Gifts from Smallhome that literally light up your world

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Smallhome makes custom animal diorama lamps that deliver whimsy and warmth year round. Photo: smallhome

Smallhome makes custom animal diorama lamps that deliver whimsy and warmth year round. Photo: Smallhome

Smallhome’s original housewares have the ability to turn ordinary corners into artful, intentional spaces. The combination of vintage furnishings and hand-made items—from this 1920s U.S. map and corkboard to these zodiac embroideries—invites anyone to rethink their own space and make it as good as it can be. 

The Williamsburg store splits its square-footage with a workshop in the back, where owner Julia Small and a couple of friends work on their signature line of custom lamps. While some pieces have a modernity and sleek industrial charm, like the ‘Cage Pendants‘ (made from stripped vintage lamp shades), the magic lies within the warmth and whimsy of the animal diorama lamps, still Small’s best seller.

Hundreds of these one-of-a-kind little lamps have been bought and given, sold and sent. Each takes about two weeks to create (order by Dec. 15 in time for Christmas) and can be customized for a truly personal, curated gift. For inspiration, Small pores through dozens and dozens of vintage images from old National Geographics, nature, and children’s books and includes a figurine and other assorted, tiny details to make it unique and special. Requests have ranged from a Shiba Inu wearing a Napoleon hat based on a customer’s willful dog, to a cityscape with pigeons for parents expecting a baby they had nicknamed Pidge.

They encapsulate a piece of nature no matter where they’re lit. In a world that has plenty of stuff, it’s nice to see work that deserves that place on the mantel and a shop that keeps it personal. 

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