When I was in school for design, obviously I was pretty poor, only working in pubs and cafes to support myself part time to make my way. After college, when I started designing homes for a living my frugal lifestyle enabled me to see that great design doesn't have to cost you a great sum of money. So my philosophy became to spend money on the things you wanted to last, couches, tables, chairs...and look for the more trendy aspects like art, rugs, curtains in places where you may be able to spend a bit less. So for today I thought I would talk about lighting. Our distributors used to refer to lighting as the jewelery of your home. And I suppose it is in some ways...it is the sparkle. Now unlike jewelery, it doesn't have to come from a fancy store or designer to be great. Finding a great lamp base somewhere like a garage sale, thrift store or at a chain retailer like Target can give you just as much "pop" as finding one at a more expensive store. Also, to freshen up your home, it's as easy as buying a different lamp shade for your existing bases. Where something was off-white, you could add a darker shade for some elegance, or a colored shade for a pop. What ever your style is, there is something out there for you...sometimes it just takes some leg work to find it.
As you can see above the client matched the style of his ceiling fixture to the table lamps in the room adding to the flow of the space...to unify and anchor the room.
In th interior above, the client used a neutral, black to add to the elegance of the space while keeping the focus on the most important aspects, his settee and the art on the walls. Also note that the space is perfectly symmetrical with the exception of the art, adding whimsy and personality to the space.
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