A Crock Pot Lamp?: Two Columbia University Press Employees Explain

Now that you are ready to crack open one of the newest titles from Columbia University Press, you’ll need a light to read to read it under and it just so happens that we have a great suggestion for where to find stylish, imaginative, and well-crafted lamps. Two Columbia University Press employees, Kirsten Olson and John Babcock, have been creating lamps from found materials such as a crock pot from the 1970s, an ice bucket, a Saarinen Tulip chair, and other detritus from all corners of New York City and Europe.

John and Kirsten explain the thinking behind their company ilampe:

It’s a sin to waste. Also we recognize the need for imaginative, well-crafted pieces that function as charismatic, unique lighting. We achieve our end result with chair bases, rolls of wire, dress forms (well, parts of), discarded lamps, fire engine plates, and other reusable scraps. Why let a perfectly good piece of garbage end up in a landfill when it can be repurposed?

Below are a couple of examples but you can find out more at www.ilampe.com and John and Kirsten were also recently featured in Time Out New York. As for myself, I’ve already put in an order for a hanging lamp!