Shine a light: designer bulbs

Another wonderful thing we inherited in our new house is a trio of exceptionally ugly light fittings. Complete with rattan fans and frosted glass flower-shaped shades. These old fittings now have new - and enormous - energy saving light bulbs protruding from them too. I'm all in favour of being green where possible, but why can't bulbs also be design conscious?

Enter Plumen. Their shaped bulbs remind me of the swirling light patterns you make with sparklers in the darkness on Bonfire Night. They're £19.95 and last up to eight times as long as standard bulbs.  Make sure you select the correct fitting and the right voltage when ordering as they differ from country to country.

John Lewis have a number of decorative bulbs and my favourite is this smoked glass Goldline Globe, £12, from the Calex series.  It looks like the sort of thing that pops up over your head when you have a particularly brilliant idea.

If you're willing to do more than just cosmetic changes, these fantastic retro fittings from Trainspotters have Bakelite bulb holders and a smart matt black metal ceiling rose.  At £48 each, they come in a variety of flex colours and lengths and you'll need to have them fitted by a qualified electrician.  They scream 'retro kitchen' to me.

Now to get that ceiling fan down...