gadgets::a brilliant idea!

Got a light? Now you do and it's in your pocket - or your purse, or your wallet. This neat credit card lightbulb fits in your pocket or wallet just like a credit card and comes in quite handy when you get caught in the dark.Just pull it out, bend out the light bulb shape cut out and voila! you have light! Buy it for a measley $4.99 over at the Green Head. Cuz it's JUST COOL of course!

walls :: get moody

The Moodwall by Urban Alliance brings back memories of the those multi colored mood rings we wore in the 1960's. Of course it's not activated by mood or body heat like those were , but is  a 24 meter long interactive light installation powered by 2500 LED lights behind a ribbed semi-transparent wall. This cool  illuminated wallpaper installation is  situated in a pedestrian tunnel in Amsterdam and interacts with the people passing by, adding interest and humor as the walk through the tunnel.

via yatzer

anion lighting :: feel good about it

How many people does it take to change a light bulb at my house? NONE! Because I switched years ago to all CFL's .You know, Compact Flourescent Lightbulbs. If you haven't  made the switch then you should!.I've saved a bundle on my electric bill, not to mention not having had to change or buy a light bulb  in the past two plus years! Okay so CFL's are nothing new. Right. But there's a new CFL on the block - the Anion CFL.

These innovative light bulbs save energy, money AND make you feel good at the same time. Not because you're saving but because they actually make you feel PHYSICALLY good. The Purely Anion's CFLs go green and beyond. How? These light bulbs include a negative-ion generator which produces negative ions which are said to have beneficial effects to indoor environments  which are typically flooded with positive ions from things like TV screens, computer screens etc.With negative ions counteracting the negative affect of positive ones, Purely Anion claims its bulbs allegedly can remove cigarette smoke and dust, reduce e.coli and ozone in the air and create 900,000 negative ions per cubic centimeter. So yeah, lighting your home,saving money and the environment and energy AND removing harmful stuff from the air at the same time-that's a no brainer. It's JUST COOL!

via Dvice

art :: watch out for the flying tetris

High above the streets of Sydney, in a narrow alleyway, you will find a bunch of gargantuous, glowing Tetris blocks. These aren't industrial lighting at all nor are they meant to act as the primary light source for the narrow corridor, Abercrombie Lane, but are actually an art installation.

photos via Justin James

This cool giant tetris sculpture is part of an outdoor art exhibition called One More Go One More Go which runs until the end of this month. So get a gander now because it will be over before you know it. The larger-than-life installation was concocted by Gaffa Gallery and is JUST COOL! (So is there other stuff, take a look)

art :: gummi bear chandelier

Edible lighting! This chandelier will surely give you a sugar high. The brilliant confection by Ya Ya Chou is made entirely of gummi bears (with just a few beads and wire holding it together). How many gummi bears? I don't know, you count them. But there's A LOT!

Award winning film maker and Taiwan native Ya Ya Chou turned from film making to creating sculptures and installations.With no formal training in visual art she is a self taught mixed media artist using weird stuff like these gummi bears. This sweet and chewy sculpture is one from her gummi bear series.Check out more gummi bear creations at her website.

Ya Ya's yummy gummi's are JUST COOL!

lighting ::hermaphrodite candlelight

Feel like burning some Greek Gods /Godesses? This Hermes and Aphrodite candle couple will ignite your inner greek god. I wonder who will be the first to melt? I'm betting on Hermes.

Isn't wax mythology  JUST COOL?

via greece is for lovers 

green :: LED in NYC

I'm impressed. The Big Apple is now adding LED streetlamps to it's green bag of tricks. In 2009 it will be testing this new street lighting technology in designated areas to see how workable it is. With only six experimental installations, I don't know if you'll even notice them though. The good news about these new LED lamps is of course the energy savings and low carbon footprint. Hey, maybe they should make them solar too! I wonder if that is possible.

But as planned, they will use majorly less energy as well as reduce the city’s power usage by 25- 30 percent when and if the whole city goes LED street lit. And that's not the only perk. These lamps are expected to last 50,000-70,000 hours as compared to the high-pressure sodium lights that they will be replacing - the ones that last a measly 24,000 hours. As a result, maintenance and energy costs will be reduced and the expected ROI on each lamp is 2-3 years. Impressive, huh?

