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Light for elegant interiors

Light for elegant interiors

What are the more appropriate lights for elegant interiors?

Have you ever dreamed of living in a sophisticated house, that screams luxury and good taste in every room? Don’t worry, your goal is perfectly achievable! First and foremost, light is one of the main factors when comes to define the tone and ambient in a space. Indeed lighting design is something to consider when you aim to make the difference.

Sometimes all you need is to select lights that can attract the attention. Definitely picking the right colours and the right furniture is essential, but I want to show you how simple can be to decorate a room simply with a good piece of design, just a single lamp. To reinforce the idea of how simple it can be, let’s have a look at the room down here. It is an empty room, a window on one side, completely blank canvas. Now let’s try to insert a nice lamp. What about this famous piece, Allegro by Foscarini?

As you can see the room does not look empty anymore, and it is suddenly colourful and warm, reflects of gold are painting the walls. We only added a single light, and done nothing more than that. If you are not quite convinced yet, have a look at these lamps by Curiosa & Curiosa, and imagine one of them in our empty space. Nice and colourful, right?

Select your lighting strategy

But, before even picking the piece you prefer, the first thing to do is to decide what is the right strategy to achieve the desired effect. In fact, the room can change completely based solely on your light design. What are the perfect lights for elegant interiors?

  • Do you want to give focus to a specific area or create a dramatic effect at the centre of your room? A big ceiling lamp or a chandelier can do the trick.

  • Diffuse light is particularly suitable for the spaces designated to relax. Table lamps and floor lamps, in particular, are appropriate for bedrooms and living rooms.

  • If you need more light in a specific area or want to create interest, spotlights and small pendants will do the trick! Perhaps it is too dark to crop the carrots, or to work at your desk. No problem, there are lamps for any taste.

  • Your ceiling is too low and you want to have a feeling of space. Directional lights and uplights are perfect to provide vertical emphasis and lift the space.

What materials should you use?

Once you have decided on what strategy to enact and what light effect you want to achieve, you can select the materials that suit your furniture better. In fact, the lamps should compliment the design and work together with the furniture to shape the room.

We want to create an interior which reflects elegance so brass, gold, copper, aluminium, marble and glass are all materials that give that luxury and sophisticated feeling we re looking for.

Personally, I love glass pendants and have a special passion for translucent marble and alabaster. Particularly, the latter, can be difficult to insert within a space without creating an overachieving and heavy design. But if correctly used, they are a big win and difficult to forget. Glass is easy to insert in any design, with an exception for extremely colourful ones. Metals like brass, copper and aluminium (gold or silver coated) are not very difficult, but they require a bit more of effort to match the rest of the room. The metal lamps come in so many styles and shapes that you need to pick the right fixture to bring the design together.

My favourite lights to create the perfect refined space

This is my personal selection of 10 lights for elegant interiors. Please, enjoy scrolling through!

#1 Mega Bulb gold pendant by &tradition

Materials : Mouthblown glass – porcelain (ceiling rose and bulb holder) and fabric cord. Available in different colours (clear glass, silver glass and gold glass).
This very elegant lamp is perfect for the living room or over your dining table. I can guarantee a very tasteful effect if applied in a row over the kitchen island.

#2 IC W1 Wall light by Flos

Materials : Blown glass opal diffuser. Available in brushed brass or chrome steel.
With a deco feeling, this lamp is perfect in corridors. It will give a nice soft and clear light which contrasts with the brass of the arm, for a refined space.

#3 Olympic LED Wall light by Fabbian

Materials : white painted aluminium structure and plastic material diffuser. The circular diffuser is available in different sizes with led strips along its entire length.
The simple geometry of this piece is simply irresistible. On its own can create patterns and shape a space. Suitable for hall and living spaces, will go better on clean and wide walls.

#4 Stone Pendant by Tom Dixon

Materials : Marble and Brass with brass ceiling rose.
I mentioned my love for marble? Well, needless to say that I love this lamp. It is perfect to create a chic corner. The diffuse light will give a soft accent to any wall.

