Maris Jansons' customized unique lamps and furnishings will illuminate your motif

Need a unique lamp that looks like a soccer ball for your child? Or a mantel piece to help you reminisce about the 60's?

Imagine if you could get your child's soccer cleat or skate, that he wore when he scored his first goal, mounted onto a unique lamp. What if you could have any type of unique lamp, coat rack, trophy, or home furnishing custom-made for ANY occasion, room décor, or office space?

You couldn't find a unique lamp like this in retail, could you? Well, now you can!

Maris Jansons started as a directory of photography for the film business in Toronto. Known for his work in such movies as the 1981 production "Quest for Fire," Maris is fully accredited by the Canadian Society of Cinematographers, and is an expert in unique lamp and home furnishing designs. Maris' background began with the design and development of stage props, such as electrical lamps, to achieve special effects in the movie industry. Because of this background, he learned exactly how to transform light into different states, how to apply this to a unique lamp, and he learned how to optimize lighting conditions to augment any room's environment.

Maris started building furnishings as a hobby for his family. He built unique lamps, coffee tables, and end tables, each with distinct themes. For example, one of his first projects was to build a coat hanger out of pool cues and pool balls, which was perfect for his basement den's pool table. He then proceeded to build a unique lamp out of beer bottles and an ice bucket, using synthetic plastics to mimic the look and lighting properties of ice. At times, his family thought that he was crazy, but he truly believed that he was on to something big.

Maris' company, Tin Tin's, went on to sell many of his unique lamps and lighting innovations to Living Lighting, high-end boutiques like AutoGrotto (in the distillery district of Toronto), and from his online store at AlgraShopping.com (www.algrashopping.com/tintins/). He currently offers a full product line from his online store, and he also offers customized services from his website.

Just to give you an idea of how unique his designs are, one of Maris' most interesting projects was for a mantel piece which comprised a cowboy boot on a log, with a Jack Daniel's bottle, wherein the Jack Daniel logo was branded right on the log. Maris is the first to admit, however, that he has received some extremely peculiar customized orders. His strangest order to date was for a customized unique lamp that was meant as a wedding present for a groom who was an ambulance driver, and a bride who was a blood technician. His client actually asked for an old die-cast ambulance Cadillac mounted on top of 150 vials of blood. When asked about this project, Maris jokingly admits that the trick behind this visual effect was the strobe light behind the blood (i.e. coloured water), which made it look eerily realistic.

The secret behind Maris' success is the fact that he is able to incorporate any type of part into his designs. Hence, not only are each one of his designs unique, but all of his creations are environmentally-friendly.

"I do my part to preserve the environment by always re-using, whenever possible, items that have seen its days. For example, I get my aluminum from used car parts, and I create sports memorabilia from used sports equipment. In this way, I'm doing my part to save wasted landfill space and extend the life of discarded merchandise."

Throughout the years, however, Maris has picked up a lot of tips and tricks, especially when it comes to cutting through glass and metal. Highly skilled with his hands, Maris prides himself at being able to make everything out of anything. Like a skilled artisan, Maris cuts, weaves, welds, and drills in his workroom, always working on his art and his craft. For Maris, this is more than just a hobby. It's a lifestyle. And he just loves the look on the customer's faces when they experience one of his unique lamp creations for the first time.

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