After years of concealing them with all manner of shades and shapes, lighting designers are bringing light bulbs into the open. From lamps that showcase a bulb’s glowing form within a transparent housing to those that allow it to stand alone, almost as a sculpture, these designs show off the simple form and mesmerizing quality of the light bulb:

Jettison Edison by Fire Farm: The company explores new possibilities in LED technology with an homage to the Edison bulb that uses LED technology. Designed by Adam Jackson Pollock, the globe is 16 inches in diameter and is available in custom sizes and finishes. www.firefarm.com

Bulb Fiction by Lightyears: KiBiSi’s design reinvents the incandescent bulb as a pendant in a classic shape that unites socket and bulb in one form. The hand-blown, acid-treated opal glass shade conceals an LED light source. The lamp is suspended from a thick white silicone-covered cord that can be knotted to create staggered installations. www.lightyears.dk

Series 28 Luminare by Bocci: The company’s creative director, Omer Arbel, explores a new glass-blowing technique in this Red Dot Award-winning series of pendants and table lamps. The fabrication process involves introducing air pressure intermittently into a glass matrix that is heated and then rapidly cooled, producing unique shperes-within-spheres each time. Clear glass exteriors surround milk white interior glass cavities. Custom colors and sizes are also available. www.bocci.ca

Shade Glas by Isabel Hamm: The designer continues to explore hot-blown glass techniques with Shade, a pendant lampshade with a glass ball inside available in three shapes and colors. Dimensions range from 27 to 39 centimeters (height) by 22 to 28 centimeters (radius). www.isabel-hamm-licht.de

Metalamp 404 by Stephane Hubert: The French-born, Brooklyn-based designer works with a wide range of reclaimed materials, such as the seamless 4-by-4-inch square steel tubing he used to create the Metalamp 404 lighting series. Available in three sizes, the lamps have an antique waxed black-oxide finish and are fitted with a ceramic socket, vintage-style light bulb, full-range dimmer switch, and wooden guitar knob. www.stephanehubert.com