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Most lamp designs stick to a fairly uninteresting template; a base, some sort of lamp shade and a light bulb, preferably LED.

However, some lamps – like the five we've collected together here – choose to defy the norms of conventional lighting design. And we for one are glad they do.

Superpotata By Droog Design

A strange name that’s fitting for a strange lamp. The Superpotata (pictured above) by Droog Design not only looks fun but is full of different uses.

The lamp's soft exterior allows it to be used as a pillow, stress ball or, apparently, "an object to warm your bed," whatever that means.

The lamps come in various different colours and can be stacked to create a rainbow coloured tower. The light intensity of the lamp can be adjusted to be either ambient or direct.

So make a tower, leave them in a pile, or dot them about everywhere – go crazy with the freedom you have with the Superpotata.

'Martyr' Lamp By The Play Coalition

A playful lamp from design studio Play Coalition. It resembles a tiny figure hanging from a plug socket. In fact, it appears to be trying to wrench its own plug from the socket. Odd. Perhaps it’s trying to tell us something.

A similar lamp from the same studio has the same caricature dangling from a ceiling wire armed with a saw, making it appear as if the lamp is attempting to sever its own lifeline.

The energy saving campaign just took an unexpected turn...

Titanic Lamp by Charles Trevelyan

Inspired by the famous ship, this quirky lamp design by Charles Trevelyan looks as though it is sinking right into the surface of your desk, table or night stand with its slanted base – throwing a wash of light across the room.

You could achieve similar results taking a saw to your existing table lamp...but we’re not sure it would be the same.

Silhouette Floating Lamp By LightLight

We know what you’re thinking. Nope, it's not magic; just physics.

The Silhouette Floating Lamp (c’mon guys, you could have named it something better than that?!) by LightLight uses 'integrated levitation technology' with electromagnetic components that allows the top section to hover exactly 3.8cm above the base unit, with nothing but air in-between.

If David Blaine had a table lamp, this would be it.

It also uses LED lighting technology making it energy efficient, and features a brightness function which works simply by touching the lamp.

The Colgao by Enpieza

A little morbid for our taste maybe, but hey, whatever floats your boat!

The Colgao, which literally means "hung" in Spanish, by design firm Enpieza, consists of a little figure that hangs from a frame (obviously). An LED light inside the head provides the illumination. Maybe it’s our martyr from earlier on...

These are just a few of the strange lamp designs we came across while perusing the internet. Have you come across any interesting lamp designs? If the answer is yes, why not share them with us in the comment section below.

And remember, whatever lamp you choose, always use LED light bulbs. They're cheap to run, last longer and are better for the environment.