Harken back to the days of Edison with these Menlo Park Lamps

While eco-conscious homeowners are busy updating their lamps to modern and efficient CFL and LED bulbs, one design outfit based in Atlanta, Georgia has been going the other direction in time. The Dapper Llama's Menlo Park Lamps are inspired by the bulbs Thomas Edison showed off back in 1879, in the park of the same name.

The ultra-simple lamps use reproduction bulbs for the lighting component of the lamps. TDL says that the light from the bulbs is relaxing and provides an ambiance to the room. They've created several different versions from the single bulb to a double, triple and even a hanging pendant version (Though we couldn't find any evidence of that last one and aren't sure how it would work in practice.)

The pictured pieces are made from solid cherry wood, but  it appears that TDL will make the pieces from nearly any wood, though. They feature light-up push-button switches and vintage power cords and plugs for detail.

Menlo Park Lamps can be found on The Dapper Llama's Etsy store, and are custom made to order. They sell for between $95 and $180, and you can order replacement bulbs for $12 apiece.

This year, Tridonic will be presenting the highest number of innovations in company history. A comprehensive portfolio of LED products for general lighting applications will be on show. The lighting components manufacturer is expanding its offering to include innovative LED lighting modules.

At the same time, Tridonic is also focusing on the further development of electronic ballasts and products for lighting controls. Zumtobel Group CEO Harald Sommerer explains the importance of the trade fair for Tridonic: "This year's Light + Building will mark an important staging post for Tridonic. We have developed our portfolio and geared it towards the future with a new platform for electronic ballasts as well as an innovation drive centred on LED in the area of general lighting. This represents a major step towards securing Tridonic's competitiveness in this dynamic market."

Tridonic's showing at the trade fair will include the TALEXXengine STARK RLE, an LED light engine designed for outdoor applications. Another highlight will be the LED systems TALEXXengine STARK QLE and LLE. These open up entirely new creative possibilities for luminaire manufacturers. In a square or linear design, the modules can be installed separately or as a combination of models.

A new generation of non-dimmable and dimmable electronic ballasts is also certain to attract a lot of attention. Both series are to be launched in a range of price/performance categories. This will enable customers to choose the ballast best suited to their light fitting.

Innovation capability will be demonstrated in the next generation of lighting from Tridonic: the organic light-emitting diode (OLED). Three series of OLED modules offering uniform light and an extremely low profile are to be presented at Light & Building. These are ideal for decorative lighting applications, architectural lighting and wide-area effect lighting. Needless to say, Tridonic also offers the required driver system for each product to ensure simple integration of the lighting modules.