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Something designer Stefani Stein said offhandedly in the Moe’s Home trends panel I moderated last month had me quickly opening another tab in my browser (the telltale sign you’ve received a can’t-forget recommendation). We had been talking about 2025 trends, but this was advice for a lifetime: “For me, everything has to be Tala bulbs,” she said. “It’s the only [lightbulb] where the dimming works correctly and doesn’t flicker and the color is not too cool.”
Ever since I moved into my New Jersey home a couple years ago, the rice paper globe above our dining room table always flickered when we turned the dimmer switch to the highest setting, despite swapping out the lightbulb for a new one. I’d put off dealing with it, figuring I was going to need an electrician to come inspect the wiring. We ate meals in semi-darkness until Stein sparked, well, a lightbulb moment. Was the brand of bulb the problem?
Eager to test her theory, I ordered the British company’s Sphere II E26 dim-to-warm LED bulb with my fingers crossed. The price—$34 for one—was high, but I was desperate for an easy fix. Then came the thrilling first flip of the switch after I installed it. As Stein promised, there wasn’t a flicker to be seen, just a steady golden glow.
If you’re wondering what’s so special about these lightbulbs, so was I. Bertie Pleass, Tala’s engineering director, gave me a rundown. The long and short of it: the components that control the voltage and current and store the bulb’s power are specifically designed to keep the supply smooth and steady. “We achieve flicker levels of less than five percent, which is considered by the industry to be ‘flicker-free’—even lower than traditional incandescent bulbs,” Pleass notes. Stefani Stein, you now have my eternal gratitude for pointing me to this find.
Here are a few other Tala shapes and styles I’m now eyeing for the rest of my house:
This smaller version of the one I bought is the perfect size for table lamps.
A slightly brighter bulb (540 lumens) that’s ideal for task lighting.
Okay, this quirky, misshapen bulb is wildly expensive, but it’s basically a piece of art! You definitely wouldn’t want to hide it under a lampshade.
