The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - The Telegraph Magazine
House style
Light up your life
WITH AUTUMN AROUND the corner, how we light our homes is entering our minds once again. And these days, it seems, lamps can do more than simply illuminate a room.
The newest innovation from Ikea is a table lamp that doubles as a Wi-fi speaker, the result of a collaboration with the tech brand Sonos. The speaker, offering great sound quality, forms the base of the lamp, which is fitted with a mouth-blown glass shade. Specifically aimed at smaller, modern homes, the range also includes a bookshelf speaker that can stand alone, be hung from a hook or be mounted on the wall, to act as a handy shelf or bedside table. Both come in black or white and can be used independently or in tandem, so you can have different sounds playing in different rooms, or the same thing playing all over the house.
Also taking advantage of new technology is a range of cordless lamps by Alexander Joseph, designed to be moved around the house or out into the garden as needed. The lamps look a lot less techy than most existing cordless options, with ceramic or glass bases in a selection of colours, and a choice of silk shades. They also have an impressive battery life, lasting for up to 52 hours between charges.
But if modern technology leaves you longing for a simple decorative lamp, there are plenty to choose from in the autumn collections. Pooky, a favourite with interior designers, allows you to mix and match lamp bases and shades in an array of different styles – the latest include brightly coloured ceramic bases, and shades in marbled paper or block-printed cotton.
Meanwhile, for pure glamour, try the Zelda, one of upscale lighting brand Porta Romana’s newest designs, with an amber blown-glass base that will bring a maximalist ’70s vibe to your home when the nights start to draw in.