This month on the blog, we’ll be discussing one of our favourite decor items: stylish lamps!
We’ve talked about lighting on this blog before and we’ll undoubtedly talk about it again next year too! This is because we know it is such an important part of any house. No matter what room you’re working on, styling or simply updating, you cannot forget about lighting.
“Because lighting makes such a statement in a room, it should be incorporated into a design scheme from the beginning”.
Marcia Zia-Priven, lighting designer
There are a couple of things we mentioned in our last lighting blog that I will reiterate just briefly here at the beginning. We’re doing this because it’s so important to get it right.
You will often hear about layering your lighting. This is referring to the different types of lighting:
- general lighting – usually overhead or wall mounted
- task lighting – think desk lamps and cabinet lighting in kitchens
- accent lighting – the fun lighting used to highlight an area or object like art
A balance of all 3, specific to each room and how you use it, is key for getting the lighting right in your home.
Now, let’s talk about stylish lamps!
We believe that a good lamp can be a real ‘hero’ piece in a room and help tie in all your decor and accessories.
Before we dive into some of the stylish lamps on the market now, we need to make sure you know how to style them!
Stylish lampshades that make a statement
There are so many gorgeous lamps out there that they can almost work as a piece of art, with pride of place on a mantlepiece or a side table.
Print is huge right now and the bolder the better. But, some of us are a little afraid of pattern and colour. Thankfully, lampshades a perfect place to dip your toe into the print scene.
If you are all for bold prints and know exactly the look you are going for, why not find the fabric and then get your local upholsterer to make the lampshades for you. You can always give it a go yourself by covering an old lampshade!
Don’t forget, you can mix different patterns across your decor as long as one is larger than the other.
Matching your lamp bases
If you’ve gone for a patterned lampshade, you’ll want your lamp base to be a solid colour. Pick a colour that already features heavily in the room, such as your walls or curtains, to tie everything together. You can also pick just one of the hues from the patterned shade and copy it for the lamp base.
The size of your lamp base is also really important. When shopping for fun, new lampshades, you’ll need the length of your lamp base to compare it against. It should be a similar size when the lampshade is on its side.
Positioning your lamp
Just because your lamp has become the centerpiece of your room, doesn’t mean you should forget its purpose!
Position the light carefully to make sure it’s either serving its purpose. If it is for task lighting, say for a reading nook or office desk, then make sure the lamp is high enough to let the light fall where you need to see.
If you are going for mood lighting, make sure that your lamps are positioned in just the right place to create their own pool of light while also complimenting any other lights. The best way to do this is to wait until the evening and move the lamps around until you feel the light is falling exactly the way you want it. You’d be amazed how much difference even a few inches makes when positioning lamps.
You can also get help with the mood lighting by using a different strength of lightbulb or having your lights put on a dimmer.
Where to buy lamps and lampshades
Our absolute favourite brand when it comes to buying lamps for our clients and ourselves is Australian designers Bragg & Co. We use at least one Bragg lamp in each home we style or stage!
With so many different beautiful combinations of lampshades and lamp bases, you can really customise the perfect lamp for your room. Plus, they have some of the amazing bold prints we love so much!
Here are a few of our favourites right now:
Tortoise Shell Double Gourd Lamp with White linen Lampshade
Marshmellow Pink Onion Lamp with Ottoman Dream Pink Lampshade
Onion and Gourd Coral Lamps from Bragg & Co’s Colour Pop Collection
French Grey Double Gourd with Leaf Lampshade
If you’d like to buy any of these lamps and lampshades, then please get in touch with us to custom order your perfect combination from Bragg & Co or book a styling consultation with us for the full styling package.
