You know how we love to bring you advice from the most inspiring and inventive designers and makers? And how we always translate their ideas into ways you can improve your own home? Well then it won't surprise you that our Livingetc In Session series does just that, but in real time, bringing together incredible experts in a beautiful setting to discuss ways to make our surroundings more beautiful, more functional and more joyful to live in.
That was the aim of the latest event, in the incredible new Corston showroom at Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour. I asked Charu Gandhi, founder of Elicyon (who had used Corston in her show stopping room at year's WOW!house exhibition) and the Corston's own in-house designer Connor Fox to help explain how to craft better atmospheres using lighting as a material in its own right.
The packed audience - people were squeezing in through the door - found the resulting chat to be illuminating; pun very much intended. Here are the key points I took away from the discussion.
1. Lighting is the most important part of a scheme
This may sound like hyperbole, but as Charu pointed out: "A room is nothing if you can't see it!" She says that it's one of the very first thing she considers, and the most major part of any scheme.
"What is the point of choosing beatiful materials if you then don’t light them?" she asked. "Our room in WOW!house was supposedly all about crystal, but it was nothing without light, and we had to get the lighting just right." She says she chose lighting to draw the eye to specific areas, to make the crystal glimmer, to show the texture of the standout leathered alabaster bar. "There were seven different types of light in that space, and that was the main story of it, really," she added.
2. Good lighting is about more than just the lighting itself
Really successfully lit rooms are about not just the lights, but about the specifics. "Good lighting is done by splitting rooms into pockets and specific areas," Connor said. "Then you need to focus on getting the brightness right, and the temperature right. You should be able to walk in and the shoulders just drop. That's when you know lighting is done right. And that comes from always having dimmer switches and warm bulbs. No cold bulbs, ever. No white lights. They don't provide any comfort."
3. Flexibility is everything
Because the light changes in any space throughout the day, and how you want to use the room will alter too, it's important that light can shift with your requirements.
"My favorite thing is to have lots of optionality," Charu said. "I hate rooms that don’t offer the option to be very brightly lit - you should be able to light them up like Christmas if you want to! You won't need to often, but every now and again you will, and if you can't then it's frustrating."
It was at this point Connor was able to point to Corston's brand new Cotswold portable and rechargeable lamp that he designed, the ultimate in adaptable lighting.
Charu then agreed that the other way to make sure lighting schemes are flexible is to have lights you can move around. "Floor lamps and table lamps are useful, but also wall lights and ceiling lights that you can swivel are good. Just by turning them one way or another you can totally shift the atmosphere of a room."
4. Material matters, too
As a lighting designer, Connor is constantly finding new ways to improve the quality of the glow from the pieces he creates. And his thoughts on what work are invaluable for when you're picking products for your own home or a project.
"Materials really do affect the light," Connor said. "Brass is great for reflecting light, which helps to create a richer interior. I love to work with porcelain as if you have that as the shade then the glow that comes through it is muddy, earthy and interesting. At Corston we've also do linen shades, and as well as doing some that are bright white we've been adding in some lines with more variation, a bit of fleck, they're not processed or bleached. They have a bit of character in their imperfection, and a very artisanal feel."
Livingetc In Session will be back soon - watch this space for more details