbs. I like them!

Wow. For how much these are "in" right now, I'm really surprised at all the nays! These bulbs, just like anything else in decor, have good ways to use them and bad ways to use them.

1- Like others said before me, LOW WATTAGE is a must (less than 40w for me).

2- These bulbs aren't really meant to light up a whole room, just give a pleasant, warm glow.

3- Efficiency is sort of a moot point for me here, because these aren't the kind of bulbs I would use in a light fixture that's going to be on all the time.

Also, once again, incandescent bulbs aren't going to be banned! Just the older-style, general-purpose (less-efficient) models. Look it up. (Unless you live in California- they'll ban anything!)

I use a squirrel-cage bulb on a swag-style fixture with a dimmer as my night-lite; best thing ever! I also have a similar bulb in a small desk lamp on our landing strip next to the front door. It puts out just enough light to see your keys and sort through mail.

Stylistically, I think these bulbs are/can-be awesome if used appropriately. These take me back to a time when both form and function had nearly-equal status in mass-produced consumer goods. I wish these were called "Tesla-style bulbs", though. ;)

With a high ceiling an exposed bulb light fixture would look amazing.

Shameless plug...

I have similar lighting via ETSY - http://www.etsy.com/shop/LongMadeCo