Let there be light

INTERIORS:Lighting can make or break a decor scheme. Here are some suggestions for winter warmth, writes EOIN LYONS

GOOD LIGHTING ENHANCES any room. It provides instant mood and atmosphere, and changes the way we see our rooms and ourselves. Low light makes dark, rich colours and rooms even more intimate, and bright light makes a vibrant colour appear more intense. As autumn draws in, how we light our homes becomes more important. Here are some ways to use light to enhance your home.

Use multiple sources: One light fixture in a room can’t serve all your needs. An overhead light provides general illumination, but it should be supplemented by task lighting for working or reading, while for dining, or simply brightening a dark corner, you may prefer softer light. It’s fashionable to have table lamps controlled from a switch on a wall, but there’s a charm and ceremony to turning table lamps on individually. It’s good to use fixtures and lamps from different periods and styles – everything matching is passé.

Overhead lighting: Except for chandeliers, or when the fixture itself makes a design statement, keep overhead lighting to a minimum. It’s a necessity in kitchens and bathrooms, where down lighters or recessed fixtures can be directed where they are most needed. Don’t riddle your ceilings with down- or spot-lights – they destroy the smooth look of a ceiling and are unnecessary if you have sufficient task lighting. Most designers are now taking out down-lights rather than installing them. In kitchens and bathrooms, however, put them on a dimmer so the light can be lowered and the mood of the room altered instantly. Dimmers used to hum, but shouldn’t nowadays if fitted correctly. A good electrician is worth their weight in gold and the best I have come across is Fergus O’Carroll of Hickey Electrical Services (086-2213120).

Hanging lights: In general, stay away from mass-produced fittings. The ubiquitous pleated drum shades are so dull, for example. Look for antique ones because the price difference between new and old is often much less than you would imagine. For example, Martin Fennelly Antiques (www.fennelly.net) on Francis Street in Dublin has delicate 1930s balls of crystal that are perfect for bedrooms and cost about €500. Many light fixtures sold in department stores are often around the same price. Things that are old and glittery, those that come with past lives, are wonderful in a modern space. Michael Connell Antiques (www.michael connellantiques.ie), also on Francis Street, has an upper floor dedicated to lighting.

However, many contemporary companies sell pendant lights that have soul, but are new. The Kasbah lamp (from about €400) by Eichholtz, can be ordered from Global Village (www.glo balvillage.ie). It has an Eastern vibe, is made from brass and casts a beautiful specked light from glass beads. Another stunningly beautiful light fitting range is made by Venetia Studium (www.venetiastudium.com) in Venice, available here from Minima (www.minima.ie). They are made from painted silk or glass, in Fortuny patterns, and prices start at about €480 (see the picture, right).

For hallway lights – but not entrance halls, where something more dramatic is needed – Ikea does a semi-globe pendant called Brassa (€49.99). It comes in different colours and is perfect for a pass-through space. Also nice is the slimmer pendant, Lunta (€29.99). The Ikea Kulla standard lamp (€95) sits comfortably in the plushest room. Other inexpensive options are paper ball lights (starring on the cover of this month’s Architectural Digest) but it’s how you use them that matters. Take an old fashioned flex (available from Hicken Lighting) and put hooks in your ceiling to stretch a paper ball over a dining table, or use the same technique to hang one at low level to act as a side lamp.

Design shops offer many ranges to order. Frank Goodwin of Inreda (www.inreda.ie) has 20 per cent off all Flos (www.flos.com) lighting at the moment, and he can also access many amazing fittings.

In a small guest toilet, use as dramatic a light as possible. Why not make this small space a jewel? Use something that casts a pretty shade.

Lighting creates intimacy for dining, so again choose something that throws soft light to hang above a table.

Task lighting: Kitchens, bathrooms, and anywhere you do a lot of reading or paperwork need good task lighting. If you don’t have much space, fit a strip-light above your workspace or under a shelf or cabinet. Falks Lighting (www.falkslighting.ie) has a few good strip-light styles, particularly for bathrooms. For bedside use, check out the Best-lite lamp. Designed in the 1940s, is has a ceramic shade and gives light that is soothing and ethereal. It costs about €120 at the Conran Shop in Arnotts (www.arnotts.ie). There is also a pendant version that could be used on a landing to provide a visual link to a bedroom.

Warm up a bathroom by using a mix of mood lighting and brighter task lighting in the form of down lights. The Conran Shop is also good for bathroom lights.

Recently, I found a great fitting at Ideal Bathrooms (www.idealbathrooms.ie) that is a mirror with a recessed light running around its edge. It casts perfect light – if a little unforgiving – for make-up or shaving. At Ideal Bathrooms, Billy Stone can suggest lighting for all budgets.

Mood lighting: Lighting can control much of the mood in a room. Use table lamps in multiple ways. The same lamp that provides bright light for reading can also create an intimate area for entertaining. Lamps instantly add colour, interest and mood to any corner. The lampshade’s colour, fabric and shape will affect the amount and quality of the light you get. A shade may be coloured, semi-opaque or opaque, but an instant fix is to use lower wattage bulbs to create a more intimate effect. Go for ones that give warm light rather than cold blue light. Paint the inside of a non fabric lampshade the palest pink – it will make everyone look a little younger.

Eccentric lamps add personality. To my mind there’s nothing worse in a room than everything matching, so choose lamps that are different, but somehow linked. For example, in a room with many colours, try using lamps that are either black or white, although different shapes and styles. The colour (or lack thereof) helps to unify them. Play with scale when choosing lamps – powerful, gutsy lamps need space to breathe. Peter Johnson (www.peterjohnsoninteriors.ie) on Cow’s Lane has a wonderfully oversized mahogany urn lamp that costs €650, but is stunning.

Hedgeroe (www.hedgeroe.com) in Kilternan, Co Wicklow, has very affordable traditional lamps made from wood or meal. Prices start at about €45. Some have wicker shades, which bring a lovely craft element to a room and cast lovely shadows.

Good picture lights are difficult to find and they are something that is best ordered direct. Shane Crowley of DLight (www.dlight.ie) is based in Waterford, but serves the entire country with top-class fittings – speak to him about what you need and he can source it. Lamps and Lighting (www.lightdesign.ie) in Rathgar also has good picture lights, and a good wall-light selection. It has beautiful plaster leaf-shaped wall lights for €250, with a 50 per cent sale running at the moment.