Designers and Manufacturers Combine Fashion with Function
This season, lighting designers and manufacturers combine fashion with function to create decorative lamps and fixtures that do more than simply illuminate. Consumers, too, have seen the light or more appropriately, the lights. Decorative sconces, chandeliers, table and floor lamps in a variety of shapes, styles and finishes elevate a room from drab to dramatic with the flick of a switch.
While traditional, polished brass fixtures still form the central core of the decorative lighting business, a variety of options have become more important in recent years. 'People are accessorizing their homes like women accessorize a dress,' says Roland Benavides, senior vice president of sales for The Stiffel Co. in Chicago, IL. 'The mindset on decorative lighting has changed from thinking of a lamp as a keepsake to considering it more as a home-fashion accessory. People now buy new decorative lighting every few years to update their interior, as opposed to buying one lamp, keeping it forever and passing it down to their kids.'
Stylish offerings allow consumers the opportunity to shed light on their own design personalities. Some lamps boast bases crafted to mimic the branches of a tree. Neo-classic designs, complete with acanthus leaves, ivy and fluting, remember Caesar and the Coliseum. Still others borrow their beauty from the Biedermeier style of the early 19th century for modern-day elan.
Like the rest of the house, decorative lighting reflects our changing lifestyles. 'There is a greater emphasis on informal style in home decor today,' says Joe Rey-Barreau, American Lighting Association Consulting Director of Education and Director of the Lighting and Design Center at the University of Kentucky. 'We are seeing a promotion of that lifestyle through many trends in decorative lighting designs.' Lighting designs follow larger forces, like housing and furniture trends. Today's new homes feature relaxed, open interiors with flowing floor plans and coordinated furniture. Decorative lighting's brightest ideas work to illuminate these spaces. As a result, more homeowners are coordinating lamps and fixtures by room, say industry experts, creating harmonized vignettes that emphasize decorative lighting. Some companies like Minoff Lamp and Ambience, from Cleveland, OH-based Kichler Lighting Group, even offer special collections of decorative lights, lamps, chandeliers and other lighting accessories in coordinating ensembles. Customers can create their own cohesive look by choosing from within the collection.
'The pendulum has swung to simplicity in decor,' says Rey-Barreau. 'This has helped prompt the current trend toward Mission style and Arts & Crafts-inspired decorative lighting.' These two turn-of-the-century styles serve up a selection of lighting with an unpretentious elegance. Metal and hardwood bases combine with angular shades in glass, mica or mica-patterned fabric to re-create the clean lines popularized by designers such as Gustav Stickley and Frank Lloyd Wright. The clean lines of these styles fit into the interior decor of most people's homes. 'This look is different than what's been on the marketplace for some time,' says Murlin C. Barker, president of Arroyo Craftsman, in Baldwin Park, CA., a company known for its Arts & Crafts-inspired designs. 'It matches today's lifestyle -- simple, yet elegant.'
Decorative lighting inspired by the stained glass beauty of Louis Comfort Tiffany continues to gain importance with homeowners as well. Accent and floor lamps, sconces, and chandeliers in cast metal with glass shades in soft tones and floral patterns work well in a variety of settings. 'Tiffany-inspired styles have also done well, but they are more unique, collectible pieces to feature in a home,' says Benavides. Decorative lighting manufacturers depend on such ornamentation and detailing to catch consumer's attention. A homeowner surrounded by pine trees, might choose lamps embellished with pine-needle filigree. Those with square windows might opt for T-bar designs to accentuate that detail. Many companies also offer post and column lights, as well as interior and exterior lights so consumers can continue a chosen theme throughout their property. A variety of shade colors and base finishes allow total coordination of decorative lighting within a home. 'Soft shades are becoming more important as opposed to those with pleats,' says Benavides. Look for other shade materials like Duponi silk, mica and linen, as well as patterns ranging from urbane tapestries to exotic animal prints. Shades of blue, brown and rich black gain importance, balancing the more expected white options.
Finishes are equally varied. 'This season, brushed and satin finishes are important because they soften the hard edges of the design,' says Paul Eusterbrock, president, Holtkoetter International. 'A light's function is to illuminate. Finishes add the decorative touch, allowing the fixture to blend into the decor.' Brushed nickel offers contemporary chic. Antique brass reminisces of a Wyoming lodge. Hammered metal begs to accent lush brocades and East Indian batik prints. 'Bronze and brown finishes are very popular today,' says Barker. 'There is interest in neutrals, pewter for a high-tech look, and patina or verdigris patina, which continues to be important for us.' When shopping for decorative lighting, look for quality, says lighting experts. 'Whether it's furniture, appliances or decorative lighting, if you buy quality, you never need to worry about it,' says Barker.
Decorative Outdoor Lighting
Decorative Outdoor Lighting, Outdoor decorative lighting, decorative outside lighting
No comments:
Post a Comment