New York designer Vilma Farrell creates her eco-friendly lamps and lamp shades by hand, from recycled coffee filters. Light passed through the patterns of stains on the used filters produces a wide array of unique, atmospheric lighting patterns.

Farrell, a former journalist, constructs each handcrafted lighting fixture from scratch; building each lamp’s frame by hand-cutting and assembling a wire cloth frame which is then covered with recycled (hand cleaned) coffee filters.

The lamps feature either their natural coffee-stained coloration, or subtle color variations created by dyeing the shade with spices or vegetable coloring.

Recycled filters can also be applied to clear glass lampshades. buy @ the Lampada Etsy shop

Related: more eco home decor discoveries from The Alternative Consumer