New lighting from Artemide this year includes the Altrove by Carlotta de Bevilacqua, a decorative wall or ceiling light that uses transparent wires to allow the light to flow. It's the type of lighting that begs the question, "Is it really there?" More substantial is Ross Lovegrove's Cosmic Leaf, available as a table, floor or ceiling lamp. Each version is made of textured methacrylate set in a chromed steel structure, with an inviting come-hither curve. Also shown from the ceiling is a variation, the Cosmic Angel. The Chilone in brushed steel is designed by Ernesto Gismondi. The outdoor luminaire uses low energy LEDs and can be grouped in a variety of installations, given the range of heights.

Mi Young Yeo of Korea's Gocce Design has created the kaleidoscopic Let It Snow, a user-friendly ambient lighting system. Turn the central crystal like a knob or dial and control the amount of coloured light that is reflected on the mirrored backdrop. Each crystal produces a beautiful snowflake of light. Hidden Art features lighting that is just as intricate: work by Yu Jordy Fu. Yu Jordy Fu's Cloud Lamps are made of recycled paper and reflect the ancient Chinese art of paper-cutting that was used to record memories and events. The Cloud Lamps are shades treated with a non-flammable spray and are designed to be used with energy-saving bulbs. And Stockholm's Maria Larsson and Maria Olevik of In Every Tree create sculptural lighting out of bone china and mixed media. Books lie stacked on a table or stand upright on a shelf.

Bubble Gum is a lampshade of recycled polyethylene foam by Daria Burlinska and Wojtek Traczyk. The soft, gummy layers beg to be touched. Also by dbwt is the Renovation lampshade above, made from modules of cast-off plastics, almost like flower petals. Soft plastics were also in use in the Objects Around the Tablescape display of work from Singapore's Design Incubation Centre, such as the bowl used as a planter for moss and miniatures. A calming table lamp called Still Not Quite There Yet was also part of this collection of pieces with clean and simple lines.

Shige Hasegawa's Hana collection of lighting and furniture was launched in Milan this year. Hana means flower, so each piece of the series was based on this shape. The floor lamps and pendant lighting had a textile cover that stretched over a metal frame and zipped up, while the base of the table consisted of five petals that interlock to support the glass top without any glue or hardware. Another set of table lamps sported floral lace shades that echoed the Hana design (above).

New Finnish Design, an exhibition recently on display in New York, featured the work of both independent designers and Finnish companies whose products focus on play and creativity. Among the highlights were Teemu Jarvi and Heikki Ruoho's Re-board chairs, Mikko Paakkanen's lighting, Jesse Pietila's Sheer Wall and Shigeru Ban's modular furniture. More after the jump.

PSLAB just completed a lighting project for a restaurant in Cairo, a lighting system made of metallic beams carrying horseshoe-like fixtures. "The grid of the substructure is induced by the façade's architectural layout of windows and walls."