Lighting Ideas for Your Home

Cardboard Chic
As of this fall, the noted cardboard prestidigitators at Graypants (SoDo, 3220 First Ave., No. 400, by appointment; 206.420.3912; graypants.com), Jonathan Junker and Seth Grizzle, have added standing lamps to their signature Scraplights line. We wouldn’t be a bit surprised if these earthbound iterations gain the following already enjoyed by their suspended siblings. Not only do the new floor and table lamps (approximately $350–$1,000; order online) feature eco-chic shades composed of the same locally sourced, salvaged cardboard, but they’re sure to cast a reassuring glow wherever they are employed, be it on a desk or countertop or tucked in next to an isolated armchair.

Recessed Pieces
When it comes to an easy, energy-efficient and cost-effective way to give a stylish boost to your home’s most oft overlooked dark places—countertops, cabs, cases and shelves—look no farther than the Swedish smarties at Ikea (601 SW 41st St., Renton; 425.656.2980; ikea.com) and their Dioder LED light strips ($29.99–$39.99 for a four-pack). Not to mention their battery-operated Dioder LED drawer lamp ($14.99), which is sensor-activated to smartly shut off five seconds after the drawer is closed. (FYI, batteries are sold separately.)

Task Masters
Long a magnet for lovers of American retro lighting, Rejuvenation (SoDo, 2910 First Ave. S; 206.382.1901; rejuvenation.com) has a new line that also happens to be a perfect modern-design mate. Its O.C. White industrial lamps ($835–$1,700) are an exclusive reissue of Otis Converse White’s 1900s factory lights, once upon a time found bolted to gritty work surfaces and machinery. (Underscoring their authenticity, the lamps are even manufactured in O.C. White’s Massachusetts factory.) Available in a variety of floor and table forms (including a handy clamp-on model), the lamps feature sturdy cast-iron parts, a nearly tip-proof base and a microphone stand’s slim, architectural silhouette. The lamps, which can be fitted with a simple glass shade or a beautifully bare filament bulb, are not only eminently task oriented and easily adjustable for height and angle, but are a sublime lighting solution for almost any tight space or gloomy corner.

Small Spots
Ideal for snug spaces, be it a desk or shelf, is David Weeks’ new petite, perky white task Pearson clip lamp ($265) at Design Within Reach (Belltown, 1918 First Ave.; 206.443.9900; dwr.com). A modern classic, the Ingo Maurer Oskar light ($544) at Inform Interiors (South Lake Union, 300 Dexter Ave. N; 206.622.1608; informseattle.com) features a Minority Report–esque silver-metal adder-shaped head and snaking arm attached to a slender volume that can be slipped seamlessly into a bookshelf. New this year (not shown) is the high-tech Led’s Oskar ($641), an LED version in black, with a flat square head.

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