Design*Sponge: <em>birthday cakes and electric plugs</em>: the story of matt dilling and lite brite neon

so i happen to have a new design interest: neon. you heard me right, neon. and my buds at lite bright neon are paving the way for a huge neon revolution. well, at least a renewed interest in it. to quote the ladies of the simple life, "that's HOT".

the degree of cuteness oozing from neon guru (and lite brite neon founder) matt dilling is astronomical. for his third birthday he wanted his cake decorated with a chocolate electrical plug. yeah. that cute. dilling and his talented gang of neon artists are responsible for some of the coolest signage for fashion and music's elite. their work for stella mccartney, matador recording artists interpol, super arty rock band fischer spooner and calvin klein takes neon to a whole new level. clearly their love for neon is unsurpassed. these guys know neon. and they love it.

luckily for us non-business folks, lite brite neon has now designed a line of retail lighting avaliable at my very favorite williamsburg store, the future perfect. the collection is comprised of tragically cool three dimensional neon chandeliers and wall sconces. such a cool way to add some design flare to your cramped nyc apartment. available in a range of custom sizes and colors (all in the white family, but ranging from cool to warm tones), the lighting is a great way to support local artists, bring some original art into your home and brighten up that dingy studio of yours. win win win.

you can check out matt and co. at lite brite neon dot com and you can see the new collection in person at the future perfect. click here for directions.

so, hooray for local art and hooray for neon! check em out and add a bright new material to your design repertoire...(besides, aren't you sick of bent ply by now?)

THE OTHER MS. MCCARTNEY [stella mccartney neon rainbow*lite brite neon] stella's rainbow for her boutique window...

LIGHT UP MY LIFE [neon chandelier*lite brite neon] what started it all for me...home at the future perfect

ELECTRIC APPLE [apple belt*lite brite neon] for the mac users in the crowd....

AVANT GUARDIANS [fischerspooner sign*lite brite neon] these guys (fs, not lb) can be so pretentious it makes me want to puke, but it's still a cool sign...