Wanted: Lighting Meant to Inspire, in Dark Times

Artecnica, a product company out in L.A., has given Co.Design an exclusive sneak peek at its newest line--a stunning assembly of lighting fixtures.

The company made its name pioneering a new approach to sustainability, hiring big-name designers such as Hella Jongerius, the Campana brothers, and Tord Boontje to create pieces that use both minimal amounts of material, and are hand-crafted in poor communities in Central America and beyond, thus creating new livelihoods with every new product.

But this time out, that sort of do-good mentality has also been translated into a single theme that's meant to bind all the new products together: The economy has sucked, but we're looking forward. Our politics are ugly, but we're looking up. Looking up, looking forward, and looking on the bright side--hanging lights make perfect sense, right?

Above, a multi-colored paper mobile by Clara von Zweigbergk ($27).

Below, the Wonderland series of cast-aluminum candlesticks by Stephen Johnson, which depict cuddling animals performing impossible balancing acts (kinda like staying employed these days?). ($68-$89)

Building off of Artecnica's experiments in recycled Tyvek--the stuff that soft FedEd envelopes are made of--Paula Arntzen created the Trianon series of chandeliers, which have a big bold presence despite their gossamer weight and easy-going price ($99-$150):

Another stunning piece by Arntzen, La Corounne, a chandelier made of copper-coated plastic ($125):

Last but not least, the Bright Side series of pendant lamps by Rich, Brilliant, Willing (the name's a play on the names of the firm's principals). The pendants were inspired by the glass insulators that were once used on power lines; the base of each one is inscribed with inspirational phrases--such as "In the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary." They're be used either as hanging pendants or as table lamps--they can rest on their sides without rolling away. ($95-$110)