Stained Glass Book Lamp

Shaped as a stack of leaning books, this lamp is made from stained glass panels in the traditional way, each one cut and leaded by hand. Unlit it reads as a sculpture on a shelf; switched on, the coloured glass glows from within and the spines separate into individual bands of light.

Stained glass behaves differently from a printed shade. The colour has depth to it, and it changes as you move past, because the panels catch light at different angles. On a bookshelf, a desk or a hall table it throws a low, warm pool rather than lighting a whole room, which is exactly what you want from a decorative lamp beside actual books. It runs from a standard lead, and the glow suits a child's bookshelf as well as a study.

Because each piece is made individually, no two are identical in the way the colours fall. That is the nature of the technique rather than a flaw. It suits readers, collectors and anyone whose home already leans towards the handmade, and it works particularly well as a gift because it is the sort of object people would not buy for themselves. Dust it with a soft dry cloth and keep it clear of the edge of a shelf.

• Product type: Decorative stained glass lamp
• Design: Handcrafted stack-of-books form
• Material: Leaded stained glass panels
• Light: Warm low-level glow
• Note: Each piece is individually made, so colours vary slightly
• Use: Bookshelves, desks, hall tables, gifting
• Care: Dust with a soft dry cloth
• In the box: 1 x stained glass book lamp