Materials: Metal, LED lights
Price Point: TBD
"Shaded is a wall light that is completed through adding your own book as a lamp shade. The book can be removed for reading, the light can be used as a bookmark, and its look can be changed by changing the book...."
Designer: Martin Konrad Gloeckle
Link: martin-konrad.com
Location: Brooklyn, NY
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Previous Design:
FUSAO Lamp by Ryan Barnacastle & Erin Gregg
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• About Design Showcase 2009: This summer we're celebrating the best in design for the home. We're taking submissions from independent and student designers from around the world and letting our readers vote on who they think has the best design. There's also a panel of august judges. Two winners will win $20,000 in targeted advertising placements on our sites to help launch their career. All info is here.
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
These so-called designers really need to re-channel their energies.
view mirandabee's profile
This reminds me of college halloween parties. If you showed up without a costume, you had to wear an album cover on your head all night.
What is it with the book-hating on AT? (Disclosure: I'm a library-card-carrying life-long reader, and I work in book publishing.) All too often, we see books treated with major disrespect: arranged by color, shelved spine to wall, stacked on radiators, piled up to serve as cocktail tables, and now this--used as a lampshade, and a rather unattractive one at that.
Lordy, lordy.
view klt108's profile
It's not about book-hating at all! It's a fetishization of the book, if anything....
and what's wrong with organizing books by color?!
view dstillman's profile
I presume LED lights are cool to the touch? I'd be a bit worried about scorching the pages.
view Madame Is's profile
Unattractive and doesn't seem like it would provide much light either.
view slowdown's profile
just to clarify: the second pic (with the wooden version) is of an early sketch prototype. the final piece is the metal version with the integrated LED lights.
more pics at http://martin-konrad.com/?c=work&i=shaded
view martin k's profile
I think it's beautiful. Practical for the book, and much better than folding a page. Also great storage - the book sits gently without the spine being folded.
How does your book fare in your bag? Beaten up, pages wrinkled, covers dirty and bent?
view sandyliz's profile
I really like this! It is simple, perfect for reading in bed or for that casual corner retreat. The choice of book/shade in the picture is unfortunate: there are plenty of other more attractive choices (See the recent post about choosing the end book for the bookshelf.). Lets just say that if the bent plastic tableware lamp is attractive, this should win a design prize.
BTW, I'm a total bibliophile and I see nothing disrespectful about this at all.
view princessavi's profile
Kinda hard to say - If it's intended to retail at $49.95, it's an attractive idea...
...but if it's intended at $349.95 - Not so much.
view bepsf's profile
I like it. Three stars!
view Elise_B's profile
Inventive idea but I hate LED lights, the colour is too blue and they're NEVER bright enough! I think you'd ruin your eyes trying to read under this.
view ChrisToronto's profile
The most exciting thing about this is that it's actually innovative- rather than rehashing or slightly modifying another modern cliche, it expresses a unique idea. It is a playful and poetic comment on human behavior- the book left open on a bedside table- and even consumerism- why buy a lampshade when I have so many books? I saw Martin's work at an ICFF satelite show in New York this spring, and was extremely impressed. I expect big things from him.
view fraukatze's profile
This seems like a good way to burn your house or building down!
view MadMaven's profile