Solar-powered Shed Lamp Lights up the Backyard at Night
Sunday, September 17th, 2006
Although solar-powered yard lamps don’t give off as much light as traditional outdoor lighting solutions, it’s hard to beat the convenience of a lamp you don’t have to run wires to, especially in the backyard. If you’re someone who regularly tramps around in the yard after dark, this might be a good choice. The shed light comes with a rechargeable 6 volt/2.5A battery that’s charged by a 3 watt, mono-crystalline solar cell (sounds impressive, doesn’t it?). The light will shine for five hours on a full charge. It’ll cost you $150 from FrontGate.
I’ll go out on a limb (or maybe a horn?) and say most people don’t think about horns as a potential lamp material when they go shopping for lighting. And yet, here it is. Though this lamp is a bit masculine for my tastes, I can see it going over well with some. It’s sort of a modern take on the rustic antler-inspired lamps you often see advertised in log home magazines. The measurements are 22″ x 12″ x 29.5″h, and the Fortuny Lamps piece is available from New York’s 
Even though I sometimes knock Home Depot for their selection of various items (I always enjoy going to specialty stores where for instance they just sell lighting and they have thousands of lighting options to choose from), I like this flexible blue track lighting system I found while browsing their site. It’s modern and stylish, and I want it (like so many things I write about here…). Called the Easylite Komet Flexible Track Light Kit, it costs $169 and comes with “5 fully directional track heads with 10 interchangeable shades (5 frosted white; 5 blue glass), 10 Ft. of bendable track, 105 watt transformer, MR16 shielded bulbs, mounting hardware and instructions.”
I’ve heard of rechargeable lamps before but nothing like this. I like them though. Called “Puff Out Lights,” they are made from leather and blown glass (isn’t that an interesting combination?) and “embody the interaction of candlelight”. You clap to turn them on (this is supposed to symbolize the striking of a match) and blow on them to turn them off (even closer to the candle theme). In between, the light from the lamp flickers gently to emulate real flame. I wouldn’t mind a couple of these in my stocking at Christmas in case anybody wealthy I know is reading this… (okay, okay, I don’t know any wealthy people, but one can hope for random acts of charity from the rich)
How do you fit 60 light bulbs into a chandelier? Well, you just cram them all in there and stick a $5,000 price tag on it (excuse me, the 60-Light Taraxacum 88 S Chandelier is actually only $4,622). That’s the way the folks over at Taraxacum do it anyway. 
Not everybody thinks of metal when they’re shopping for lamps to brighten their living rooms, but I like these copper lamps from Cobre. Copper is a lot warmer than other metals, so it doesn’t lend that cold industrial feel that stainless steel can give off. And the decorated velvet shade on this lamp just makes me want to touch it. It’s $405 though, so I better keep my fingers off. If you like copper furnishings, check out the company’s web site, because there are lots of hand-hammered offerings, such as sinks, rain chains, mirrors, vases, bowls, and even pillows (yup, pillows with copper entwined in the design).
I don’t know about you, but I usually associate terra cotta with floor tiles. Maybe pots. Mostly floor tiles. This is the first terra cotta lighting I’ve seen. I really dig this chandelier though. It captures that southwestern style that I remember from Arizona. Made by AmeriTech lighting, it’s one of several chandeliers with a similar flavor. You can see the others on the company’s web site at 
I’m not sure I really get the whole garden gnome thing, but it’s doubtlessly a shortcoming on my part. If you’re a gardener, and you’d like a way to brighten up your garden after the sun sets, these little gnomes can do it. They’re charged during the day by the sun’s energy, and then at night they have little bulbs that light up their faces. I don’t think they’d have enough power to light up walkways so you can walk without tripping, but it’d be akin to having fireflies in your backyard. Just a little something to add character after dark. The solar garden gnomes are available from the Gardener’s Supply Company for $40. You can get the “mystic gnome” or the “hiking gnome” (or, if you’re really gnome crazy, both).
I had one of those “Oh, man, I totally want that” moments when I saw this fiber optic step lighting from Super Vision. The effect is produced with one of their products (SaVi Flood Strip) that’s recessed in the top of the riser. It produces some cool downlighting that would make it easy to navigate any steps in your backyard, whether heading up to an upper level deck or just out of a swimming pool area. There aren’t any prices listed on the manufacturer’s site, which probably means I can’t afford it. For those of you who have the resources to create an awesome backyard living area, have at it.
Here’s a Christmas gift idea for anyone who’s notorious for investing time and money pimping his (or her) car/truck/SUV/motorcycle out. StreetGlow’s LED tire lights are available in neo blue, green, red, white, orange, yellow, or purple. The battery-operated lights work off a motion sensor, so they only light up when the vehicle is in motion. (They also work on bicycles, if you’d like to add some snazzy bike lights to your two-wheeler. It definitely makes things safer for riding at night.) To install the LED lights, you simply screw them to the valve stem of your tire. They are available for $17 from Amazon: