Lighting is such an important and sometimes underrated element of design. It can transform an
average home to something incredibly elevated without changing anything else in the space. It
impacts the design and overall feeling in a home so much.
We love bringing in beautiful lighting fixtures into every room we touch. But it’s not as easy
as picking out individual pieces — lighting has to “talk” to each other. Just as we must choose
upholstery fabric that correlates with the rugs and drapes, sconces, table lamps, chandeliers and
pendants all need to correspond to one another.
Not only do we have to mind the aesthetics of the lighting, but we also need to consider scale
and size of the room. Lighting is a functional element and needs to give a room (whether
overhead or a task area) plenty of exposure. A lighting plan allows us to understand what
types, how many and what sizes are needed. Once we know what’s necessary, we choose the
overall finish, form and design that makes the fixtures perfectly within our working design of
the overall space.
As far as trends in the design industry go, we’re going through an exciting time where every
style is appreciated and tested. Lighting is no different! We’re seeing lots of antique gilded
fixtures that give that more worn look that we love. I’m also a fan of Polished Nickel and the
classic, fresh aesthetic it brings to homes. Polished Nickel will always be a team player in
more traditional, coastal projects! I feel like nickels got a bad image for the past couple of
years, but the timeless look will always remain and enjoyed for decades.
A major trend hitting the market is texture and different mediums when it comes to lighting.
We’re seeing rattan and wicker make a great presence in the market, along with beaded
chandeliers. Using a natural material brings the warmth and uniqueness to any room. Mixing
mediums is a great way to make your home look like it had the touch of an interior designer
too- so don’t be afraid to use a couple finishes throughout your home. A few rules with that is
sticking to a consistent finish for each room, but letting it flow to other rooms as well. For
example, in this kitchen we used polished nickel for each light source (sink sconces, pendants,
and chandelier), but we used a pendant with a linen shade over one of the islands so not all
fixtures were open and exposed. It makes the room feel warmer and balanced. Flowing into the
sunroom, we selected a chandelier that had a polished nickel canopy, but the fixture itself is a
creamy shell-like texture. This is a great way to tie in the polished nickel finish from the
kitchen but use a different medium as the spotlight!
For powder baths or smaller spaces, sconces are always a beautiful option. I love the feelings
two sconces flanking a bathroom mirror gives. Task lighting and setting the mood is important
to implement into your spaces too, so don’t only think about the statement fixture! For this
powder bath, we went for moody, elegant, and worldly. The best finish for this space was
antique brass to warm up the black grasscloth wallpaper and antique mirror cabinet faces.
We hope this has helped shed some light (pun intended!) on why lighting design is a step you
definitely don’t want to miss or overlook when redoing or building your home. We’d love to
help if you need any assistance coming up with a cohesive lighting plan that functions well and looks beautiful.
