After becoming frustrated with the expense and poor design of store bought doll house kits, Julie Morringello began designing and building furniture at age 11. Since then, she has studied both Industrial and Furniture Design at the Rhode Island School of Design and started a design studio an island on the Maine coast, where she designs furniture, lighting and accessories. One of her designs that we like a lot is NuNu (pictured above), a table lamp that features interchangeable printed lampshades. Says Moringello, "NuNu’s design represents an across the board attempt to do the most with the least. Its interchangeable diffusers are a simple yet fun way of increasing value for the consumer. The diffuser material itself creates a warm, rich, and surprisingly bright light which is enhanced by the hand-printed pattern. From a production viewpoint, the overall design offers an opportunity to incorporate standardization and customization within the same product." Made from leftover scrap wood and recycled PET plastic sheets, we really like how its simple structure and minimal use of materials makes it easy and inexpensive to manufacture (or even DIY) while allowing for significant levels of customization and multiple looks from the same piece -- just don't forget to drop a CFL in there. Hit the jump to see some of the alternate shades that Morringello has designed. ::Julie Morringello

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