What are your rules ( if there are any rules ) for curating lighting for the home ?
A lighting facelift should be done whenever there is some sort of remodeling done to the home . Changing a fixture can give a home a lift on its own or complement new paint or décor . A new fixture can be quite impactful in a bathroom , especially if you ’ re replacing an outdated , wide fixture . Today , a lot of people are doing recessed lighting with sconces on either side of the mirror for a high-end solution that looks great .
What ’ s the secret to choosing the perfect piece of lighting ?
Buying the right size . Don ’ t buy an over-scale piece or an under-scale piece . You have to think about what you are using this fixture for . Is it to light up the room or as an accessory piece to supplement the recessed lighting ? It ’ s really important to determine that upfront . And while you want to make sure that the fixture works with the design , having a contrast is great because it ’ s unexpected .
Is decorative lighting “ dead ”? We keep hearing everything is going minimal and recessed these days .
That ’ s totally false . I think , today , in luxury environments , the combination of recessed and decorative is very much alive and well . If it ’ s just recessed , it ’ s boring . By bringing in decorative lighting , you create excitement below the ceiling line . If you want to add warmth to a room or make it more inviting , or you want to bring more interest to the eye level , a lighting designer might sell you on the benefits of decorative lighting .
I like to say it ’ s the “ jewelry of the house .” That ’ s how we look at it . The Corbett line , essentially , is inspired by jewelry and fashion .
Where do you get your inspiration ?
Our process is not formal , but we look for a lot of references . We buy every shelter magazine on the planet , rip out pages and look at door hardware , furniture and pieces of art — we ’ re searching for inspiration everywhere . There ’ s lighting and then there ’ s lighting — where do you want to go with it ?
Are you seeing any trends or new art movements that are inspiring your lighting collections this year ?
The biggest thing right now is midcentury modern . Vintage modern . It ’ s casual and contemporary . The key to modern lighting is to mix in some warmth . Maybe add simpler straight-line pieces , but the materials and the tone are warm .
In terms of decorative lighting technology , what ’ s the most exciting development you ’ ve seen lately ?
The continuation of LED technology . We ’ re able to work and design with it more easily today . We ’ re seeing form follow function , meaning we ’ re designing products specifically for LED technology and not the other way around . The days of stuffing LED technology into a lighting product that was designed for more conventional modes of lighting are over . It doesn ’ t look good .
In what direction would you like to see lighting design go in the next few years ?
I would like to see the continuation of more decorative lighting . I think it ’ s a mistake to use it less . The rule of mixing recessed lighting with decorative is that it must be in appropriate settings . More companies are using LED sources and building products that will coordinate with home automation .
56 | Coldwell Banker Residential Real Estate