Flat, fabulous and non-CFL

Once the must-have green home improvement item, the public perception of the much-maligned CLF bulb has soured (despite strong sales) with tales of mercury poisoning and incandescent hoarding popping up here and there. Even though I don’t think they give off the most flattering light, I’m all for them — given that they are disposed of properly — while I wait for the next big thing in energy-efficient lighting — LED bulbs — to be introduced at affordable prices in the American marketplace. As I’ve reported, electronic giants like Panasonic and Philips are making remarkable headway in developing affordable, powerful LED bulbs for consumers but we’ve got a ways to go. Aside from a strand of LED holiday lights that I bring out once a year, the only LED light fixture in my home is a TwistTogether Lamp. It’s a lovely piece of green design but it emits pretty weak light. I use it as a jumbo-sized nightlight.

Now here’s a product concept from Seoul-based DMO Design Studio that I could totally get behind: a line of floor and table lamps made from wood or plastic that conceal LED bulbs in a leaning, two-dimensional, lamp-shaped frame. The concept is called “Flat Lighting” and I think it’s totally killer. It appears that the Flat Lighting lamps give out an ample amount of light and they’re also super thin and lightweight, making them great for tight spaces and easy and to haul around if need be. It’s unclear if and when Flat Lighting lamps will be released but DMO Design Studio has captured my attention. Do you like the looks of them?