Lampe Berger Zebra Lamp

When I first laid my eyes on this lamp, I almost recoiled and hissed. Yeah, exactly! Like a cinematic vampire, when the hero yanks down the curtains to reveal bright sunlight. It really wasn't this lamp that did it, it was a knee jerk reaction from having grown up in the 70's. Back then, Zebra/jungle cat prints were an integrated part of a slippery slope that led to black-light velvet paintings (and I don't mean the one where Elvis is singing into a microphone, with tears rolling down his cheeks, and the tears turning into crucifixes. That one was SO cool, I still can't believe that the French didn't hang one in the Musee du Louvre).

Cautiously pulling back my cape, I took a closer look. While the striping would lean the name of the lamp in that direction, there isn't any kitsch here. The pattern is modernist, and would work quite well in rooms where open space and great lighting were emphasized. At the same time, it could look amazing in rooms that had some rattan about, or blend beautifully with a smart Caribbean or beach-casual theme.

--Bear Graves