So look for an LED street lamp coming to a corner near you. LED street lighting - Now that's JUST COOL!

via inhabitat

cool product :: lightning lighting

Whoever would have thought up  this enlightening idea? Designer Sang-Kyub did. His clever umbrella called "LightDrops" looks ordinary enough but it's whats inside its unusual fabric covering that is extraordinary.  As rain pours over the surface of the umbrella, energy from the raindrops beating on the conductive membrane called PDVF transform into electrical energy powering embedded LEDs, filling the canopy with light.  When the rain comes down harder, the light inside your umbrella gets brighter, lighting your way through the storm.

I always liked rainstorms and this JUST COOL concept makes them even more fun!

via lightingtrends via yankodesign

cool product :: stainless steel candlelight

These cool candlesticks from Duo Design Holland are simple yet sophisticated in design. The sleek elegant stainless steel sticks work like a metal straw with a wick inside that draws up the lamp oil ~ and when lit make for a stylish and modern table setting. Just another one of their glowing ideas - and JUST COOL!

via notcot

cool product :: a light breakfast

Feeling like a light breakfast? This bowl of cereal and carton of eggs are really light. Fixtures, that is. The cereal isn't real at all but actually a lamp made up of fake milk and fake fruit loops which light up when you touch the spoon. And those eggs down there aren't suitable for eggs benedict, a denver omelette or easter basket material either. They're fake too! What crazy genius designer would come up with illuminating breakfast stuff like this?

Wanderlust Designs makes the cool cereal bowl. "Amaze and impress all your friends with the coolest light on earth. Everyone will want a turn touching the spoon and being amazed and perplexed- "How does that work !" they will proclaim. You can tell them its magic or tell them the truth that it's a touch sensor but that's not as much fun."

Ukrainian designer Igor Pinigin's (remember him, the one that designed those cool anemona lights) is responsible for the "Egg Light" taking an everyday food and transforming it into a functional work of art. This design is currently just a concept. I'd like to see it on the market soon - it would make an funky conversation piece in the kitchen.

Breakfast lighting - Its JUST COOL!

furniture :: mod lighting + cool chair

Lovin' the simplicity of this minimalist room done up in only the coolest transformers of all - Pastille Chairs by Leolux and lit up in these extremely bold oversized floor lamps by... well I don't know who exactly these are by, but aren't they JUST COOL? The two together make a functional and thoughtful pairing that looks like a million dollars. The pastille chairs can transform from footstool, to coffee table to comfy plush chair in a matter of seconds. Plus they have cool industrial casters that give them mobility which is another plus.

Seen over at trendir

lighting :: lego in lights

Well aren't these just the coolest lights! More lego looking action in a magnetic light block system where the blocks separate and can be configured into all sorts of patterns, words, whatever. They plug into each other via magnetic plugs to create any block design you can imagine. These lights are designed for optimal power distribution, and in most cases only one plug adapter is needed to power the whole thing. Plus they come in a mad array of colors to make your pad glow with maximum luminosity at all times. Can you spell JUST COOL? These are. Find them over at Remake Design.

from JoshSpear

Lighting :: a modern glow

There's some cool light going on over at Pallucco.Their design mix combines contemporary, historical and timeless objects in an original and non conformist style.

Lalinea is a bookshelf system that can be used as CD, DVD and Book holder of modular elements and can configure as both horizontal or vertical structures, from wall to wall or from floor to ceiling. Different colored lights can be alternated and each module is lit internally by a fluorescent bulb in white, blue and green.

Alone is an “illuminated circular outline” and a coat hook that casts an eye on the concept of a wall light. Its clear-cut, linear design is enhanced at the rear by an opal finish ring that fills with white light creating a bright halo focusing on the hanging garment.

Nimbo Pendant gives the impression of floating in a world without gravity and is enhanced by a dual light source: the light given off from the below is pure, soft and white while above it is colored and atmospheric. It comes in opaline white, magenta and orange.

So brilliantly JUST COOL!

lighting :: laser cut light

Kenji Kondo's lighting designs are made from laser cut acrylics. I love these innovative lamps that cast interesting shadows however and wherever you place them.

