Wednesday, December 5, 2012

Let's Talk Lamps // Using Lighting to Enhance a Room



I'm a lamp person you guys.  It's true.  When I was growing up, my mom was adamantly against overhead lighting, and instead dotted each room with table and floor lamps.  Her reasoning was simple: lamps make spaces more cozy and visually calming.  At the time, I may have thought she was a crazy lamp lady, but now I get it. 

Recently I posted about our plans to redecorate our living room in more neutral tones, and one of the things I was careful about when rearranging was to strategically place lamps in areas I wanted to highlight.  The image above is one of my most favorite corners of our house, thanks to a comfy chair with oversized cushions, lots of books, and a special drawing of our sweet Bubby dog.  I wanted that area to be nicely lit in the evening, so placing a lamp there was a given. And although using lighting to create a nice ambiance in that corner was my motivation, I like the fact that the lamp itself also works well when it's not turned on.  It flows with the rest of the decor, and allows the speaker on which it sits to blend in rather than stand out.  (Let's face it - speakers aren't exactly the most attractive objects on their own).  I'm of the opinion that if you choose the right lamps for your space, they can act as pieces of art that add to your decor - whether on or off.


While my living room features lots of grey, white and black (including the lamps), I also absolutely love the way a vibrant lamp can add a pop of color to space.  Our bedroom has an awful lot of beige going on, and I've been thinking that adding a couple of colorful lamps could really brighten the room (and possibly even add enough cheer to assist in my attempts at becoming more of a morning person).

Color Plus lamps and coordinating shades

While scoping out colorful lamps for the bedroom, I kind of fell in love with the new Color + Plus™ coordinating lamps and shades over at Lamps Plus. There are over 60 color choices available, and you can choose from either white shades or striped shades in coordinating colors.  I really like the fact that they're handcrafted (on site in California), as well as the fact that each lamp is showcased along with a Pantone swatch or paint color chip.  There is nothing a design nerd like me appreciates more than getting an accurate representation of color. I think my favorite is either the Cherry Tomato colored base with Circle Rings shade (here) or the Gecko colored base with a crisp white shade (here).


What about you?  What are you favorite ways to use lighting to enhance a room?  Do you have a lot of table and floor lamps in your home? 

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I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective; the opinions expressed here are all my own.

17 comments:

  1. i love those lamps!!! and that photo of bubby is perfect :)

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  2. I have Lamps on furniture, & floor lamps, but they are not my thing. to me they are just for lots of light so I can create! My work space is not stylish, just functional.

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  3. The colored lamps are fantastic. I want to re-decorate my entire living room and bedroom now...

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  4. Oooo I love how you have that corner decorated, the Bubby picture, books, striped blanket and lamp! The colors lamps plus lamps are gorgeous too.

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  5. They're a smidge incongruous with the style of our current house, but I will always have a thing for mission-style lamps. We got some from my mom for Christmas a few years ago, but if I had my weird way they would be all over the house.

    I love your little corner with Bubby. It looks so cozy and soft.

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  6. Wow! I am super impressed with all the different colors of lamps! That makes decorating so much easier I would think. I'm a fan. I mean, I do prefer overhead lighting because I like a lot of light, but in places like apartments where that's not really a possibility, this would be a great alternative. (P.S.--From the little bit we can see, I'm loving the new room design. You have quite an eye!)

    I love your latest outfit post. Beautiful! And I think your looking down just has to do with you trying to have that glamorous look that models have in pictures. You actually do it quite well!

    I also LOVE your travelers gift guide. So many awesomely travelly things I had no idea existed!

    Just saw that you passed 2000 followers. Hooray!!

    Your "Support Small Business" buttons are so pretty! I will definitely be adding one to my blog's sidebar : ] Thanks so much for making them too. So very thoughtful of you!
    --In relation to that, would you be willing to maybe make a small note at the end of a regular blog post or something about how you donate to the American Cancer Society by doing your shopping online (at no extra cost to the purchaser)? If you read the first paragraph in this post, you'll get the idea: http://beckieexplainsitall.blogspot.com/2012/11/my-christmas-wishlist-how-you-can-shop.html I know it's a little late and most people are done with shopping, but hey, you never know right?

    And finally, I love your pretty purple dress, and the idea of the locally made perfume! Both are fantastic.


    Ohh my goodness. I know that was a lot. Unfortunately I got really behind in my blog reading this past week or so. I hope I didn't put you to sleep with my essay-like comment! ; ]

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    1. That was definitely a long comment! :) But appreciated. Maybe we could send something out to our Twitter followers about how to donate to the ACS. Send me an email with the details to bubbyandbean AT gmail. (I will definitely read your post too :))

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  7. Can we just forget the lamp for a second and talk about that amazing side table you have?!?! Love it. And I love the lamps too :)

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    1. My parents bought it for me in college - it was my first real piece of furniture.

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  8. I love lamps, too!! These lamps are very elegant looking! :)

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  9. I love lamps....they are so much nicer than overhead lights...
    Debbi
    -yankeeburrowcreations

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  10. I do love lamps, and I used to have some that are like the one shown in the first picture. Right now we don't have any in the living room anymore, but when we redecorate, I'll definitely include a lamp or two!
    ~Kim
    http://2justByou.blogspot.com

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  11. I instantly git new ideas about a few rooms in our house that are not really how i want it.
    Maybe putting some lamps can bring out more cosyness.

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  12. This is the second time I`ve seen lamps with those black lamp shades, and what a difference it make to a room! I love it, it`s so chic and kind of moody. I must get a black lamp shade, haha.

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  13. Love lamps as well! I think they always make a space feel more intimate. We'd been looking for lamps for our bedroom as we recently got new furniture for the room and a fresh coat of paint. We just happened across 2 matching lamps that were perfect at Home Goods. 60 bucks for both of them! And they are the perfect touch to the room.

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  14. Excellent post!!! I love accent lighting. Soft, cozy lights boost my mood and also shield my eyes. I hate harsh light and get headaches easily if it's too bright in the room. Right now the glow from our Christmas tree is our main accent lighting (in a small room, it lights everything up!) Love it.

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  15. I love the colored lamps! I am a big fan of pops of color in places.

    www.etsy.com/shop/owleyevintage

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