I’m in the market for a new desk lamp, and these lamps from Breeze Block caught my eye last week while I was browsing Etsy. Now, I fear I am becoming a bit of a repurposing cynic after looking for recycled products day in and day out, but I like these lamps. Yes, the only repurposed element is the spray can itself, all the other hardware is newly manufactured. But here’s the thing: these lamps are elegantly designed, awesome-looking, and they don’t try to turn the repurposed element in their design into something other than what it is.

That spray can is front and center, unlike some pendant lamps I’ve seen from bottles or recycled cardboard where you need to look closely for the material reuse to be apparent.

And unlike pendant lamps (because yes, there are also spray can pendant lamps out there as well), these lights put the trash right at my level. I’m going to be holding that can in my hand when I swivel that lamp, and I’m going to be thinking about the fact that that can is in my hand and not in the trash.

To my creative side, these lamps are just really cool looking, and get me excited about making things, which is exactly what I want (yes, I am demanding) from a desk lamp. To my sustainable side, these lamps are a constant reminder that we need to be conscious of what we’re using, and where it is going, all the time.