The Magic Lamp

Last month I went shopping for a lamp. I returned home without a lamp and with a headache. In the first store I visited, I was asked, "What do you want the lamp to do?" I was savvy enough to know that "provide light." was most definitely not the answer the very intense salesperson with the furrowed brow wanted to hear. After I said I would just take a few minutes to look around, I soon realized that looking around wasn't a good idea because perusing the vast selection of table lamps, floor lamps and wall mounted lighting made me realize there's a whole world of lamps just waiting to confuse the uninitiated and ill-informed lamp shopper.



    I related my sad story to a friend who suggested I needed expert help in choosing a lamp. Geez. I required professional assistance to buy a lamp? Reluctantly, I took his advice and began to solicit my own advice about my lamp dilemma. Now I know that there's a lot to know about lamps. And I know that even a little lamp, if it's the right lamp, can make a big difference, and that a big lamp, if it's the wrong lamp, can have a negative impact on the look of a room. Most importantly, I know that the question "What do you want the lamp to do?" is indeed an excellent query and should be the beginning of any lamp search.
    The lack of enough lighting won't bring out the colors and details of a room. But too much recessed down lighting washes out a room. The ideal lighting is usually a balance of recessed and lamp lighting.
    "When beginning to design a room, I layout the seating area and determine what types of lighting will be needed and where it will be placed. Some rooms are meant to be dark and cozy, but in other rooms there must be sufficient light to make the room functional. I can't stand overhead lighting so I use a lot of lamp light because it's so much more becoming," says Susan Moloney, of Moloney Smith and Associates. Beth Lewis, co-owner of Patina Interiors agrees, saying, "Overhead lighting is very shadowy and harsh. Think about the overhead lights of the '50s. You just wanted to wince. It was as if you were receiving the third degree. Tone down the overhead lighting and bring in side lamps. They're much more flattering."
    Moloney believes chandeliers should be used only in historical applications. She always likes them in dining rooms or in a sitting room, explaining that the style of the house sets the stage for the lighting. "I wouldn't choose a chandelier for a country cottage, but for a Georgian house I'd use it in a public room," she says.
    "Large rooms, such as a great room, living room or den should be divided into zones for separate functions, such as reading, watching television, playing games or working at a desk. The choice of lamps should correspond to where they will be placed in the room and what function they'll serve. For a reading lamp, it's important to take into consideration the height of the person who will be using it. A lamp that might be comfortable for a tall person might provide too much glare for a shorter person sitting in the same chair," says Lewis.
    Scale and proportion are two tenets of good design, but Moloney suggests that there are no firm guidelines when it comes to lamps. "You can't make broad statements about scale when it comes to lamps because sometimes you end up eating your words. A lamp that's slightly over scale may be just the right lamp for a particular spot. It has to do with the overall feeling of a room," she offers.
    "Lamps have a magical way of updating a stodgy room without having to redo everything. In a Contemporary setting, I think you need to use a Contemporary lamp, but a Traditional room could very well incorporate a lamp in a current style or finish. There's so much on the market today that would work well in many settings...those with clean lines, blown glass, mixed metals and different types of shades," advises Lewis.
    "Oh, yes, in a Traditional room it's exciting to introduce something that's a little different. Don't forget that lamps didn't even exist in the 18th century, so there's nothing historically correct when it comes to lamps. But, of course, the style of the house can't be discounted. My inspiration comes about by what is appropriate for the room," says Moloney.
    There's nothing prettier than Chinese porcelain. Or English ironstone urns mix very well with a Traditional backdrop. I also think a crystal column works beautifully in a very Traditional setting because it has a Traditional form but a more Contemporary look," she continues. "The choice of a lamp also depends on the lifestyle of the people who live in the home. A porcelain lamp wouldn't be the ideal piece for an active family with kids and pets."
    For a dining room, Beth Lewis recommends a combination of light locations. Recessed lighting can highlight the top of the table and can be used around the perimeter of the room to light up corners and give the illusion of more space. A chandelier could be the focal point. For sideboards, she frequently chooses banquet lamps, which are taller and narrower and don't have the wattage of a chair side or a floor lamp. "It's more about style and décor than true light output in that case. All that's needed is soft side fill lighting."
    Lighting in a bedroom should be both ambient and task. Lewis believes wall mounted options are overlooked and points to their ability to free up the bedside table for a clock, books and accessories. What about bedside lamps? Do they have to match? According to Lewis, if the bedside tables themselves match, the lamps should probably match. But if the tables don't match, she says the use of a table lamp and a wall mounted lamp could provide visual interest and needed light.
    Susan Moloney believes that the design of the nightstands determines whether or not the lamps on them need to match. But, like Lewis, she encourages the use of wall mounted lights, suggesting swing arm lamps with shades that are upholstered to coordinate with the bedding.
    "Lamps aren't only for indoors. Lamps are wonderful on screened in porches and on pavilions. There's also a bit more freedom with outside lamps. They may be more over scale than what you'd use inside," says Moloney.
    If when shopping for a lamp you don't find exactly what you want, don't be discouraged. Just get creative. David Huter, owner of The Lampmaker, is often requested to turn some of the most unlikely objects into lamps. "A client once asked us to make a floor lamp out of a pair of old wooden snow skis. We've also transformed violins and saxophones into lamps. And we're always asked if we can turn objects such as figurines, trophies and candlesticks into unique lamps. If the object can't be drilled we can mount it on a base and add a figurine arm, like brass tubing, onto the wooden base and support it that way," he says.



    "I wire everything," says Moloney. "There are lots of fun things you can use to make lamps...Staffordshire dogs, old clay pots, tea canisters. I've been making lamps out of weathervanes. We cut the spear off the top to use as the finial and wired through the old lead. Antique balustrades look great outside. And I recently created lamps out of two dark wood African sculptures and finished them with bamboo lamp shades. I have wired antique mahogany finials that came out of large English houses to use in my own library. I love to make lamps from candlesticks with half Italian shades and upholster them in a Fortuny or a silk. Perhaps one of the most unusual lamps I made started with a lightning rod. It had a round base that went up into a bulbous belly and a spear top. It became a lamp that was a piece of art."
    Once you've selected a lamp or have had a lamp specially made, it's time to find a shade that best complements the lamp. Sometimes that's easier said than done. "There's nothing worse than having a shade that's too small or too big," says Moloney.
    "The shade should cover the bottom of the harp or the bottom of the socket. If the shade clips onto the bulb, the shade should cover the socket. If there's a harp base under the socket, the shade should fall a little below. Most lamps have a neck between the body of the lamp and the harp and socket. At eye level the bottom of the shade should fall somewhere along the neck so you're not looking up into the socket, "says Huter.
    He suggests taking a lamp with you when shopping for a shade. You may be surprised that different shades actually change the look of the lamp.
    Just when you're beginning to think you know everything there is to know about lamps, Moloney has a few more tips. "Line the inside of the shade with peach silk to add a pretty glow to the room. If the lamp is sitting on a dark table, the cord coming down should be brown, not white. I'm very into the old silk wrapped cords. I saw them all over New York during a recent trip. A twine or silk wrapped cord is very elegant," she says.
    "I'm thrilled that there are so many lamp options because of their importance in the design of a room, both as far as function and appearance. But I warn clients to not go crazy with lamps and put them on every surface. Too many is too much. The room will begin to look like a lamp store," says Lewis.