March 2007

Decorating For Music
Part III
Article By Rick Becker

Lamps

While many of us prefer to listen to music or watch movies in the dark, it is often helpful to have a light on when, say, changing an LP, or reading the liner notes. I found a few standouts in this category, too.

Designs for Living is a regular stop for me in the Design Center at High Point. Patrick Roberts' contemporary lamps are sold through various catalogs and stores with a contemporary bent. He frequently comes up with outstanding designs such as the wood lamps shown here. They throw a gentle ambient light upward to bounce off the ceiling and light radiates outward from the wavy edges at the top—just enough to let you jump up to raise the tonearm, but not enough to intrude upon your mental construct of the performance venue. The floor lamp is World Class, and should easily convert to LED when the time comes.

 Quoizel, one of the most highly regarded lamp manufacturers, has developed a line of decorative table and floor lamps featuring blown art glass that is stunning in both its craftsmanship and variety. Just one of these lamps will raise the level of sophistication of your entire room, probably outshining your audio equipment. In the eyes of your significant other, that may well be a good thing.

Adesso is an importer of eclectic home furnishings that appeal to younger folks with more contemporary tastes. They were quick to jump on the iPod bandwagon with this iPod-docking lamp with built-in speakers. While this might be more suitable in the kitchen or bedroom, they also came out with an LED floor lamp ($130, retail) that can detach from its stand and become a flashlight! Even more impressive was the Bright Light available as a table lamp ($130) or floor lamp ($170) that could have interesting application in a listening room as a reading light or to shine on your turntable when changing LPs.

At the company showroom near Utica, NY, this summer I spied this fused glass Handkerchief lamp from Meyda, a company best known for their Tiffany style lamps, but branching out in fresh new directions. This lamp is a pendant style that might well hang over an equipment table. This is one style among many in the series. The metal parts of the lamps are available in a variety of finishes to complement different colors of glass as well as different décor.

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