Suspended Light
Alexia Rossetti Thursday, August 25, 2011 at 10:00AM 
(Lzf Agatha Light)You walk into a room, any room, and one of the things you take for granted is that there’s going to be light. When there’s light, everything not only looks brighter but bigger also. Plus, with the right light bulbs correctly positioned, a room can be transformed into an inviting place. With this much riding on lighting, you really can’t take it for granted.
One of the easiest ways to throw ambient light around the whole room is to suspend a light fixture in the center of the room. Recessed lighting or track lighting also works but this requires more ceiling height, more expert labor and time to install, in short, more money, hence the popularity of hanging light fixtures. Besides its relative value, a suspended light has the ability to become a focus, a point of interest - definitely another advantage.
(Chateau Chandelier - Murray Feiss)For centuries, the only source of artificial light was flames from oil or candles. To this day, we still have light fixtures that look like candles even if electricity is being used to power them. To hold these candles, chandeliers or candelabrums as they were originally called, were created during the medieval period. They were simply made with outstretched wooden arms and at the end of each arm a small dish with a candle was placed. As time went by, chandeliers became more elaborate with multiple arms, added crystals and carved decorations, as in the traditional Chateau Chandelier chandelier on the left from Murray Feiss available on CSN Lighting.
If an elaborate chandelier is just too much for your space but you need a light fixture for a traditionally-styled formal interior, the Savannah Chandelier from the Bethany collection is a pared down version but still an elegant piece. The arms and the intertwining vines have an Etruscan gold finish highlighted with hand-cut crystals. If you have a traditional interior with a rustic mood, we have the Lighting Revolution chandelier, a suspended light fixture from Forecast. The chandelier body is reminiscent of carriage wheels and evokes a country lodge atmosphere.
(Savannah Chandelier from Crystorama Lighting; Lighting Revolution Chandelier from Forecast)For more contemporary interiors, sleeker chandeliers have been designed – using geometric-shaped arms rather than the traditional curved lines. The Margo chandelier from AF Lighting has pyramid-shaped arms with cut crystal hanging off its points. The Odyssey chandelier has rectilinear arms and cylinder candle holders wrapped in leather.
(Margo chandelier from AF Lighting; Odyssey chandelier from Foundary)In modern design, the use of chandelier arms have been in many instances completely eliminated as the light output have become stronger lending to the use of a single bulb rather than multiple bulbs. Newer materials are also being employed as manufacturing techniques have improved. Designer George Kovacs uses alabaster, acrylics, or blown glass to create his polymorphic shaped lighting fixtures. The pendant light below uses concave alabaster panels that are translucent and allows light to shine through. The silver pendant light is made of shaped acrylic panels that is semi-transparent also.
(Alabaster Pendant and Silver Acrylic Pendant by George Kovacs) Thin layers of wood veneer have also been used to create unique housing for modern light fixtures. From Lzf Lamps, we have the Agatha suspended light (pictured in the beginning) formed from twisted veneers that were dyed red. Another hanging light fixture from Lzf is the Japanese-inspired Mikado. Also made from wood veneers, the wood is further cut into thin strips and then twisted and fanned out to create a very dynamic and tension-filled sculptural object. The unique cuts and piercing of Lzf fixtures result in an exciting play of light and shadow upon the room's surfaces.
(Mikado Light courtesy of Lzf Lamps)When planning your lighting scheme and deciding on your ambient light source – take a look at the many different suspended light fixtures out there. There’s a style and mood and price point for all tastes and budgets. In our future blog, we’ll take a look at another type of lighting – such as task lighting.
Interested in learning more about lighting schemes? Take a look at Sheffield School's Complete Course in Interior Design. At Sheffield, you will learn how to transform a space, create color schemes, and select furniture, lighting, and accessories.
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