Designer Spotlight: Modern Lantern--Revolutionizing Cordless, Rechargeable Lighting Options was originally published in Trim Design Co.
From Croatia to Cordless
Now I haven’t forgotten that I need to write the second half of my Croatia travel itinerary for you. But, sifting through the details of our trip is like writing a term paper, and I’ve always been good about procrastinating with term papers, so I’m procrastinating on that second half of the blog too. I’ll give myself a deadline of next week (because if I wait too long I’ll forget everything anyway!).
This is first and foremost a home decor blog, however, and so I’m turning my attention back to home decor this week. I don’t want to alienate anyone who couldn’t care less about my family trip to Croatia after all!
Not only that, but I’ve made some really exciting discoveries in the realm of home lighting this week, and I cannot wait to share them with you. You know how I get really excited about all things lighting. It is the make-it-or-break-it element in a home I think.
OK, so let’s talk lighting.
A “Plug” for Cordless Lamps:
Ask yourself this: Have you ever been sitting in your home, wishing you had a lamp placed just so, in a certain spot, but there is absolutely no realistic way of putting a lamp there without creating a jungle of cords and unwittingly tripping your spouse or children or dog on them?
Maybe you like to do jigsaw puzzles or sew at your dining room table...the dining room table that also happens to be in the middle of your great room with no easy outlet access insight. Or in the dining room which has oodles of ambient lighting for those romantically lit dinners, but zero task lighting to speak of?
Or maybe you have that large bookshelf you’re always struggling to style (oh, while on the topic of bookshelves, keep your eyes peeled, because I’ll be doing a bookshelf styling tutorial soon!), and it turns into a big, black hole at night. And when you’re in the living room all cozy watching TV, you just wish there was a cute little lamp up there, casting its soft glow around the room?
Or maybe you have this amazing screened-in porch that’s just screaming for lamp light now that it’s fall, but you don’t have an outlet and you worry that moisture and dampness or blowing rain will ruin a lamp?
Or if you’re just like one of our current clients, you have a home office. And rather than face the wall all day at your desk because that’s where all the outlets are, you want to face outward, into the room. It’s so much more inspiring that way! And looks way more attractive. Our client’s workspace shares her living room, so she wants the whole room to look and feel inviting, not ‘one-half-nice living room/other-half-utilitarian office area’.
But where do you plug a desk lamp in?
So, about my lighting scenarios: Any nodding heads and raised hands out there beyond the blogosphere?
Modern Lantern: Taking Lighting to the Next Level
Well, I’ve got four words for you: ‘Cordless, rechargeable lighting options.’ And I’ve found one company in particular that is creating stylish AND functional cordless lighting options: Modern Lantern. Now, you’re going to hear me singing their praises in this blog so much you’ll probably think this post is sponsored. It is not. I just was so excited to discover them yesterday after a long and previously fruitless hunt for good options for our client, that I can’t help but be a little giddy about finally finding them.
We just ordered this cordless desk lamp from Modern Lantern for our client and I cannot wait to get my hands on it and see it. And, I’m thinking of purchasing one of their small lamps for my own bookshelf.
Here’s how the rechargeable lamps work: a lot like my rechargeable power drill.
Modern Lantern has a video on its site that shows you exactly how the lamps recharge. The lamp has a battery pack tucked into its base. And it has a charging station that you plug into a regular outlet. When the battery dies, you charge it. (I would recommend purchasing a second back-up battery pack to have on hand, however).
It’s that simple.
Which is why it amazes me that there are not more lighting companies providing these fantastic options! But, guess what? I’m o.k with that. Because when I called Modern Lantern just now with a couple of questions about their products, guess who picked up on the second ring? One of the owners, Carrie Fitzwater. She was so helpful answering all my questions that I am really glad they’re the company spearheading things in this cordless lighting frontier. I mean, when was the last time you called a company with a question about their products and the owner answered??
Modern Lantern is located in the Dallas Fort Worth area. Their ceramic lamps are handmade there by a second-generation potter. These ceramic styles and finishes really caught my eye (from L to R): The Bartlett in Celadon, the Bella in Ivory Crackle, and the Bartlett in Ivory Crackle.
Dimmability
I cannot stress enough how much I love a dimmable lamp. This was one of the questions I had for Carrie. I wanted to know if the lamps were dimmable. And while at this point, approximately half are dimmable, they are currently working on making more and more of the models dimmable. For example, the newest version of the Oscar desk lamp is just being released, and this one will be dimmable.
But Perhaps the most exciting news of all...
Sconces!
Yes, folks, you read it right: Sconces!! This October, Modern Lantern will release rechargeable wall sconces. Concrete wall? No problem. Mantel? No problem. Bedside with no outlet or no room for a lamp? No problem. Now you’ll be able to mount a cordless, rechargeable sconce! No more hideous sconce wires snaking down your wall and no more need to call in the electrician for costly service to wire your wall!
And you know how I love a good sconce…almost as much as I love a good scone!
Are you as excited as I am?
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