Lighting, as any good designer will tell you, is the definitive power tool in their box of tricks. You may not be planning a complete new overhaul of your lighting design, but there are a few things you can do easily to bring that all important lived-in luxe ambience into your home this Autumn. Take a peek into my box of tricks and discover some quick fixes to lived-in luxe lighting, along with some of my lighting favourites from the delicious selections around this season.
Layering light
Layering is the buzzword in design and guess what? lighting is no exception. To get technical, to create a warm, rich and inviting lighting scheme you need to layer your lighting. There are three kinds of light: ambient, task and accent. These three types of lighting work together to cast a warm overall glow, provide brighter light for specific tasks and enhance areas such as art and architectural features in the space.
Image via Pinterest
A lack of layering or an imbalance is the biggest mistake I see in most homes. Most often sitting rooms are under lit with one single light in the middle of the room, or a couple of wall lights and an odd table lamp. Or worse, the over lit room! The favourite and most dire of the architect’s specification, is the room lit rows of unflattering cold white LED down-lighters, which light and highlight nothing except the floor, I want to run from these rooms screaming!
image Menossi Fotografo, via Pinterest
So what to do?
1. Take Control
The first thing I would suggest is to put as many of your lights as possible on dimmers, this gives you control and allows you to change the mood of the room easily.
2. Turn Up the heat
Change your bulbs. Ensure that your bulbs are of a warm temperature. The temperature of light is measured in degrees Kelvin (K) Warmer light contains more red and cooler light more blue. Candlelight will fall in the range of 1000-1900K and daylight 5000-6000K So the higher the Degrees Kelvin, the whiter the colour temperature. If you are trying to create a warm inviting ambience you will need to stick to nothing cooler than 2700 Kelvin.
3. More is More
We’re back to layers. Create lots of lovely layers of light by adding lots of different light sources. Table lamps, floor lamps, pendants, lampshades, plug in wall lights and of course candles. Adding a wide variety will give you options, you will find you will want different ones on at different times depending on how you want the room to look and feel. It’s important to space them over the room evenly and use different heights to create balance.
4. The Final Layer
Adding dimmers and warming up the temperature of the light are essential to enhancing and adding ambience to a space, but the light source itself can also add another layer of warmth and luxe if they feature rich colours textures. There are a wealth of delicious options out there at the moment, here are some of my favourites…
Consider Coloured glass
Coloured glass can add a wonderful light to a space. Rothschild and Bickers make handmade lights using traditional glass working techniques combining expert craftsmanship with cutting-edge design. This beauty is the Vintage light.
The Vintage Light by Rothschild and Bickers
More bespoke handblown glass lights in bespoke colour combinations can be found at Curiousa & Curiousa
Table Lamp by Curiousa & Curiousa
Crystals
Nothing throws the light and adds glamour like crystals. This fabulous floor lamp by Timothy Oulton is a modern day interpretation of Venetian glass prism chandeliers from the 1960s.
Opulent crystals are contrasted with natural unfinished iron. The range is also available in a table lamps, pendants and flushmounts.
Odeon Floor lamp by Timothy Oulton.
Vintage Glamour
The Coco pendant by Curious Egg has feminine details reminiscent of the 1920’s It’s rich deep hued pleated shade has totally seduced me…
The Coco shade by Curious Egg
Fringe benefits
This wall light from Audenza combines on trend chic brass with a sassy fringe. Added to this it needs no wiring as it simply plugs in!
Brass wall light with Fringing by Audenza
Luxe Velvet texture
Combining three of my most favourite things, mustard, velvet and fringing, this table lamp is a definite favourite for me this year. Texture is key as Abigail Ahern knows well.
Marais Table lamp by Abigail Ahern
The wild side
Animal print has now become a neutral. It combines with almost everything adding, texture, luxe and sass. Rockett St George, have not disappointed this season, with their range of accessories in both an ever popular leopard, as well as a sexy snake skin print, they include a range of varying sizes of lamp shade.
Sexy snakeskin shades by RSG
So now you are fully illuminated, are you ready to try some lived-in luxe lighting ?
Love & light,
