broken light bulbSome ideas are broken from the start.Photo: laszlo-photo via Flickr

Apparently, the latest retro-hot-design fad revolves around inefficiency so glaring it’s blinding: a return to “vintage” light bulbs, which are energy-sucking exposed-filament copies of Edison’s original illuminating invention.

Reader support makes our work possible. Donate today to keep our site free. All donations TRIPLED!

Restaurant designers all over the world seem to be snatching up these antique-style bulbs that cost anywhere from $9 to $20 at Pottery Barn and Anthropologie, probably because they’re being associated with automatic-trend-maker, the label “vintage.”

“Everybody’s going green, but we’re still hot and red,” retro bulb manufacturer Bob Rosenzweig told the New York Times. “My bulbs use a lot of energy and make the air conditioning work overtime.”

Grist thanks its sponsors. Become one.

I hope this trend is quick to burn out.

——————————————————————————————————————————————–

Like what you see? Sign up to receive The Grist List, our email roundup of pun-usual green news just like this, sent out every Friday.