A Cut Glass Light Bulb

Lee Broom has combined lead crystal and the humble light bulb and produced an attractive and sparkling new light fixture.

We have all come to love the iconic simple light bulb, the instrument that gave us electric light when the sun goes down. There was a time a simple exposed light bulb was considered gauche and crude. It was covered with paper, glass, silk even alabaster to disguise and diffuse it. Today we love it for it's simplicity and iconic image of light and illumination.

So to see the shape embraced in lead crystal and hand cut to give it the elegance of an old decanter is beautiful and charming, it lets the light sparkle.

As lighting designers we are always most fascinated by the effect of light, how it shines, its brilliance, it's dazzle and glow, how it fills the space or how it defines a mood.

To achieve this effect the type of light is important but what really helps is the material the light shines through and in this instance of lead crystal cut glass it gives a gentle spread of light with a twinkle. It is romantic and flattering to all.

These lights will illuminate many restaurants, clubs and cafes. This light will glow next to a bed or a row will give a dining table a chic elegance. It is a beautiful addition to our lighting palette.

This display is from Lee Broom's East London studio on Rivington Street that was transformed into a general store for the London Design Festival. These lights are hand made in Cumbria, the last producer of lead crystal in Britain, I hope he has thousands of orders.