BUILD YOUR OWN... LIGHTING

IN the days of many choices, and immediate access to them via the internet, it can be so difficult to make just one choice...

There are SO many products on the market that it can be bamboozling. 

The only way to avoid endless exhausting googling in the quest for that perfect light amongst endless perfect lights is to be strict with yourself. Have a set of criteria that you will not step outside. 

Tick off the priorities first:

• Outside / inside
• Bathroom / other room
• Pendant / table / wall
• Colour
• Bronze / copper / nickel / stainless steel....
• ETC...

Be careful of the obvious: check your dimensions and have a tape measure by your side to help visualise the light TO SCALE. 
Many people before you have fallen into the scale trap. 

Remember that a picture on a website will not necessarily clearly show you the scale. Suppliers are clever at showing you the scale they want you to see (for eg. small books on a bedside shelf can make the shelf appear larger than it is).

You could buy vintage. Again, there are many great suppliers of re-worked and up cycled vintage lighting. 

Try: TRAINSPOTTERS or SKINFLINT DESIGN  


Also, don't forget to keep your eyes open for an unusual light. My best ever buy was an old scissor light from Germany via Ebay, which an electrician re-wired and fitted for me. No-one else I know has one quite like it and I have lots of lovely comments about it from visitors. (I was looking for something specific though and when I spotted it I bid my heart out to get it!)

Look out for interesting lighting at brocante fairs - there's one coming up this week at Petworth House in West Sussex - jumble sales and in local village magazines. What someone else has fallen out of love with could be just what you are ready to fall in love with.





Remember too that you can build your own lighting now. There are many suppliers of the various components required to create your own individual lighting feature.




If you do decide to go down this route do seek advice from a qualified electrician to see if what you have in mind is physically possible. Consult with a lighting expert or designer who can make your ideas take flight or make you think about lighting in a different way.

Lighting is a hugely important part of your home. You notice how important mostly when it has been misjudged and doesn't work!

HAVE FUN WITH IT!