Creative new shapes and technology mean that home lighting fixtures often do far more than provide illumination. They can be exciting and sculptural works of art.
“Designs are now not only a source of light, but a distinctive feature of an interior design,” says New York architect West Chin.
Chin recently hung a frothy cluster of LED glass bubbles over a dining table in a minimalist apartment in Manhattan. The fixture’s a focal point in an otherwise sparely decorated space. In a duplex, he placed a trio of mesh orbs over a staircase; when the lights are on, shadows dance theatrically against a paneled accent wall.
Chin’s also a fan of Stickbulb, a lighting component created by RUX studio in New York City. The “stick” is offered in various types of wood fitted with an LED. They’re then attached to a central metal element and can be configured into various shapes.
Tom Dixon recently debuted a new lighting collection called Cut (pictured above). The faceted, clear or smoky fixtures, with mirrored finishes and metalized interiors, resemble enormous futuristic crystals.
“When we’re planning a room that calls for a large piece of statement lighting, we always start with that piece first, building everything else around it,” say Brandon Quattrone and Mat Sanders of Consort Design in Los Angeles. “You want it to be the wow factor in a room. If you’re hanging a dining room chandelier, keep the surrounding walls simple, with a minimal piece of artwork or some subtle shelf styling.”
Designer Ghislaine Viñas did that in a Montauk, New York, beach house project. She hung Alvaro Catalan de Ocon’s PET Lamp Chandelier in an all-white dining space. The brightly hued lights, hanging on colored cords, bring in an element of playfulness.
Other intriguing fixtures new to the marketplace employ modern technology with a nod to classic design. Corbett Lighting’s Theory Chandelier is an ode to midcentury Italian design, with horizontal spokes alternating clear glass and gold-leaf iron rods. Calibrated LEDs gracefully cast light up and down.
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VIA: seattletimes.com