Bright lights in the big city

Quirky lighting can add appeal to urban living

PROFILE. Lighting has long been considered the accent of the design world: the right pendant light for the breakfast nook or recessed lighting to flow with your new open floor plan, for example. But in today’s culture of customization, lighting is no longer an afterthought.

“People have always felt the need to have something personal. It’s new to do it with lighting fixtures,” says Leann Heller, the co-owner of Happy Cat Lights (www.happycatlights.com).

The personalized lamp company, based in Georgetown, owes its origin and name to the popular Internet meme. Leann’s husband, Jon, who handles the Web site and marketing, wanted a lamp featuring the Happy Cat. The couple posted pictures online in August of 2007, and the response convinced them to open up their customized light shop.

“It’s not just a light — it’s art. Ultimately, it means something to you or something to the person you’re giving it to,” Leann says.

She has created lamps based on wedding photos, first grandchildren and band names. A customer submits their drawing or photo, and, as long as it is not a copyrighted image, Leann creates a stencil from the original picture. She then uses an X-Acto knife to carve out the colored screen for the white plastic lamp that starts at $45.

“Replacing a big fluorescent light with a lamp gives your space a nice homier feel; it’s less like an office building,” says Leann. In turn, her lamps have been used as nightlights and desk art because of their softer glow.

But apartment owners are also taking their cue from what they see in the business world, with refurbished signs and custom neon lights from Lite Brite Neon Studio (www.litebriteneon.com) in South Brooklyn, N.Y.

“It’s the transition from the commercial to the personal. When neon isn’t being used to sell people something, it creates a new dialogue within the space,” says owner Matt Dilling.