Period Lighting
TOP TIPS FOR CHOOSING THE PERFECT STANDARD LAMP
The brilliant thing about standard lamps is that they can be placed anywhere you have a little spare floor space. Floor standing lamps can be practical, versatile and decorative additions to a room. They have a unique role to play when it comes to lighting as they can provide both ambient, task and accent lighting, something that few other light fittings can do. But before you rush off and explore Bespoke Lights collection of standard lamps, take a look at our top tips to help you make the right choice
HERITAGE LIGHTING
Our Heritage Lighting Collection features traditional character light fittings hand crafted here in the UK. From small beginnings in the docklands of the East End of London re-creating Victorian carriage lamps, this Collection has grown to include a large selection of indoor and outdoor lighting. All the lights are handmade, with the majority of the work now being carried out in West Sussex.
EDWARDIAN LIGHTING
The hugely popular ‘Downton Abbey’ TV series ran from 2010 to 2015. Viewers eagerly tuned in to watch the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their domestic servants unfold in Edwardian and post Edwardian Britain. This era also saw great advances in the world of lighting with the introduction of new electric lighting. Homes gradually moved away from oil lamps and gas lighting to embrace this new, cleaner electric light. However, at the time, not everyone was initially convinced by electric lighting. This wonderful quote from Downton Abbey’s Dowager Duchess, played so brilliantly by Dame Maggie Smith, shows there were some misgivings – ‘I couldn’t have electricity in the house. I wouldn’t sleep a wink. All those vapours floating about.’
BAROQUE AND ROCOCO LIGHTING
One of the most popular trends in recent times has been to decorate our homes in in a minimalist style. A cross between an oriental Zen-like quality and the simplicity of Scandinavian design with little or no ornamentation and definitely no clutter! Whilst this clean minimalist look is fine in modern homes it does not always sit well in more traditional interiors. But the tide is now turning and we are seeing a return to luxurious and opulent styles in what is now being dubbed the ‘maximalist style’.
LIGHTING FOR TRADITIONAL BATHROOMS
We tend to think of bathrooms today as being a modern invention and in many ways they are. Bathing during Roman times was a communal affair but during the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries the use of public baths began to decline and private spaces were preferred which paved the way for the modern bathrooms we are familiar with today. Wealthy households in Victorian and Edwardian Britain had splendid bathrooms but the vast majority of the people did not have that luxury, and the ‘old tin bath’ in front of the fire was the order of the day (but not necessarily every day!).
