Let's Talk Lamps // Using Lighting to Enhance a Room

I'm a lamp person you guys.  It's true.  When I was growing up, my mom was adamantly against overhead lighting, and instead dotted each room with table and floor lamps.  Her reasoning was simple: lamps make spaces more cozy and visually calming.  At the time, I may have thought she was a crazy lamp lady, but now I get it. 

Recently I posted about our plans to redecorate our living room in more neutral tones, and one of the things I was careful about when rearranging was to strategically place lamps in areas I wanted to highlight.  The image above is one of my most favorite corners of our house, thanks to a comfy chair with oversized cushions, lots of books, and a special drawing of our sweet Bubby dog.  I wanted that area to be nicely lit in the evening, so placing a lamp there was a given. And although using lighting to create a nice ambiance in that corner was my motivation, I like the fact that the lamp itself also works well when it's not turned on.  It flows with the rest of the decor, and allows the speaker on which it sits to blend in rather than stand out.  (Let's face it - speakers aren't exactly the most attractive objects on their own).  I'm of the opinion that if you choose the right lamps for your space, they can act as pieces of art that add to your decor - whether on or off.

While my living room features lots of grey, white and black (including the lamps), I also absolutely love the way a vibrant lamp can add a pop of color to space.  Our bedroom has an awful lot of beige going on, and I've been thinking that adding a couple of colorful lamps could really brighten the room (and possibly even add enough cheer to assist in my attempts at becoming more of a morning person).

While scoping out colorful lamps for the bedroom, I kind of fell in love with the new Color + Plus™ coordinating lamps and shades over at Lamps Plus. There are over 60 color choices available, and you can choose from either white shades or striped shades in coordinating colors.  I really like the fact that they're handcrafted (on site in California), as well as the fact that each lamp is showcased along with a Pantone swatch or paint color chip.  There is nothing a design nerd like me appreciates more than getting an accurate representation of color. I think my favorite is either the Cherry Tomato colored base with Circle Rings shade (here) or the Gecko colored base with a crisp white shade (here).


What about you?  What are you favorite ways to use lighting to enhance a room?  Do you have a lot of table and floor lamps in your home? 

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective; the opinions expressed here are all my own.