Both modern and traditional lighting can complement a period interior, with British brands excelling at high-quality pieces designed using the latest technology, unusual materials and time-honoured processes
The saying goes that good lighting is imperceptible; it is only bad lighting that stands out. “People are really beginning to understand the value of good lighting,” says British lighting designer Eleanor Bell. “When it is thoughtfully integrated, it looks effortless and makes you feel relaxed and at ease in a room.”
British lighting manufacturers are leading the way in terms of high–quality, desirable fittings that enhance every room in the house. As interior designer Susie Atkinson says: “Clients are very interested in where products come from. That they are handmade, and made in Britain, is very important.”
From bathroom chandeliers to slimline picture lights, here we shine a light on some of the most recent launches and innovations from new and established names in British lighting.
Using new technology
The latest in new technology tends to arrive first in commercial settings – for example, smart kits that eliminate the need for touching switches, inset ceiling fittings that can incorporate a camera, smoke detector or speaker, or ‘human–centric‘ lighting that supports bio–rhythms by adjusting light levels (to avoid that post–lunch low, for example).
It is even possible to buy light panels that look like skylights, with a horizon–style effect, for windowless areas. Expect to see these innovations reaching our homes in years to come.
For now, however, the biggest focus is still on developments in LED lighting. “The beauty of LED lighting is that it‘s so tiny and runs relatively cool, meaning that very small, slim fittings are possible,” says Peter Hunt, chief policy officer for The Lighting Industry Association.
“Now that they are better developed, they are less expensive, dimmable and available in warm white as well as cool white. Strips of LED lighting can be placed in a variety of areas around the home to create interest.”
“LEDs are also much more energy efficient than incandescent lights, which makes it possible to run a lamp from a battery, resulting in cordless lights that can be put in unusual places.” Neptune‘s Hanover cordless lamp in bronze or nickel, for example, looks just like a traditional lamp, and is even dimmable.
John Cullen Lighting is a source of high-quality LED strips and has also recently launched a discreetly shaped, low-glare picture light that uses cutting-edge technology to provide an even distribution of light over an entire work of art. Vaughan’s new Coldstream picture light is dimmable and features integrated LEDs with a frosted diffuser to give an even, warm light.
Design solutions for different spaces
Bathroom lighting has undergone a huge transformation in recent years to offer increased variety and therefore greater flexibility to create tailored solutions. Bell finds that clients want to create different lighting levels in the bathroom for either efficiency or relaxing – and improved ranges of fixtures that are safe to install in damp and humid areas have helped make this possible.
She especially likes the handmade, IP–rated fixtures by Fritz Fryer, and also recommends a one–watt, sensor–operated ‘marker‘ light, by either John Cullen Lighting or Astro Lighting, for middle–of–the night bathroom visits.
For impressive decorative effect, look for a bathroom–rated chandelier – a fitting that was once virtually impossible to find, but is now much more widely available. Christopher Wray, for instance, has recently launched the Triedro, a reimagining of a traditional chandelier, modelled with geometric crystal prisms that reflect light around the room.
In kitchens, it is LED strip lighting that is, once again, frequently recommended by experts, fitted along the plinth, beneath or above wall cupboards, around coving or an island. “In the kitchen, discreet general lighting is what it‘s all about, with feature pendants over an island or dining table,” says Atkinson.
Bell explains that installing a five–amp circuit – in which floor and table lamps can be operated via a switch by the door – helps create layers of flexible lighting, whether in an open–plan kitchen/dining room, a drawing room or a family snug. Another way to ring the changes is with Melodi Horne‘s Bon–Bon wall lights, in which the central panels – whether card, wallpaper, leather, fabric or any other material – can be changed as often as desired.
Experimental with materials
Britain is renowned the world over for its creative industries, and the lighting sector is just as exciting. Brands are pushing the boundaries in terms of design and processes, and employing materials in all sorts of intriguing ways.
One such is Soane Britain, which has a range of rattan lighting, including the Petal hanging shade launched in March. Co–founder Lulu Lytle says: “For me the great beauty of rattan is how versatile and sculptural it is. It is not a material which is associated with any particular look or period, but instead has a softness and certain romance to it that suits pretty much any interior.”
Porta Romana’s new Bohème collection includes materials ranging from hand–glazed ceramic, wrapped cane and woven wicker to forged, sculpted and patinated metal, whilst Cox London‘s enormous Magnolia chandelier is made from forged iron and moulded jute.
Ochre‘s new Aquarelles pendants are made from a combination of hand–glazed porcelain and horsehair, Pinch has used draped and stitched banana fibre in its Anders light, and both Balineum and David Hunt Lighting have made interesting use of resin, the former with its Coral wall lamps that can be used in the bathroom, and the latter with its Antler collection, hand–painted to look incredibly realistic.
Atkinson especially likes handmade pieces by Naomi Paul, who uses crochet to create statement pendants, Hannah Woodhouse, who works in a range of fascinating materials, including bronze, leather, plaster and eucalyptus paper, and the new Ellory plaster cone lights by Porta Romana, which can be painted in any colour.
Hand-crafted, sustainable designs
“The strength of the UK lighting industry is in the high–quality, hand–crafted areas,” says Hunt. An impressive number of British lighting companies focus on making lighting by hand, often to a client‘s individual requirements, and recent launches demonstrate their sheer creativity and innovative thinking.
Traditional skilled craftsmanship comes to the fore in the new clear–glass pendant from Curiousa & Curiousa, Max Rollitt‘s traditional library light and Beaumont & Fletcher‘s Delphis wall light, for example, amongst many others.
Alongside the handmade ethos, inevitably comes a reduction in environmental cost when compared to large–scale manufacturing, but British lighting designers also actively looking at making their products more sustainable, too.
Porta Romana has started a recycling and part–exchange service, Astro Lighting is introducing folded–cardboard packaging (and its HQ is solar–powered), and Studio Haran designs all its products with their entire life–cycle in mind.
Tom Raffield makes its unique lighting designs using the age–old technique of steam bending – a process with very little wastage.
Raffield believes that consumers are becoming more conscious – and that brands are taking note. “It‘s great to see sustainable materials and processes being used by a wide range of designers, both high end and high street,” he says. “It feels as though there‘s a real movement towards ‘green‘ lighting. Opting to purchase well–made, hand–crafted, high–quality British lighting designs will ensure the pieces you buy will last for years to come.”
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