With his laptop and his bright ideas, his design studio can be anywhere he wants it to be. About the sphere above he writes: "This was the first laser cut piece I did. It was designed at the beach in Encinitas. I emailed the file to some friends in LA who cut and shipped it to me at the San Elijo campgrounds. I put it together on the spot. The lightbulb went off and I realized that you can design and manufacture from anywhere in the world as long as you have internet." You can find more of his work for sale at www.madeonrequest.com.

lighting :: a pitcher of light

At the London Design Festival design student, Chooi-Leng Tan's brilliant light design prototype "Pouring Light" stood out! It is made of cast iron and plastic and appears to be suspended in space when actually the cast iron "stream of milk" is what holds it up.

It's JUST COOL!

lighting :: safety for the industry

Although lighting is an intrinsic part of interior design, did you know that it's just as important a consideration in the industrial work place? When equipping hazardous work spaces such as spray booths, refineries, mining areas or any other area where flammable vapors and dusts are present, even the the fixtures used for lighting these areas are an important consideration. OSHA (the Occupational Safety and Health Administration) has strict rules and mandates a variety of safety guidelines concerning even the lighting for these work places.

Magnalight.com is one supplier of lighting that adheres to the OSHA code and has recently introduced a line of new explosion proof work lights . These lights are important in that they produce no heat or spark and are the safest lights within the environment. In fact they go through rigorous testing in order to meet OSHA requirements. One such test is done by dropping them from different heights while surrounded by flamable vapors. This line of explosion proof lights that Magnalight.com offers includes battery operated LED flashlights, 400 watt metal halide tank inspection lights and fluorescent lights for paint spray booths. Not only are the company's prices significantly lower than those of it's competitors, but it has some impressive testimonials concerning it's products right on it's website, as well.

So don't think lighting is just for looking pretty, casting a dazzling glow on a flawlessly designed interior . It's also a necessity in the industrial work place and it's gotta be safe!

lighting :: modern two lamps

Okay, here I go again with my penchant for multifunctional anythings. "Two Lamps" is not just anything though - it functions as both lamp AND flashlight. So modern, so cool looking, so helpful in a power outage and so glowing as a lamp on your bedside table. What a clever idea!

via dailyicon

Hmmm... I wonder if it uses energy efficient bulbs and is that flashlight rechargeable? Its over at Life Goods and its JUST COOL!

furniture :: vintage treasures

If vintage is your bag, then Quotient Fine Furnishings is the place for you! Located in Manhattan, Quotient is an upscale shop that offers a wonderful line of fully restored vintage pieces. Favoring mid century design, the collection showcases top designers from the thirties on up. Here's a sampling of my favorites, but check them out for more fab finds!

Chaise Lounge and Ottoman by Milo Baughman
USA
50's-60's


Pair of Art Deco Mirrored and Silver Leaf Nightstands
1930's- 40's




Pair of Large Aventurine Glass Spheres on Black Glass Bases
Italy
1970's


I love vintage and Quotient has it all. It's JUST COOL!

via BlinkDecor

lighting :: glowing candles. Are they real?

What will they think of next? I was at a friends the other night having dinner and after, went to blow out the candles and to my amazement, when I looked a little closer, they weren't real at all but battery operated imitations! I'm sure alot of you are familiar with these, but I wasn't , and I must admit I was HIGHLY impressed. They smell good - these had a subtle vanilla scent - and they look good. Real wax on the outside. Even the flickering "candlelight" had that glowing ambience that candles are all about! So I put these down on my GOTTA HAVE IT list. These candles are JUST COOL.


Battery-Operated Flicker Candle available at SMARTHOME

Lighting :: It bugs me

Lighting and furnishings don't get much creepier than this. Site Specific Design (SSD) has a JUST COOL collection of insect inspired products for 2008. Pricey enough to make your skin crawl, the 12 inch Lycia Light below is $1200.

"Mimic" (price available upon request)

"nymph" $ 2,600

"mini formiga" $1,600

Check out their host of modern bug designs. Creepy Crawlies worthy of being called JUST COOL!