As there is gentle talk of the recession being over and the housing market picks up again, many designers and makers have spoken to me about business returning at long last. But as one said to me last week, this time people want to spend their money on items that will last.
There is a feeling that we are coming to the end of the throwaway culture. That if we are going to buy something for our homes that it should be something that we will love for ever and that will last as long as we need it to.
Of course there is always a place for a cheap accessory – the fad/fashionable item that you can change after a season or two – pineapple cushions and animal motifs spring to mind – but when it comes to furniture and lighting, there is a definite feeling that we should be investing in forever pieces.
Lighting company Bert Frank make just such pieces. Of course you can deduce from this that they’re not cheap, but they are beautifully made, in the UK (another aspect that people are beginning to feeling strongly about – by which I mean the revival of the British manufacturing industry by the way) and will mature and age with you.
The brass will weather and soften with time, unless you polish it to keep it new looking and any knocks or scratches will just add to its appeal. Unless you don’t like that sort of thing, in which case you can return it to them for a recondition.
They also offer custom colours and finishes so if you like one light but in a different colour you can talk to them. I’d like the desk lamp but not with a red flex for example.
The brass pendant lights are £175 and the desk light below is £385. There are many more on their site.
