” Functionality is key” may be true for certain items but for me and, in particular in relation to interior design, I struggle with the concept.
Okay you might want your chairs and sofas to be comfortable but should you really always ensure all your rugs and fabrics are stain proof (just because you have kids)? Should you make sure that the useless sidetable is dumped as it is so wonky it can’t even hold a glass of wine? Or is it okay to have some smudges here and there and leave that one broken chair there because you love it too much despite the fact the leg is ready to come off? Should everything always do what it says on the tin i.e. a table be there to hold glasses and a chair to sit on. Imperfections make things more beautiful, a house with kids but no signs of any toys, socks, and crumbs is not a Home.
Although the ” functionality over style (for lack of better description) concept” can be applied to many items, at this point I am going to restrict it to lamps. Should all lamps be there to provide light? Should they do just that: ensure there is enough light to do whatever you enjoy doing when there isn’t enough natural light? Even I understand that a desk needs a proper light to do your work and use the computer etc. (It can still be a good design; perhaps an industrial Jielde’?). A reading lamp in a living room or on a bedside table is nice to have, but there it stops for me!
Lamps are to me, mood creators, they help create a softer tone in the room, they provide warmth, more intrigue and a feel of coziness, provided done well.
My main sources of light are table lamps. Sconces are fine and maybe one or 2 standing lamps but my main choice of preference would be table lamps. The fact that they actually don’t provide a lot of light – I also prefer the standard old fashioned light bulb to the LED bulb. (I know, I know, you can now get LED with very soft tones and not the harsh “white” light but I am yet to be convinced), doesn’t matter to me. They create little pools of light and combined with candles make the room come alight and sparkle rather than flood the place. This is particularly more effective if you have dark walls.
Again, mix and match, be eclectic with your choice of lamps. Here’s a selection of some of my lamps: 60′ palm tree lamps, sourced on Ebay with lampshades I got made, Duck egg vases turned into lamps with gold lampshades (photo above), a 70′ Harvey Guzzini lamp and a David Hunt lamp.
