Bat Lamp

Bats are the right animal for a lamp. They belong to dusk, they hang from things, and an outstretched wing has the same fan of ribs and stretched membrane that shade-makers have been drawing for two centuries. This table light is built around that creature, so it reads as a small gothic ornament during the day and does its actual work once the sun goes. It belongs in a room that already leans a little Halloween: a shelf of curiosities, a reading corner with dark walls, a landing that only gets used at night. The subject is restrained enough that it need not come down again in November. Lighting is one of the more satisfying corners of the hobby, too. A printed shade is decor you reach for every evening rather than something that sits gathering dust between guests.