People think I’m nuts when I say I love winter–and especially all the darkness. I’m not prone to sullenness. I just happen to welcome a season of indoorsmanship and introspection.
And about the darkness, I say it’s really about light. At no other time of year does man-made candescence look better. Think about it: a family room lit by a roaring fire. A dining room aglow by chandelier.
We’re talking mood here. And nothing takes you there faster than creative lighting, by far the most underrated and overlooked decorating tool of all.
The good news is that inspired lighting needn’t be difficult or costly. You won’t need to call an electrician for any of the ideas listed in this story.
Instead, we summoned prominent designers and people who know lighting from around the world and asked them to share a doable idea that has the power to transform a room. Many of them passed along tricks they have tried in their own homes. And then we rounded up a few innovative products with some powers of their own. (More bright ideas and sources for products shown here are listed inside.)
Hit the floor, Jack
“We sell it [Jack, which is shaped like an oversize toy jack] as three different types of products. One is a lamp. You can also sit on it. You could also get a piece of round glass cut for it, and it could be a table. . . . I have one in my bedroom, and I use it as a night light. There is one version that glows in the dark. It glows for about a half-hour after you turn it off.”
–David Shearer, founder of Totem Design, a New York design store, and its spinoff, Totem Gallery
Multiplicity
“I was designing a candleholder, and I was reminded of one of those holders with a little mirror on the back to reflect. I made that into a new design. This mirror is very fantastic because it multiplies the light with more candles than you really have. . . . At home, I use lots of candles. I have a huge, big chandelier from the south of France with colored glass, and I put all these candles in it all the time. It takes me 40 minutes to light the thing, but it’s worth it.”
–Paola Navone
Designer, Milan
Naked truth
“I like to use these Edison bulbs bare. (Translation: No lampshade. Be brave. Take it off.) They’re reproductions of early bulbs, and they’re wonderful because you can look directly at them without them needing to be a 4- or 5-watt thing. . . . The filament has a beautiful amber glow. It’s almost like candlelight or gaslight. Try them in table lamps, floor lamps, lamps up high on top of chests or armoires. They look especially good in metal lamps. . . . Also try them in sconces and chandeliers with a glass shade.”
–Thomas O’Brien, principal, Aero Studios, New York, and creator of furniture collections for Hickory Chair and bath fixtures for Waterworks.
Here are more room-transforming lighting ideas from prominent designers and people who know lighting from around the world:
Star light
From Gretchen Bellinger, fabric designer, New York (suggests using “In a Twinkling” to cover a headboard or throw pillow, if you aren’t so bold to go full sofa with it):
“Some people say they are going to call me Miss Glitz. [She’s referring to all the shimmery fabrics she has introduced, including “In a Twinkling,” a plush wool that looks as though it were dusted with glitter.]
“But I call it `tailored glitz.’ It’s not flashy. It’s restrained. And with anything that’s sparkling, it depends on how it’s lit. That’s when it really sings.”
(“In a Twinkling” fabric costs about $105 a yard list price through designers and architects at Pranich & Associates, 1804 Merchandise Mart, Chicago, 312-755-1820.)
Master of illusion
From Jordan Mozer, president, Jordan Mozer & Associates, Chicago (known for his hip restaurants and nightclubs).
“One good trick to make a small room appear larger is to illuminate the corners with up-lighting. Torchieres, sconces, table lights. The way one perceives the size of a room is by understanding the edges. Corners tend to be dark.”
More, more, more
From Andree Putman, interior designer, Paris (did the redesign of the Morgans hotel in New York, where the bathroom mirror becomes a friend–the lighting is magical):
“One recent evening a friend of mine counted 14 little lamps in the same room of my house. It’s a loft, a big room. I have all kinds of little lamps that, by themselves, do not give so much light. But they give a kind of charm to special spots in the room. When you want to read, . . . you need a very good light. But otherwise, I suggest you use low-watt bulbs, and instead of having two or four lamps, have maybe 10.
“The lamps must have charm and style and quality, but they can be very modest. . . . You don’t need pairs. You don’t need these stupid ideas about symmetry that create so much boredom.”
Looking good
From Steve Goldmacher, spokesman, Philips Lighting Co.:
“Rather than light mirrors from above, which can create unflattering shadows on your face, light both sides of the mirror evenly for a balanced spread of light. . . . Use frosted bulbs for a diffused, softer light.”
Light as art
From Helen Maria Nugent, Scottish-born artist/designer with HAELO Design in Chicago and a teacher at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago:
“My shelves are illusionist. People don’t know how the color is made. It’s very simple. It’s just a reflection.
“When light from above hits the shelf, the filter that is sandwiched in between the glass splits the light into complementary colors. It’s basically color theory made visible. The pattern I etch onto the glass causes the pattern in the reflection.
