Lamps often may be among the last items purchased for a home but they are the jewelry of interior design; the illuminating accessories that complete a room. “There’s no better way to make a space feel more personal than using layers of light,” said Sarah Fretwell, president of SJF Interiors in Rockville. “Lamps can provide task or ambient lighting. Instead of having one single overhead light in a room put a lamp on a dresser or a floor lamp next to a chaise.”
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| www.traceygloverstudio.com |
| www.curreycodealers.com |
| www.sjfinteriors.com |
As with any accessory, the beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder. “There aren’t a whole lot of rules,” Fretwell said. “It all depends on style.”
One trend she loves is two-tiered lamp shades, in which an inner shade may be opaque with a solid or translucent outer shade.
Another option is creating lamps out of personal items, such as porcelain vases. Fretwell gets help from Brass and Copper Shoppe in Frederick, Md., which repairs light fixtures and can convert all types of items into lamps.
“Some of the best accessories vendors are coming up with lamps. They are doing some really cool things,” Fretwell said.
Bethanne Matari of Atlanta-based Currey and Co., said she’s seen an increase in the request for lamps made from natural materials.
“Anything reused or recycled is in demand,” Matari said. “We’ve done driftwood, recycled glass and all types of recycled woods.”
Matari said even if not made from natural materials, people want nature-inspired design, such as Currey’s Midwinter table lamp that has a wrought iron twiglike base topped with a natural burlap shade. A Mulberry table lamp features wrought iron topiary with carved wooden birds perched on limbs.
“The lamp shades are often what we call ‘farm chic,’ made from natural linens or burlap,” Matari said.
Although shades come in all colors and it is trendy to go bold, designers advised buyers to be careful using darker colors that might look great during the day but do not put out much light at night.
Some lamps are more than accessories, becoming focal points of the home. Tracy Glover, a New York artist, creates hand-blown glass creations that sparkle like gems.
“Overhead lighting can be harsh. Lamps can create a mood. They can also delineate areas in the room, especially if they are beautiful, because they will become the focal point,” said Glover, who believes you can even design a room around a lamp.
“We love customers who do that, and have worked with many,” Glover said. “You start with a shape and color combination that you like and choose the rest of the colors around that lamp. Naturally, I do that in my home!”
Lamps can also be displayed as art.
“Isolating a lamp on a table, without any surrounding clutter, automatically elevates it as special, if it is already beautiful,” Glover said. “The light attracts the eye and, hopefully, the lamp lives up to the attention!”
