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Turned off is the new turned on: Decorative home lighting for all year round

Anya Cooklin-Lofting
Thursday 12 July 2018 09:11 BST
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The Mirror Ball Stand Chandelier demands attention in any interior scheme, and is just as eyecatching when switched off
The Mirror Ball Stand Chandelier demands attention in any interior scheme, and is just as eyecatching when switched off

Each summer, lamps become redundant relics of the cooler months gone by. That is, however, just the uninteresting variety, forgettable in stature and unoriginal in style.

These are the kind of lamps that, once turned off, slip into the background of your design scheme leaving a general lacklustreness about your home.

While in the winter they may provide a warm, golden glow in the cosy corners of your home, they simply serve to waste floor or surface space in the summer.

Below are some great examples of lighting ideas that will accommodate your design needs all year round. From table to pendant lights, the below styles show that gorgeous lamps can be equally as showstopping in a design scheme when turned off as they are when turned on.

Soren Ravn Christensen founded Scandinavian lighting brand Vita Copenhagen, in 2008 to explore the possibilities of creating more affordable, innovative and design-led lighting in the hospitality industry.

The brand is now celebrating its 10th anniversary of creating lamps that look just as good off as they do switched on. This is one of the key principles for Christensen when designing the collections. He said: “A key consideration for lighting is to ensure it serves a purpose and that it does so elegantly, but without stealing all of the attention, yet still makes you gaze in amazement.

The Nimbus Cascade proves the pairing of marble and metal is a match made in design heaven 

“It should always look equally as good turned off as it does on, which is important when rooms are used during the day and night.”

The new Asteria collection absolutely embodies this notion of 24/7 beauty, 365 days a year. Available in six different colours, why not create a cluster of coloured Asterias at different levels above a dining table, or hang three above a kitchen island?

CTO Lighting is a British manufacturer of gorgeous, contemporary lights that prove the pairing of marble and metal is a match made in design heaven. Using satin brass, bronze, alabaster and hand blown glass, the brand draws natural and architectural inspirations through using both organic and contrived forms.

Ruby Red Asterias work well clustered over a dining table, from €199 (Vita Copenhagen)

The table lights are undeniably ornamental, while the pendant lights are majestic. They sprawl, drop and often provide irresistible symmetry and geometry to a space. A particular favourite is the Nimbus Cascade, which boasts a two metre drop of hand formed glass droplets.

From pendants to floor lamps, Tom Dixon’s Mirror Ball Stand Chandelier in Gold demands attention in any interior scheme. The bubbling structure is just as eyecatching when switched off as when each of its orbs is illuminated.

According to the brand, the mirror balls were originally designed with a highly mirrored finish, causing the piece to disappear into its environment. Instead, here we have what could be described as Midas’s own floor lamp, golden from top to toe.

Porta Romana’s Duck Feet Lamp is a modern icon of contemporary design. As beautiful as it is bizarre, this lamp is a sculpture first, and a lighting solution second.

Porta Romana cites a range of influences for this particular design, including the Oppenheim crane leg table, a couture exhibition at the V&A, and a Dior dress made from ostrich feathers.

So omit the ordinary, banish the banal and go bold with your lighting. Let’s treat our lamps like pieces of art, to be enjoyed and admired all year round. How’s that for a lightbulb moment?

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