An LED Light Bulb With a Warm, Retro Glow

Founded by four students at the University of Edinburgh, Tala creates vintage-style lightbulbs in a range of old-school shapes (some with subtly tinted mouth-blown glass). In these bulbs, a string of superthin LED chips simulates the glowing filament of incandescents. But what really sets these apart are their less-concrete qualities. Take dimming, for instance, among the most endearing features of incandescent bulbs—and one that eco-friendly CFL and LED lights have trouble with. While many LED bulbs stutter as you adjust their intensity, Tala’s ramp up and down smoothly (a must for orchestrating romantic dinners or cozying up with a good novel).