Period Lighting

MONOCHROME MAGIC – Black and White Light Fittings

Posted onAuthorSue Matthews

Using black and white for interior decoration has never really been out of fashion, and with good reason. This striking combination works with both traditional and modern interiors. White has a crisp clean look, whilst black is more dramatic and bold creating a marriage made in heaven. Monochrome was originally used to describe a photograph or picture produced in black and white or in varying tones of one colour. Black and white are both ‘flat’ colours but by introducing the different shades of white, combining black with varying shades of grey and incorporating different textures and patterns there are endless ways to work this look in our interiors.

REFURBISHMENT OF BUCKINGHAM PALACE

Posted onAuthorSue Matthews

Work is due to start in April this year on a 10 year refurbishment programme at Buckingham Palace. The Palace has served as the London family home of British sovereigns since 1837 and is also the working headquarters of the monarchy.

PERIOD LIGHTING FOR VICTORIAN AND EDWARDIAN HOMES

Posted onAuthorSue Matthews

This is the second in our series of blogs focusing on our individual lighting collections. Here we are showcasing our Period Lighting Collection which features reproduction lighting based on designs from the late Victorian and Edwardian eras. Electric lighting was still in its infancy when Queen Victoria died in 1901and throughout the Victorian era electricity remained very expensive. Gas lighting was common in our towns and cities and was supplemented by candles and oil lamps, whilst in smaller towns and villages lighting was almost exclusively by candles and oil lamps. It was not until the Edwardian period that we began to see wider availability of electricity and a gradual replacement of the gasoliers (gas light fittings) with new electric lights.

Beatrix Potter’s Hill Top Farmhouse – Lighting Ideas for Farmhouses and Country Cottages

Posted onAuthorSue Matthews

Mention the name of Beatrix Potter and you immediately think of Peter Rabbit, Tom Kitten, Jemima Puddle Duck, or any one of the other delightful characters made famous in her children’s books – but there was much more to this remarkable woman.

Tiffany Lamp

LIGHTING AND DECORATING IN THE ART NOUVEAU STYLE

Posted onAuthorSue Matthews

The Art Nouveau movement was a relatively short lived decorative and architectural style that was popular during the later years of Queen Victoria’s reign and it is regarded by many as the first modern 20th century style. Art Nouveau evolved from the Arts and Crafts style and still concentrated on the same quality and craftsmanship but with more emphasis on modern materials and technology. Materials such as glass and iron were now being mass produced allowing the Art Nouveau style to be more accessible to the middle class homeowners of the time.

Tiffany Lighting

Tiffany Lighting

Posted onAuthorSue Matthews

Tiffany lights are one of the most iconic and easily recognisable styles of lighting because of the use of stained and art glass pieces.  All the Tiffany lighting we offer here at Bespoke Lights are handmade and lovingly created from pieces of stained glass in much the same way as the original Tiffany lamps made way back in the late 19th century.

Chandelier ornate Victorian style above a dining table.

How to Light a Victorian Home in an Authentic Style.

Posted onAuthorSue Matthews

At the start of Queen Victoria’s 63 year reign in 1837, houses were lit by candles and oil lamps and from the light provided by coal fires. Gas lighting was introduced in the mid to late Victorian period and at Victoria’s death in 1901 electric lighting was only in its infancy. Many of us still live in homes built during the Victorian period and although we tend to think of the typical Victorian terraced houses there were, in fact, many styles of houses built during this time, ranging from Gothic and Italianate to Queen Ann Revival and Arts and Crafts style homes. In this blog we will show you how to inject some Victorian style into your home.

Mid Century Retro style lights in kitchen.

Retro Lighting – Back to the Future!

Posted onAuthorSue Matthews

Retro lighting is all about using trends and styles from the past to create new light fittings that are fun and funky with a certain nostalgic charm and character. Every so often old designs seem to come back into fashion and so it is today with retro lighting. Whilst the term retro could be used to describe almost any period it is more commonly used to cover the 3 decades – 1950’s, 60’s and 70’s. From the post war 1950’s with rock and roll and American diners to the psychedelic 1960’s with groovy designs and fashions to the 1970’s pop culture with flared trousers and platform soles. As the saying goes ‘if you can remember anything about the sixties you weren’t really there’, but either way you can still take inspiration from Bespoke Lights retro style lighting. We are finding that many restaurants, bars and hotels are taking a trip down memory lane and sourcing modern retro inspired lighting for their interiors.