Once upon a pandemic, it was the twisted candle, and before that, the foam mirror. Now, the latest interior trend to seemingly eclipse your Instagram feed comes courtesy of the sunset projection lamp.
It was as if overnight, every influencer and their Frenchie suddenly began touting the moody projection light, casting warm or cool James Turrell-inspired circular halos around their aesthetically pleasing bedrooms.
Even stranger still, the light seemed to be the only ad served not only to me, but to every person in my household. Though I am yet to cave, it would seem plenty of others were all too excited to take our the debit card.
No one can deny it’s good marketing. The fact that sunset projection lamps have become a scrolling staple in recent weeks means the sales tactic definitely worked, and the fact it’s actually pretty cool to look surely plays a part, too.
But what actually is this mysterious lamp, and what is its purpose other than to earn us some Instagram clout?
Sunset lamps are thought out to replicate the light at the very end of the day. That warm, brilliant orange sun we’re blessed with right before nightfall isn’t easily manufactured, but these lamps do a pretty good job.
Being that it’s winter in much of the world right now, the lights are proving particularly popular with buyers who are currently living with short days of snowfall, and thus may be experiencing seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
The sunset lamps aren’t an official remedy as outlined by wellness blogs, but they’ve come to have a positive effect on people in cold climates, at least according to users on the internet.
While they all appear to do the same thing, a little bit of research would indicate there’s a pretty vast price bracket for lamps of this nature.
Starting at around $45, sunset lamps at online destinations like Etsy and Amazon climb to as high as $490, for this standing floor lamp with a squiggly body.
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