#5 Astrée Pendant by Hartô

Materials : Blown dark glass and lacquered metal. Available in white too.
The elegant design of this lamp, together with its geometry, will create the nicer contrast against pastel walls. Perfect as a feature piece, will go very well with furniture with simple lines.

#6 Voronoi II bulb pendant by Tala

Materials : Mouth-blown and hand-assembled glass bulb with brass ceiling pendant.
The filaments inside are inspired by the Fibonacci sequence. How cool is that? The golden light they emanate screams luxury.

#7 Design Project No.046 by John Lewis

Materials : Opal and glass with a concrete base and brass details.
This table lamp is perfect for a side table. Whether in the bedroom or next to a nice armchair, its luxurious design will always be a discreet touch of elegance in anybody’s life.

#8 Bell Table Lamp by Tom Dixon

Materials : Hyper-polished pressed steel. Available in copper and steel.
This is probably not suitable for every space, but it will be simply stunning accompanying furniture with a simple line and a minimal design. Love the incredible reflects and the mirror effect.

#9 IC T1 Low Table Lamp by Flos

Materials : Blown glass opal diffuser and brushed brass.
A perfect feature piece for side tables or bedside table, the spherical bulb is floating against the simple brass lines, for the most magic effect.

#10 Mirror Ball Pendant Light by Tom Dixon

Materials : Polycarbonate globe and aluminium. Available in different shapes and finishes.
The futuristic design reminds of the pure white of the interiors of the sci-fi movies from the ’60s. Inspired by a space helmet, it looks like something ready to land on the Moon. Ideal for minimal spaces, It can give the right touch to industrial interiors.

Hope that now you have a better idea and know the correct lights for elegant interiors.

If you liked this list, have a look at some of the other lists I prepared in my ‘Products’ category.

Let’s discover more of the best design for the home and more lighting design together.

My favourite for the season : transparent furniture!

My favourite for the season : transparent furniture!

With the spring blooming all over us and the summer fastly approaching, I just fell in love with the acrylic and glass design. Indeed the only kind of furnishing that will transform the sun sipping through the curtains in pure magic. Let’s all welcome the transparent furniture season!

It is probably not a case that all over the internet it is possible to find all sorts of designs that use a minimalistic approach. They did serve contemporary society well for many years now. However, recent trends stretched the minimal approach to the next level.

Simple lines and clear design is not enough anymore. The world is transforming into a colourful mix of images and people are seeking for new sensations.

The struggle to impress is growing and designers are challenged with the task to create pieces that will satisfy the customers’ desire for an instagrammable life. And here it comes the transparent furniture!

Colourful gradients and pastel nuances are blending with light design to create ambients that, in their simplicity, can be of great suggestion.

Bolt colours and neon effect

The colours on this glass table are brightening the forms like neon lights. they create a dramatic effect that contrasts well against concrete or neutral surfaces.

Patricia Urquiola is not exempt.

In fact, the famous Spanish designer and architect created a collection in collaboration with Glas Italia, which was presented during il Salone del Mobile in Milan in 2015.

The laminated glass comes to life thanks to the changes of the gradients, donating a fresh look to vintage lines. The subtle mirror effect invites the light to play the main role, increasing the reflections and the chromaticism of the space.

The Crystal Series – when geometry emulates the natural world

The same idea permeates the creation of the designer Sae-rom Yoon. His tables are made of dyed acrylic resin in the attempt of emulating the bold shapes and lights of crystals.

What happens if we add artificial light to the equation?

We obtain these amazing lamps! Shadows and colours play together in creating evocative blends over the surfaces. Geometry and minimalism are absolute key players in the Day and Night Light design by Éléonore Delisse.

I completely love the effects the light creates on these pieces. But I have to say that I will not probably be buying any of them as they are likely to be a nightmare to clean (LOL). Just imagining the amount of fingerprints they would collect makes me throw in the towel. But let me know what you think.

Do you want to take part to the trend?

Kartell is probably the undisputed leader brand in the market of the transparent furniture, and some of their pieces – designed by some of the best in the world – are actually icons for all design lovers. Let’s have a look at some of the nicest items, .