As much as the choices we make about colour, the way we choose to light our homes is an expression of who we are. If that’s not pressure enough, lighting can also make or break the atmosphere of a room. Lighting, as we know instinctively, also impacts our moods and by extension our wellbeing.
Haven’t we all felt it? That almost religious awe you get when you’re walking through a city at dusk and you look into a beautiful drawing room? What is it that defines the room’s beauty? The furniture artfully arranged around a fireplace? The artwork on the walls? Of course. But more powerfully and elusively, the beauty is in the lighting.
Lampscaping is the art of creating beauty through lighting. I suspect that human beings have been doing it, more or less consciously, since we lived in caves. The Romans lit their homes and their streets with oil lamps and when Haussmann rebuilt Paris in the mid-19th century, he added more than 20,000 gas lamps to light his wide, elegant boulevards. His mantra, as he rebuilt the City of Light, was “Light before all else.”
In the decade since I began making lampshades, I’ve come to realise that my job is not just about choosing the right lampshade or light fitting. It’s about fathoming the particular relationship that a person has with their home, and then helping them to curate their lighting needs accordingly.
Take the kitchen, a room that’s all about functionality and is a notoriously difficult area to light. Approach it’s design from a lighting perspective first and foremost – much like Haussman but on a slightly less grandiose scale. Divide it, not so much in terms of living space but of lighting space. Create different lighting moods for different areas.
For larger kitchens, it helps to think in terms of three distinct zones – where you cook, where you eat and where you sit. Each zone invites a different lighting response. For the cooking area, the ubiquitous ‘spot’, much as I dislike them, is extremely practical. Whether they were there when you moved into your home or you put them in yourself, strive towards the goal of switching them all off – probably at that magical moment that is nightfall – with the flick of an off-switch, transforming your functional kitchen into a warm and alluring space.
Add light fittings to walls adjacent to your dining table to create a delineated but intimate atmosphere. They will help push the focus towards the table, which you can illuminate with cordless lamps and candles of different heights. I sourced my wall lights after a long and rather impatient wait here. Similar can be bought here. Don’t worry if you haven’t got integrated wiring in place, there are solutions involving pretty flexes.
Lingering briefly on the topic of wiring, I would recommend investing a bit of time in finding someone who can fix up any lamps you have or find. It will relax you to know that there isn’t any reason for you not to make that spontaneous antique shop purchase or repurpose what you already have, and you may be surprised by how satisfying rifling through treasures in your local thrift shop will become. On a recent trip to Paris, I bought a fabulous pair of pineapple sconces from the Saint Ouen market, which are now sitting with my wiring guy waiting to be brought to life.
For your kitchen’s seating area, consider introducing lighting at levels close to head height when you’re seated, so that your lamps and their lampshades feel part of any gathering. Add a scissor lamp to the wall behind your armchair or possibly a floor table lamp beside it. In place of a side table, I added a pretty radiator cover for a lamp, a book, a mug of tea or a glass of wine. If space allows, think about a drinks tray illuminated with wall candle sconces.
Small kitchens, far from being a disadvantage, can present a real opportunity for inventive lighting. Think of your galley kitchen as a canvas for your creativity. It’s not necessarily about buying new, but about reassessing what you have. Adding a very simple downward facing wall light above a picture will add both atmosphere and depth. If you have an island, include a touch of character by placing a lamp and lampshade, not just above it, but on top of it – I like this table lamp very much.
Don’t be afraid to move things around. Invest in a smallish lamp that you can deploy to different spaces. For dinner parties, I started putting away my oversized toaster and filling the space with a little lamp and was surprised by how much pleasure it gave me. Allow the lamps and lampshades you choose for your kitchen to invoke a bit of character. Let them be playful but not too shouty or difficult to live with (because you need to get along with your lamps).
With a few thoughtful tweaks, Lampscaping can elevate your kitchen from amicable functionality to a space full of warmth, charm and self-expression. A place to linger and unwind.
To find out more about Rosi’s Lampscaping service, or any bespoke lampshade requirements you may have, do get in touch with her here.
