From juicers to teapots, one can hardly say that Alessi’s products are boring or run-of-the-mill.  However mundane, Alessi has made it an integral part of their business to “design” and manufacture products that are aesthetical pleasing as well as very functional. I call it practical art.  From the great Salvador Dali to today’s Phillippe Starck, only some of the best designers have done work for Alessi.

I normally don’t associate Alessi with home furniture and design but to my surprise, they have ventured into lighting.  Here I’ve selected 4 very different and yet very cool table lamps launched earlier in the year.

I love animalslamp is made of white elastic fabric over a steel structure modeled after a monster sparrow.  It comes with a wardrobe change in that you can also get a patterned cover.  The source is LED and comes with a variety of changeable colors.  Designed by Pier Paolo Pitacco.

The super Brazilian designers Fernando and Humberto Campana designed the Amanita lamp.  Inspired by a mushroom of the same name, the lamp is made from woven rattan and emits a soft fluorescent light.

La Stanza dello Scirocco lamp comes in white and in natural stainless steel producing 2 distinct lighting effects.  The white lamp produces brighter light and sharper shadows where as the stainless version offers a warmer light and “fuzzier” shadows.  Italian master Mario Trimarchi designed it.  Loving how the lamp looks like its just exploded and is about to evaporate into thin air!!!

Based in London, Shiro Studio designed the elegant (and sexy) Phylum table lamp, which reminds me of the Calla Lilly. What’s cool about this is that you can direct the light source in different directions and the ribbing is not only for looks … it enhances the overall illuminating capability of the lamp.