Funky conversation pieces make a house yours

Our mothers called them "conversation pieces." Those were unusual little touches you had in your home that provoked conversations with guests.

Sometimes they were unique antiques. Oftentimes they were handmade family items. Still others were funky novelty items like a phone made to look like the Jolly Green Giant.

No one wants a vanilla home that looks like they bought it out of a catalog. Unique conversation pieces give a home personality.

A new lamp called Bright Source, made by Lifespan Brands of Elk Grove Village, fits the bill. Bright Source combines a fascinating novelty lava lamp with a conventional 60-watt shaded lamp. The lava portion functions as the lamp's body and then it is topped by a mainstream lamp, covered with a white shade.

"The Bright Source lamps provide two lighting experiences in one lamp. The motion part of the lamp emits a relaxing, soothing soft light, while the table lamp gives off a bright light perfect for any task - reading, working and more," said Jennifer Courington, vice president of marketing and product development.

The new lamp, which is aimed at a mainstream audience, is 19 inches high and looks best with a 10-inch angled shade, which does not come with the lamp but can be purchased with it, she said. It will be available later this fall through the Lifespan website at www.lifespanbrandsco.com.

"We are expanding the appeal of these fascinating and beautiful motion lamps by making them functional, as well as attractive," Courington said. "In this way we are expanding the demographic audience beyond the 18 to 24 age group and the over-50 market, which grew up with lava lamps. We are hoping to capture those in between, too."

The lamps come in four colors - a gold base with silver glitter and liquid in the lamp, a gunmetal gray base with navy wax and white liquid, a silver base with teal and silver glitter and liquid, and, finally, a bronze base with emerald green wax and white liquid - and sell for $49.99 ($69.98 with the shade).

"We did lot of consumer research and found these were the hot home décor colors today," she said. "And for those who like bling, we added glitter to some of the lamps."

The lamp comes with a four-position switch. You can set it to have only the lava lamp on, only the table lamp on, both lamps on or both lamps off.

Lava lights or lamps date back to 1963 when an Englishman named Edward Craven-Walker invented the novelty product and called it an Astro Lamp.

The lava lamp eventually became an American icon and a cultural phenomenon. It has been featured in television shows and movies ranging from "Futurama" to "Malcolm in the Middle" and from "The Good Wife" to "X-Men."

Now you can use a new incarnation of that lamp to give your family room some extra personality.