Lighting just happens to sit in the sweet spot of being both useful and beautiful. So there’s absolutely no reason to feel guilty about indulging your lamp and shade habits…
You love lamps and you love lampshades. We understand – really, we do. But occasionally a small ‘sensible’ voice in your head might suggest that you really need another one.
That voice is very wrong. Let’s deal with it properly….
Lampshades: “The ones you have are perfectly fine”
‘Your lampshades are fine! They do their job, they’re not broken…’ That’s what that pesky voice in your head is telling you.
But consider this: how much would it cost to completely change a room with new paint, wallpaper or furniture? Then compare that with the cost of switching up a few lampshades.
Suddenly it’s all perfectly clear! Lampshades are one of the easiest ways to play with colour, pattern and texture – and indeed to change things seasonally without breaking the bank or making any real effort. A rich red for winter perhaps, something lighter for spring and a glorious floral pattern for the summer…
An indulgence? Pah! It’s just savvy and prudent domestic management. Buy shades in your favourite patterns, colours and textures guilt-free!
Rechargeable table lamps: “Don’t you already have enough lamps?”
There’s that voice again…. ‘Surely you’ve got enough lamps already? The room is lit…What’s the problem?’
The problem is that lighting isn’t just about seeing where you’re going. A rechargeable table lamp lets you create a lovely little personalised pool of light exactly where you want it. It can magically turn an ordinary chair into a cosy reading nook or a functional sideboard into a little tableau of art.
A cordless table lamp is, essentially, portable atmosphere – which you can move, fine-tune and redeploy depending on your whim. Nothing remotely excessive about that!
Rechargeable picture lights: “Does that print really need its own light?”
‘Come on now, does your favourite print really need its own light? This isn’t the National Gallery!...’
Of course it does!. By lighting a piece of art you already love, you’re giving it a completely new lease of life. You’ll notice details you’d forgotten and colours you’d never appreciated before. A painting or photograph is suddenly no longer something that you just pass by, but a feature of the room..
That’s years and years of extra pleasure from something you already own – enjoyed every evening, quite literally in a new light.
And compared to schlepping to an art gallery every day (or even once a week), a cordless rechargeable picture light is an absolute bargain.
Wall lights: “Isn’t that a bit over the top?”
Wall lights can trigger a particularly stern inner voice. ‘Aren’t they a bit… fancy? Isn’t this overthinking things?’
Not a bit of it! Wall lights are about getting more pleasure from your home. They enhance the height of a ceiling, or emphasise the stretch of a hallway or the elegant curve of a staircase. Well-placed wall lights add depth and softness to your home, meaning you can really start enjoying its architectural best bits.
And with cordless wall lights there’s no need for electricians and wiring agonies – they’re as easy to put up as a picture. Put that way, they’re an astonishing bargain.
Goodbye guilt!...
Lighting is one of the rare things that earns its keep twice over: it works hard, and it makes you happy every day.
So the next time that so-called ‘sensible’ voice pipes up, feel free to ignore it completely.
Browse a whole lot of gorgeous, indulgent lights and shades guilt free here.
