I have recently been working on the interior design of a pub within a very tight budget and have found that the most important thing is lighting. I’m conducting a simple experiment where you begin in the dark and just turn on those lights you actually need to get around the place without tripping over, this way you achieve just enough light to see but also a great ambiance that is natural and cosy. You could also try this at home and at the same time you’ll be saving lots of energy!
I’m a sucker for fairy lights as they are not only pretty in a Gollum like “precious” way, but also versatile and very subtle. They are flattering and create the sort of glamorous effect you might get from a theatrical mirror. These orchid lights would look beautiful above the bed or around a mirror.
Something that I have noticed recently is the back to basics of interior design and in lighting, the simple use of large light bulbs on dimmers. We often shade and disguise light but with simple design elements being pushed to the forefront, the light bulb seems to have come out of the shadows.
The laser bulb, previously featured in the Christmas gift guide is still a firm favourite of mine which you can get from click shop.
The floor lamps that seem to be very on-trend are the brightly coloured variety, which I think you need a lot of guts to place in a room and you certainly cannot be colour shy.
And now, going slightly off track, I came across this series of unique crystal lamps by Pieke Bergmans, with Royal Leerdam Crystal and Solid Lighting.
These light bulbs have been “Infected by the dreaded Design Virus“, creating all kinds of shapes and sizes through blown glass. I love the way they seem to have naturally blobbed and formed according to their surroundings.
And finally a quick peek at another exciting designer who also sees light in a different way – Victor Bodea has created these unique cases for lights to provide a solution to the problem of light dimmers through the sleekly designed Cache Cache lamp, which in French stands for “hidden”. It uses a zipper to control the amount and direction of light.
Feature by Elizabeth Danon
