House style

Bright ideas that’ll bring new life to any space

The bright future of lighting

IF THE DARK DAYS of January are starting to take their toll, consider updating your lighting to give your home a little extra glow. It’s one of the quickest ways to transform a room, but something many of us overlook, or struggle to get right. One thing’s for sure: a single depressing overhead light is not going to make you feel uplifted on a grey afternoon, while a combination of ceiling lights, wall or floor lamps, and task lights will allow you to ‘layer’ your illumination, depending on the time of day. The number you need depends of course on the size of the space, although interior designer Abigail Ahern insists that any room requires at least eight light sources in order to create a ‘magical atmosphere’.

A new collection by young British lighting designer Sarah Colson for Debenhams could help to add a touch of magic, at high-street prices. Colson was inspired by the shapes and structures of natural quartz when creating her Prism range, which comprises crystal-shaped ceiling and table lamps in a soft palette of pale pink, Blue and grey (from £90).

Gestalt, a brand launched last year, is similarly producing innovative creations. Its elegant first collection includes chandeliers, wall lights and table lamps with ceramic bases, brass stems and precision-cut crystal shades that are faceted to refract the light (from £249). Also giving a modern update to classic styles is Bert Frank, whose new range debuts at the Maison&objet design show in Paris this weekend. Its distinctly art-deco aesthetic is applied to a spherical pendant light, disc- shaped table lamp and tubular wall light (from £295), made using fluted brass, marble and opal (opaque) glass.

Finally, something that might appeal to minimalists is the new Beem collection by Samuel Wilkinson, designer of the classic low-energy Plumen bulb, who has once again produced a light in which the bulb itself is the star. Available in the shape of a smile, a coil or a simple straight line, his lamps (from £58) look best grouped together, over a dining table or kitchen island, and will add a playful air to a gloomy day.