Good light was something my mother always said I needed. She insisted that I keep company with at least 60 watts to prevent eyestrain. Good light is something I also believe in, but I’m talking about great-looking mood-enhancing table lamps and chandeliers that are shapely and vividly colored, and do their beauty duty on or off.
Imagine my delight, when I discovered that several lighting companies are inspired by Benjamin Moore ─ the breadth of the spectrum, the quality of the paint, and its environmental friendliness. With styles ranging from classic contemporary to modern bohemian, these companies will coordinate lamps, shades and trim with any Benjamin Moore color, so you’ll never have to guess if your new lamp will compliment or clash.
The following companies, recently spied at the Atlanta Gift Show, use Benjamin Moore:
Barbara Cosgrove
Chandelier with Rust shades at Barbara Cosgrove, AmericasMart
Interior design by Tracery
Picture from Seeing Design
“It takes someone willing to step outside the norm to appreciate rust.”
says designer Jaclyn Joslin.
When Barbara Cosgrove watched the popularity of Hermes orange soar, she responded in her own way – just like a confident lighting designer who likes color “but not too wild” would. She rolled a mellowed out version of it,Rust 2175-30, onto a parchment shade, and knew the paint color was a good warm accent for her namesake collection of neutral-toned bases. Six months post-Rust, she tried Blue Heather 1620, a pale shade from the cool side of the spectrum. For a $40 charge, Barbara Cosgrove will hand-roll the color of your choice onto a 13”, 17”, 19” or 22” shade. In addition to the variety, Barbara Cosgrove uses Benjamin Moore because the “paints dry beautifully.”
Mottega
Mottega’s lamp catalog resembles a paint deck.
Image from Mottega
Room staged by Nick Olsen
Mottega’s upscale super saturated DIY lighting program lets customers build custom lamps from 9 body types, 13 colors, and 6 bases. Each curvaceous ceramic lamp body has a Benjamin Moore color counterpart. Bright Peridot coordinates with Rosemary Green 2029-30 and Sol is derived from Yellow 2022-10. Choose a color for pop or layer similar shades for a monotone theme. The finished lamp ships in two weeks.
Stray Dog Designs
Stray Dog Designs showroom, Atlanta January 2012
Stray Dog’s Landon Chandelier
At Stray Dog Designs, Jane Gray and Bill Pritchard use Aura on a line of imaginative papier mache lamps and furniture. Bill says that even when the factory in Haiti is in high gear, you don’t smell the fumes and that’s a wonderful thing. Using color, organic shapes, and lots of ingenuity, the Stray Doggers are providing economic help to communities in need while also respecting the planet and serving an audience who enjoys a dose of whimsy and funk.
Ro Sham Beaux
The lattice trim can be matched to any Benjamin Moore hue.
“Patricia” is available in several bold colors.
Ann Yancy has used Benjamin Moore in her home for years – “it’s a tradition I guess” – so when it came time to specify colors for her two-year-young lighting company, Ro Sham Beaux, it was a no-brainer. Personally, Ann loves to use bright accessories against White Dove OC 17 walls.
Now that matching lamp color’s been made easy, here are 5 lamp-related style tips.
Interior Design by Tracery
1. Lamps on bedside tables do not have to match, especially in a casual setting.
(keep in mind that the bases are very different, but the shades are similar)
Photo from Country Living
2. Two lamps on a single sideboard or console should match.
Image from House Beautiful. Design by Tobi Fairley.
3. Custom color lamps for a mono-hue decorating scheme.
Image from House Beautiful. Design by Diamond Baratta.
4. An unexpectedly tall floor or table lamp becomes a major showpiece.
Photo from The Daily Green
5. Start adapting to the quality of energy efficient light. Incandescent bulbs are not yet obsolete, but the trend is energy efficient bulbs that produce less heat and odd light. The Daily Green rates some of the new CFL, LED, and halogen bulbs.