Great Home Design: It’s All in the Details

Great home design begins with spatial planning (scale and shape of all pieces), identifying harmonious colors/patterns/textures, and curating beautiful, functional furnishings. But a fabulously decorated home also comes down to the details that make up the whole. Among those details are lamps, lamp shades, and finials.

Lamps are essential in the home. It’s most basic function to illuminate an area so that you can be productive, work, read, and perform certain daily tasks. They also have an aesthetic function by enhancing the architecture of a space, adding an artistic or colorful feature, or creating a particular mood.

Sculptural Glass Geo Floor Lamp, West Elm.

It's unfortunate that most people take lamps for granted, completely relying on ceiling lighting often provided in the single ceiling bulb or too many recessed lights. While that can be functional, it offers harsh, one-size-fits-all lighting that won’t effectively take you through your diverse home activities from morning to night time. A good designer will steer you toward a variety of sources of light in a room, or layered lighting, which offers the most versatility, functionality, and beauty. A combination of a standing lamp (for broad illumination), table lamps (alongside seating), an accent lamp (atmospheric/mood illumination) and a task lamp (for specific activities like reading, sewing, etc.) can together minimize glares and shadows while adding depth, dimension, functionality, and even drama in a space. I always go with 4-5 light sources that each play a part in illuminating a room. Dimmers in lamps are a great way to control lighting to suit the activity or mood.

Lamps also help establish the style of the home or room – from traditional to farmhouse to contemporary and boho. A classic marble or brass decorative table lamp signals a more traditional space, while a black wrought iron standing lamp is suited to a farmhouse or country cottage style. Metal lamps in the shape of palms or animals can add whimsey to a room, and geometric/asymmetric shapes in concrete are abstract and artistic – perfectly suited for a minimalist modern style. Blending some of these styles and breaking the rules are great ways to personalize your home décor.

Left and center: Lamps by various small shops, trim added by ThisBronxGirlDesigns. Right: Brass Flamingo Table Lamp from Audenza.com.

Lamps shades can also serve as an artistic element. The right size, shape and color will pull a room design together and enhance the décor. A crisp white linen shade will offer maximum illumination and can work just fine in a dark corner or with an ornate lamp base. There are also modern, bold shades and interesting textures that offer maximum interest and drama because they filter light. I’ve personally enjoyed decorating simple white shades with beads, fringe, or fabric trim to create a bespoke lamp tailored to the room’s design. This helpful educational info from Just Shades in NY offers tips on lamp shade finishes and illumination factors, lamp shade shapes and styles, and the appropriate lamp height to shade size.

Let’s not forget the lamp finial! These little jewels that sit atop the lamp shade are functional in holding the shade in place, and they offer another creative opportunity to personalize your light fixture and add some joy to your space.

Lamp finial by Piper Art, on Etsy.

The next time you’re shopping for a lamp, I hope you’ll think about all the creative elements and choices – size, style, material, shape, color and style – to bring out the lamp’s personality and make it only yours. Have fun!