let there be light

It’s Friday and it’s gorgeous here in Los Angeles.  The light in my apartment this morning was so lovely I hated the idea of leaving for the office.  It’s not much of a consolation but I at least get to do one of my favorite things today:  shop for lighting for a client.

Lighting is to a room what the perfect pair of cuff links or earrings or shoes are to an outfit.  While they serve a purpose and function, what you use for lighting has significant influence on the feel and space of a room.  In my design process, the selection of lighting  is an opportunity to create a moment not just  by the shape and design of the fixture but also by the quality of light it gives off.  Large spaces can be made more intimate.  Small spaces become the perfect vignette.

I tend to be attracted to more sculptural light forms and I’d probably go with vintage and antique lighting over new ones any day.  They’re a great counterpoint to new upholstery or freshly painted walls – like vintage jewelry paired with a simple black dress or heirloom cufflinks with a crisp white shirt.  The patina of old fixtures, from the metal to the glass, can inject a wonderful soulfulness to a room.   The selection above are some of my favorites I’ve come across today – mostly vintage but a few new things.

Top (L to R): Carlo Mollino floor lamp from Alan Koppel Gallery, industrial sconce from Obsolete, Crystal pendant by David Wiseman at R 20th.  Middle (L to R): Alvar Aalto pendent from Hallworth, 60s Rope lamp from Duane, Stephen White “Teardrop” lantern from Kerson.  Bottom (L to R): from Burlap Dome Pendant from Restoration Hardware, 9-Globe Bubble from Lindsey Adelman, vintage Artemide table lamp from Skalar