No need for lamp lust — bring light to your own home
Satisfy a room’s craving for a punch of personality, courtesy of these interesting items
Q I have lamp envy. Last weekend my husband and I stayed at our friend’s home in Boston for the first time. My girlfriend mentioned they used an interior designer to help with the decor, but I wasn’t prepared for just how beautiful their home is. One thing that stood out to me was her gorgeous lamps. I came home wanting to throw out every mediocre lamp I own. Oh, and that’s another thing I realized: I don’t actually have enough lamps. Help!
A I absolutely love purchasing lamps for clients or myself. They’re the finishing touch to an interior and I labour over choosing the correct lamp just like I do drapery fabrics or a new sofa. It sounds like your friend didn’t settle, and the results are apparent. I’m forever recommending to clients or friends to add a lamp here or there. Ambient lighting can take an interior to the next level. Take a walk through your house and look for areas into which you previously hadn’t thought of placing a table ( or floor) lamp. Look at it through the eyes of your friend’s interior designer.
A common mistake people make is thinking lamps have to be purchased in pairs. They don’t. Sometimes a lamp is so spectacular and detailed that placing two of them actually diminishes their visual value. Pictured here, the Metamorphosis is one such lamp. Placed singularly on an entrance console or on a side table in a den, it can look like a work of art.
The Lamont lamp, at 76 and centimetres, is one of my favourite taller lamps. The base of the Lamont lamp features intersecting planes of polished crystal with brass fittings. Perfect in a modern setting or juxtaposing a more traditional interior, I’ve used a pair of these lamps on a dining buffet but they would look equally beautiful in a bedroom.
The Courtship lamp, with a tapered square shade, looks classically elegant. Drum shades — where the top and bottom are the same diameter — are popular and can update most any lamp base.
For added drama, try a black shade like the one pictured here on the Metamorphosis.
The lamps pictured here are topselling lamps in Canada from two of my favourite suppliers — Arteriors ( arteriorshome.com) and Currey Company ( curreycodealers.com). Take a look online to find a dealer near you.
Good luck.