Frost-damaged coconut palm in St. Pete. Photo by Tranquilometro.
This has been a cold winter. I know, I know, there's something like eight feet of snow piled up in Philadelphia right now and that can't be any fun. If it's any consolation, it's been absurdly cold down here too. It's ordinarily at least 20 degrees warmer than it's been averaging since January. We've had freezes for the first time that I can remember in nearly 10 years of living in St. Pete. Everything looks dead. The dying palms trees are scratching against the breezes and everything's brown. It's unusual to say the least. Ordinarily, it warms up after a day or two when we get a cold snap. Not so this year. I don't think it's hit 70 degrees in more than two months.
Today's weather.
After two months of being cooped up indoors and wearing sweaters (nothing's heated here) I am more than ready for next month and the return of warmer weather. I hope at any rate. I'm looking forward to lingering outside when it's well after dark and just being. One of my great joys is to have friends over and to sit around the table on my patio and talk.
If I'm feeling punchy after this, I cannot imagine how folks in more norther climes are feeling about now. Well, it's never too early to start thinking about spring. In order to jump start that, the folks at ITRE have three new outdoor lighting options to consider as you mull over the idea of lingering on your own patios.
First up is the Sit-Up, designed my Kostas Sytrariotis. It's a light that's also a seat. An individual Sit-Up looks like this.
Where they get cool is that groups of Sit-Ups can be combined to make a circle,
Or something free form.
Each unit is 43-3/4" x 21-3/4" and they are 17" tall. They use fluorescent light and are inherently energy efficient. Glowing seating would be a hit, that's for sure.
Next up is the Kioto, designed by Andrea Crovato for ITRE.
The Kioto is made from grey aluminum with a white glass diffuser, it uses either fluorescent or LED bulbs and is wet-rated. Throw in the fact that it can be ceiling or wall mounted and you have one flexible fixture.
But that's nothing when it comes to flexibility. Here's my favorite.
It's the Great JJ Outdoor. This fully-functioning, articulated architect's lamp was designed by Centro Stile for ITRE. It can stretch to nearly 14 feet high and the effect can't be anything but surreal. Imagine a lawn with five of these or so arranged randomly. Wow. The Great JJ Outdoor is available in matte black, matter grey and matte white. Stunning. Don't you think?
ITRE was founded in Murano in 1975 and has been producing well-designed and well made lighting ever since. How could it be anything but? Around here, we translate Fatto in Italia as "Good" in English.
Check out the rest of ITRE's offerings on their website, they do some really great stuff.
It hurts, Paul, really hurts. I long for the days when I could simply go outside and just walk, unfettered. Now I have to wonder if I'm going to go down on my ass on that patch of snow and ice that I can't chop off the front stoop, or if one of those massive stalactites hanging from the gutter it going to impale me when it falls. I walked outside this morning and thought that it felt quite comfortable compared to earlier this week - it's 36F!
ReplyDeleteDon't you guys have another big accumulation heading your way some time soon? I would be losing my mind even more than I am already and all I have to deal with is cold.
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