Never heard of them? You can be forgiven for not recognizing the name, although Lampe Berger has been a European staple since 1898.
That's when Maurice Berger, a pharmaceutical chemist in Paris, set himself a mighty task: He would create a lamp to eliminate odours, fill a room with fragrance, kill mould and bacteria and be beautiful and functional at the same time.
You can understand his reasoning, since it could get rather "close" in Paris in the summer, and indoor plumbing was a relatively new invention, reserved for royalty.
So the introduction of the Lampe Berger was greeted with joy and appreciation, and it wasn't long before the diffusers were being sold around the world.
It wasn't just the function that earned such praise. Each lamp is as carefully crafted as a perfume bottle or a crystal decanter. There's every colour and style you can think of, from traditional and contemporary to art deco, Oriental and mid-century.
The company uses every medium that fits that style, from crystal and stonewear to fine Limoges porcelain.
There are also more than 40 different scents in the Maison de Parfums collection.
You choose what mood you want to evoke and what scent you'll use to achieve it. Wildflowers growing in the garden? A day at the beach? The aroma of cookies baking in grandma's kitchen.
Using it is amazingly easy. All you have to do is fill the lamp with fragrance, insert the wick and let it soak for 20 minutes. Light the catalytic burner for just two minutes and then extinguish it. You're now good to go.
It takes about 45 minutes to freshen up to 300 square feet of living space. When it reaches the scent level you want, just replace the cap for another day.
While we love the look of these lamps, we are just as pleased by their safety. The burner is lit for mere minutes, so unlike candles and plug-ins, there's no fear of fire. And the scent is pure perfume; there are no chemicals.
The claim is that the lamps kill up to 68 per cent of airborne bacteria, and help eliminate germs and moulds as they purify the air. All that happens before the units begin dispensing fragrance.
While we can't confirm that, we do know several allergy sufferers who say they believe the air quality in their homes has improved because of them. Given all that, adding a Lampe Berger to your to-do list sounds like a great way to get ready for winter.
--Canwest News Service
