For Easter, my mom always gives us random trinkets she thinks will amuse us. This year, one of my surprises was a LED candle. Mine is not nearly as cool as these I found over at ThinkGeek.com. These actually let you turn them on and off by blowing on them!
They look a lot better than many LED candles I"ve seen before, and the price is actually comparable (or less!) than what you'd pay for a pillar candle (they are 3' in diameter and run 3-6 inches tall. The cost is $12-$15.
I got a glowing/color change pillow for Christmas. 
I had never seen something like this one before. It glows through seven colors. Its a white, fuzzy pillow that glows when turned and runs on 3 AAA batteries.
I was forbade from putting it in the living room, so it is currently sitting on my bed. The only thing I'm not as fond of about the pillow is that it has a hard foam covered section inside the pillow where the batteries are and it is quite noticeable.
I've often seen glass blocks used to form a wall around showers or as dividers for a room. What I haven't seen before is glowing tiles.
These blocks from Glass Block Innovations use fiber optics and LEDs to create a glowing effect in their glass blocks. Blocks come in 6", 8" and 12" sizes. Blocks also use a interlocking PVC joint system for easy installation.
Link: http://www.glassblockinnovations.com/Fiber%20Optics.htm
via Luxury Housing Trends
The Western world will often ignore artists in other countries, sometimes even entire continents. Like any artist, Joseph Piet of Botswana in Africa is proud of his work, and like so many artists, he attributes a deep, spiritual, and personal meaning to his work.
He says with no lights on there is no future. The statement is both literal and poetic.
"I make sculptures, which fall under fine art. But I choose to make lamps to bring light into the houses," he says, explaining his reason for making lamps.
Artists poetically tell their life-stories through their artworks. The 26-year-old Piet says, "it's also a defining chapter in my life. I erect African art lamps that stand upright, with a bulb to give out brightness.
His heritage comes from a region that uses metal as a totem and he notes that many of his father and grandfather's generation were blacksmiths. Unfortunately, he has a hard time finding buyers because his sculptures are all in heavy metals and so international shipping costs can be prohibitive. Joseph has chosen not to change his materials though.
Pendant lamps are all the rage right now, from Ikea to high end designers seen at the International Contemporary Furniture Festival. They can add personality and flair without a complete redecoration or remodel of a current space. These are made by Meyda Tiffany as part of their Metro line and have a suggested price of $250.
Other stores that carry pendant lamps include Amazon.com and Lamps Plus. They can also be located at local galleries and at some street fairs during the summer. Hardware for attaching a pendant lamp can be quite simple, from a hook screwed into the ceiling to hang the lamp and cord from, others may require attaching a fixture to the ceiling. This isn't too difficult, but probably something you wouldn't want to do an hour before your next dinner party.
Ingo Maurer's Glass LED table appears to be making the blog rounds. I'll admit when I saw this on TreeHugger, I too just had to write about it. The glass has 248 LEDs sandwiched between layers of glass, emits light from both sides. Conductive polymers also sandwiched in-between the glass eliminate the need for wires. The table can be dimmed or turned off for a variety of effects and also comes in Blue and Red
Link: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2005/05/glass_led_table.php
Rachel Wingfield's work combines light and science. Imagine waking up to a gently glowing comforter and pillow just as your alarm is going off. Actually, you don't have to imagine it because it could be your alarm. Rachel also makes custom pillows and cushions. They are battery powered and can be set to communicate with specific alarm clocks.
If you're into making things for your home, check out this craft idea from the AZCentral.com . Basically, you can take a bunch of safety pins and some clear beads and make a customized cover for a nightlight. Don't trip!
http://www.azcentral.com/home/crafty/articles/0108craftyideas08.html
Gnr8 Has another neat product called a Laserpod. It uses 3 colored lasers and several UV LEDs and a Swarovski crystal to create nifty patterns on the ceiling and on the surface of its dome. This is slightly smaller than your standard lava lamp or table lamp and runs about $99 on their website.
I've never seen one of these, but this website carries other cutting edge and design based lights such as Mathmos.
Ikea had these neat light bases with a vase set on top when I went there over the weekend. They had filled the vase with colored stones. The base was pretty small, about 4"x4"?, so it didn't stick out too much. It was a great idea for an ambient light. Also, glass stones really cut down on the light projected, but made for a neat effect. They also were using the bases to illuminate glass balls, which reminded me of nightlights.