“Turn off the light and all the color goes away. It’s just a shelf again.”
Let the love shine
From Clodagh, Irish-born, New York-based designer and feng shui goddess. She currently is designing a line of love lights that will hit the market in the next nine months–“the proper gestation period,” says the designer who did Robert Redford’s New York City penthouse:
“I use a love light. [In bedrooms. For clients.] It’s a little light you can hopefully switch on from the door when you walk in. So in case you have amorous thoughts, you can pounce on each other without having to adjust the lighting. That can be so off-putting; the whole plot is given away.
“We’ll just use a very small, 25-watt bulb in a lovely kind of pale amber globe [a bedside light, a sconce, not a ceiling light]. It’s a nice warm color. Everybody’s skin looks good.”
Multifaceted lighting
From Erich Bockley, product marketing manager for tungsten halogen lights at Osram Sylvania:
“I replaced the standard chandelier bulbs in my dining room and hallway with Crystal bulbs. The bulbs are faceted like a crystal decanter. The facets act like prisms. . . . When you turn them on, you see sparkles all over the walls. The rooms come alive.”
In the spotlight
From Gregory Kay, president of Tech Lighting until the end of the year (he sold his business, but is set to open Light Matrix, a 11,000-square-foot, contemporary lighting emporium with a 4,000-square-foot roof deck to showcase outdoor lighting, at 215 W. Chicago Ave., in June:
“When I was single and dating, I used to walk into a woman’s house and immediately start adjusting the lights. It would drive me crazy. People’s eyes should automatically go to what you want them to see in a room–and that should be lit. So if you hang art on the walls, make sure you adjust your lights. Put a spot or flood light on a great painting. Or, get a picture light that you can plug in and then hide the cord with a plastic cord cover.”
Color enhancement
From Kathy Presciano, lighting specialist at GE Lighting, Cleveland:
“Enrich [special incandescent bulbs from GE Lighting] are really neat. There’s an element–neodymium–added to the glass when the glass is being formed. When you turn the light source on, the neodymium actually filters yellow. By filtering out the yellow, it makes reds [and woods in the room] look real vibrant, real deep, real rich. . . . I use them in my bedroom where I have rose and bluish-green colors.”
HOW TO BUY LIGHT
Here’s how to buy the lighting products shown on the cover:
The Ritratto candleholder/mirror from Paola Navone for Casamilano has a removable tank/shelf in matte nickel steel. The 19 1/2-inch-square size costs $445 and the 31-by-13 1/2-inch rectangular size is $475 at Luminaire, 301 W. Superior St., 312-664-9582.
Carbon filament bulbs (replicas of the original Edison bulbs) can be ordered for $13 apiece in 30 and 60 watts through Tech Lighting, 300 W. Superior St., Chicago, 312-944-1000.OK ETM Aero, 132 Spring St., New York, NY 10012, 212-966-1500OK ETM, sells 30-, 40- and 60-watt Edison replica bulbs for $20 apiece and a longer-size, 40-watt bulb for $25.
The Brushed Steel Spiral Accent Lamp (referred to as the Birdcage Lamp) from Alsy Lighting costs $29.99 at most Linens ‘n Things stores. It stands 17 1/2 inches tall and comes with a rice paper shade (we left the shade off). Call 800-LNT-8765 (800-568-8765) for the nearest store, or visit the Web site at linensnthings.com.
The Jack lamp/chair/table from British designer Tom Dixon for Eurolounge measures 18 inches long, wide and high. The plastic fixture comes in a number of colors, including a phosphorescent model that glows in the dark after it is switched off. Jack costs $395, plus about $30 to ship, from Totem Design, 71 Franklin St., New York, NY 10013, 888-519-5587; or visit the Web site totemdesign.com.
— Karen Klages
LEARN MORE ABOUT LIGHTING
For more information on how to better light your home, check out:
– The Web site, www.gelighting.com. It’s one of the best home-related Web sites we have seen. Type Virtual House in the Quick Search box and then click on it in the menu that comes up and take a lighting tour of every room in this not-so-imaginary house, which the GE folks souped up with dazzling lighting techniques and tricks. Special e-technology allows you to spin 360 degrees through each room. Click on individual lamps and lights for more information. Want to see what the room would look like with different lighting? Click on GE Virtual Lighting Designer; select from a menu of general, accent and decorative lighting options; and see the same room in a new light–literally.
– Fine Homebuilding magazine (January 2001 issue). Architect and contributing editor Sarah Susanka penned a wonderful piece on lighting in her “Drawing Board” column. She gets into the nitty-gritty of recessed, wall-mounted, ceiling-mounted and track lighting.
— Karen Klages
