I've spent the better part of the past year looking to make my house a home. Nails have slowly punched their way through the walls to support artwork (I've received as gifts and some I've dared create on my own) and picture frames hosting more than a few funny childhood memories and my slightly over the top rubber face smile as I jumped from 15,000 feet. My bedding has gone through two iterations in less than 12 months and carpets in a variety of patterns have added a bit of warmth to some drafty stone floors. Lighting, while not the final frontier by any means (we still have walls to paint and shelving to hang) is the next bold adventure.
When I moved in last spring it seems like everywhere I looked there was a dimmer switch connected to a different set of lights. Awesome for setting the mood but with every bulb recessed neatly away into the ceiling it didn't add much in terms of decor. After weighing the pros and cons of adding fixtures I've settled on a set of small crystal chandeliers to flank my dining room table. The search for the perfect light has led me on more than a few amazing online adventures and I've found more beautiful pieces that I can count. On a much grander scale I've found several light installations installed all over the world that continue to take my breath away.
It's no secret that I'm more than slightly enamored with the style of Louis Vuitton when it comes to fashion, but when it comes to architecture and their stores, they also never fail to amaze. In an effort to add a bit of conceptual art to their Rome based store, LV installed a plasma screen staircase that can change at the touch of a button. Visitors stop by daily to see water cascade out the doorway, flowers blossoming their way upwards or even an LV trunk opening to reveal some of their most tantalizing goods.
The LightScraper is at its most basic a custom built aluminum structure, fabricated with a layer of semi translucent mesh, however its magic comes when it begins to interact with its surroundings. Visitor's positions are tracked via an infrared camera mounted at the peak of the structure, and transposed into musical notes causing an ever changing experience of light and sound.
Bringing together two incredible artisans with diverse backgrounds can result in some of the most awe inspiring pieces of dream-like beauty. So is the case with Andy Cao and Xavier Perrot who are the artists behind the chandelier trees outside the KENZO headquarters in Paris. The trees, made of steel, wire, mesh and more than 3,000 cut crystals is a dynamic way to let natural light do all the work.
Roso is the London based partnership behind the incredible "Clark's Light" outside of the Clark Shoe's office building. The commune looks to merge architecture, art and design in a free flowing format merging high tech and organic shapes. Based around the singular concept that “light is only seen when reflected”, Roso’s ‘Light’ explodes dramatically from the building as if it is splintering across the open air of the courtyard. Thousands of shiny discs are attached to suspending wires, casting light in each and every direction, giving a pixelated effect of all of the surrounding colors.
Hang some lanterns overhead and I'm good to go. Set designer Michael Levine did just that by suspending 200 illuminated PVC balloons over a square in Toronto. The balloons were tethered together by an intricate web of nautical rope and fitted with lights that were controlled and programmed to change colour to the sound of the audience and live music below.
While the lighting I've picked so far doesn't quite compare in scale to the pieces of art that are brightening up rooms and courtyards all over the world, they're a start. They're simply small details that add some glamour, a little sophistication and a lot of charm to a space that I'm continually looking to make all my own. If it only takes something as small as a single bulb or shard of mirror to reflect, refract and repurpose, maybe by adding a new outlook, perspective or bit of brilliance, bright can be the new black.
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