Mathmos Fireflow

Imagine if Ming the Merciless had a penchant for Fritz Lang inspired ornaments with a retro-modern twist. Then imagine the Planet Mongo was suffering from a power cut. We know it’s hard, so allow us to help by presenting the Mathmos Fireflow.

Ultra-stylish in chrome-finished cast zinc alloy, this mesmerising lava lamp is revolutionary, as it is powered by a simple tea light candle – no electricity required. Simply light the wick and wait for the flame to heat up the hand-filled bottle section. Impressive? It’s a world first.

Before you can say ‘Buck Rogers in the 25th Century’ (well, about 20 minutes) the amorphous glowing goo will start blobbing around in that reassuringly hypnotic fashion, and it will continue to do so until the tea light goes out after approximately 3 hours. Like, crazy, man!

As you can see, the Fireflow’s eye-catching styling is incredibly sleek, combining Jetson’s kitsch with rocket-ish, von Braun lines – hardly surprising as it’s inspired by the 40th anniversary of the moon landings. Houston, we have a design classic.

At 24cm tall, the Fireflow is ideal for desks, dining tables and any other surface in need of a tea-lightfully ironic jush. And because it’s candle-powered you can move it around the house with ease. We guarantee guests will be transfixed. Just one look can easily lull you into a trance-like state. Ommmm…

If you’re over a certain age, all this talk of candles, lava lamps and moon rockets is enough to take you back to the early ‘70s (mmm, vile wallpaper). But don’t let that put you off because the Fireflow isn’t a blast from the past, it’s a complete reinvention. Let the goo gawping commence!