Unusual lamps to light up your home differently
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A lamp does more than give light, if you choose it well
Think about it: how many lamps have you bought just because "we needed a light there" without really looking at them? It happens to everyone, and it's a shame, because a lamp is on every evening, for hours, right in the part of the home where you spend most time. If it's anonymous, you stop noticing it after the first week. If it has a clear character, it becomes the piece guests comment on as soon as they walk in.
You don't need to overhaul your furniture to get this effect. Just change one piece, the right one, and the room feels different. Let's see where to look, depending on what you're after.
If you want something that looks good enough to eat
There's a category of lamps that plays on exactly this: being mistaken for food, or nearly. The Croissant Lamp is the perfect example: it looks fresh out of the oven, but it's here to stay, and it's one of the pieces that works best on a bedside table or a low shelf, where you see it up close. It's the kind of object that makes anyone seeing it for the first time say "hang on, is that real?".
If you like a style that winks at the '80s
Geometric shapes, bold colours, that feeling of being in a retro bar: the Memphis Candle Lamp brings all this to a table or bookshelf. It's not a lamp that blends in, it's a lamp that stands out, and that's exactly why it works so well as a single statement piece in an otherwise simple room. No need to fill the house with similar objects: one is enough, in the right spot.
If you're after the disco effect (in the living room, not a club)
The Disco Mushroom Lamp and its smaller version, the Mini Disco Mushroom Lamp, cast reflections that move across the walls when the room is dark. They're perfect if you want mood lighting more than functional light: keep it on in the evening while you watch a series or have friends round for dinner. The mini version also suits a small room or a desk, without taking up too much space.
If you prefer a more unusual, less predictable shape
The Haipot Lamp has a shape that looks like nothing you've seen before, and that's exactly the point: if classic lamps bore you, here's something completely different, able to hold its own as a piece of furniture even when it's off.
The right spot matters as much as the lamp
An unusual lamp only shines (literally) if it has room to be looked at. On a shelf already full of other objects it risks getting lost among the rest; on a clear bedside table or a low surface, it becomes where the eye goes first. The opposite is true too: a lamp that's too big in a small space ends up looking out of place rather than centre stage. Before choosing the shape, it's worth taking an honest look at how much free space there really is around the spot where you want it.
Another often-underrated detail is the colour of the light: a lamp with warm light creates an evening mood, one with cooler light works better as a task light. If the purpose is purely decorative, as with most of the lamps above, warm light nearly always wins, because it brings out unusual shapes instead of flattening them.
Where to see them all together
You'll find the whole selection in the lamps collection, organised by style and room. If you're still deciding on the overall mood of a room and the lamp is just one piece of the puzzle, also have a look at decor, where you'll find other objects designed to work alongside good lighting.
If you're looking for a gift rather than something for yourself, head straight to gift ideas: an unusual lamp is one of the few objects that works for pretty much anyone, because everyone has a home to light.
One tip before you choose
Before buying, think about where you'll actually put the lamp, not just how much you like it in the photo. A small lamp on a bedside table has a different effect from a large one in a corner of the living room, and the same lamp does far more in a dark room than in one that's already well lit. If you have doubts about sizes or delivery times, always check at checkout before completing your order.
In short
- A lamp with character changes a room more than you think, without redoing the furniture.
- Choose based on where you'll really put it: bedside table, bookshelf or living-room corner call for different shapes.
- If you don't know where to start, the lamps collection is the quickest starting point.