To me, lighting is one of the essential factors in décor. No different from your sofa, coffee table, or even your art, it’s a facet of design that needs to be thought out very carefully. For example, I have these great Cleo sconces from Circa Lighting in my vestibule. Made of bronze and antique-burnished brass with a matte white shade, they were designed by Kelly Wearstler for Circa and make a statement. Architectural in their design, showing an ode to the mid-century look but a little jazzier with the metal component that protrudes and the backplate. And they’re functional, illuminating the stairway!
These Mélange Pill Form sconces are in my dining room made of antique-burnished brass with alabaster, also designed by Kelly Wearstler for Circa. The reason I chose these is because there is a beautiful soft light that radiates from them. You always have to remember where lights are going. These are in going in a dining room, so you want your lighting to be soft and subtle at night.
When you’re designing a space, remember to take in artificial as well as natural light sources. Many areas are delicate with just natural light. However, these areas usually have dark spots, and even though you probably don’t think much about lighting, having floor lights and lighting in areas that don’t have it is something to consider.
One of my favorite lighting designers is Lee Broom, and here you have one of his Little Lens Flair pendants, composed of two halves combining the solid and the transparent. The upper part is steel with either a black matte or brushed brass finish, and the lower part has a clear, cross-cut lens diffuser. It just radiates with a beautiful glow.
LED lighting is not new, but it has allowed lighting designers to be endlessly creative. So you can see why these loop types of sconces and lights are the rage. They’re fascinating, and though they used to be very expensive, they’re now, luckily, more affordable. The Glow’s Avenue vanity sconce from Etsy consists of four aluminum loops covered in satin white silicone on a black matte horizontal rod and backplate for a dramatic turn. Soft, warm light exudes from four 3000K LED integrated light rings permanently affixed to the rod. The rings have a rose gold toning added to the aluminum light ring giving an extra glow.
Another interesting use of lighting is to include multiple fixtures to create an architectural, linear sculpture. These circular sconces in frosted white available on Etsy make a statement and are beautiful to the eye, positioned as they are, artfully. What’s great about these lights is that they are entirely rotatable, which means you can move them in whatever direction you like.
If you have a cabin or a country home, these Harlow Pendants by Gabriel Scott would look magnificent. They would also look great in a mid-century home as well as in an industrial space.
Another favorite of mine is this chandelier from Etsy. What I love about Etsy is that it not only promotes small businesses and artisans, but you’re getting a very expensive-looking fixture for a fraction of what it would be from a more extensive manufacturer who has a showroom and overhead and so on. And, you’re also getting an excellent deal, and that’s always important for me.
For example, this Waterful Bubble Chandelier from Etsy looks similar to the very famous, costly ones from Apparatus Studio, but this one is very affordable. round-shaped sconces in frosted white available on Etsy are positioned in this way, artfully, demonstrating how lighting can be art. What’s great about these lights is that their bubble construction harks back to the bubbles in your bubble bath.
Stairway lighting is also essential, and this is where you would typically find chandeliers. In today’s modern home, however, you see a lot more fun in lighting, as you can see in these linear pendants that seem to be falling from the sky. These are from another excellent Etsy manufacturer.
One of my favorite lamps of all time right now is the Saturn lamp. It’s a floor lamp and looks magnificent and like an authentic mid-century modern piece. It would be a great addition to a living room, dining room, or den.
This portable light is from retailer Design With Reach (DWR), whose high-quality pieces are really fun. I recommend getting this for an area you don’t spend much time in but could use some lighting.
The Mercer Pendant, also from DWR, is a classic, round, LED drum pendant if you want something elegant and straightforward. It features an inner cloth shade encased by a hand-blown outer glass shade. You’ll never tire of its traditional shape.
The DOMI blown glass pendant light is a beautiful mid-century piece that’s timeless. It’s made of blown glass and is dimmable.
What’s fun is that people are decorating their bookcases in their houses now with bulbs and little lights, which is all part of the whole decorative movement, so if you don’t have LED lighting in your bookcase, you can always add some. Make sure you have power in the back and then poke a hole in the back of the bookcase. Then, don’t be afraid and put one in. They look great. This one is the Coprin Small Alabaster Lamp by Michael Verheyden.
My new favorite task lamp is the Gio Task Light that looks adorable on a desk and would look good in the kitchen if you’re looking at a recipe. But, it just looks good everywhere, truth to tell. I want to carry it with me as my purse to the next event/ It’s just an adorable little light.
