re-kin-dle (r-kndl)
tr.v. re·kin·dled, re·kin·dling, re·kin·dles
1. To relight (a fire).
2. To revive or renewI make a lot of fun of the upcyclers. I’m all for the idea of recycle/reduce/reuse, but let’s face it, there’s a lot of  items for sale out there that are just junk turned into different junk. Happily, today, we’re looking at some of the best upcyclers in the business. These are the unusual lamps made from vintage, antique, and discarded objects by the very talented folks at Rekindled Lighting Co. in Ottawa, Canada. (While they also make clocks and small sculptures, it’s the lamps with which I’m obsessed!)

I first spotted the beauty above on Pinterest, and I knew I had to find its creator. I followed the breadcrumbs, and landed at Rekindled’s online store, which is chock-a-block full of magnificent, needful things. They have one-of-a-kind lamps to satisfy every obsession. Like trains? Got ’em. How about roller skating? In there. Farm equipment? Yep. Photography? Check! And they’re not just cute and whimsical. They’re also beautifully made.

These charming designs are the product of Margaret Sommerville and Tim Cutts. I asked the husband-and-wife team what inspires them.

“We both have backgrounds in design, Tim as a mechanical engineer and myself as a garden designer. We’re both retired from our primary careers and do this because it’s fun and creative – we try to inject some humour into the designs where we can, and they are often a little quirky.

“We design and make the lamps and clocks cooperatively, as bouncing ideas off each other always seems to come up with better designs. Our inspiration for the business was an admiration for the often beautiful design and durability of vintage and antique objects (quite unlike our new, plastic consumer items). These were functional items that had a great deal of care put into details – and they deserved better than to be discarded or lie on a shelf gathering dust.”

Go check out their website and find your next lamp! You can also follow them on their blog and on Facebook.

All images property of Rekindled Lighting Co., used with permission.