We certainly see our share of high-concept lighting here at 3rings. Just last week, in fact, we learned how the Furore Lamp is modeled after steam pipes; the week before that we observed how the somewhat gruesome form of the noose in fact makes the compelling Rope Suspension Lamp; and back in December, we were edified to see that the iconic form of an old-school lunar landing apparatus does effective double-duty as Eleek’s hilarious Pod Lamp. Thus we’ve witnessed how themes as diverse as modern industry, capital punishment, and space travel have insinuated themselves into the experience of lighting—and all that in the space of a mere six weeks. How about comestibles as the stuff of this clever patterning? Ostensibly, manufacturer Brokis and designers Dan Yeffet and Lucie Koldova like the idea. Their funny and functional Muffins Lamps take the form of this user-friendly breakfast food and chip away at the edges to create a comely collection of charmingly unusual lightpieces.

Muffins Lamps. Designed by Dan Yeffet and Lucie Koldova.

A Big Glass Bulb Atop a Slender Oak Base

Looking at the many forms of Muffins, I’m reminded of the many forms of muffins, particularly those that took center stage in the Seinfeld “Muffin Top” episode, wherein someone (probably Kramer) had the bright idea that muffins would be a more desirable breakfast item if one did away with their unwieldy and somewhat un-palatable stem. The scheme ended badly, of course, with a predictable surplus of un-disposable muffin bottoms, but the thought was right. Yeffet and Koldova’s Muffins don’t entirely banish the muffin’s supportive base, only slim it down into a spare cylinder of solid oak, a deft downplaying that leaves the juiciest bit up top in the form of multiple tints and shades of beautiful hand-blown glass.

The variety of diffusers bears comparison with the variety of muffins one might find in trendy college town coffeeshops from Santa Cruz to Asheville. The opaque version might be likened to Iced Vanilla Bean; while the smoked glass model could be said to resemble the most robust of French Roast coffees; and the amber number would be Lemon, with just a hint of Spicy Ginger. If these sound far from pedestrian that’s precisely the point, for Brokis’ Muffins have a special appeal for connoisseurs—for those with unconventional palettes, with affection for quirky gestures and well-calculated risks.

Via Contemporist.