Objects of Design #129: Hand Blown Glass Lights

Lighting. One of the most important aspects of decorating and, so often, one that is overlooked. When it comes to dining rooms, or kitchens, or anywhere where you are going to be eating, the right lighting is crucial.

Sally Storey, the design director of John Cullen Lighting, once told me that you could furnish your entire house in Ikea and, as long as the lighting was right, it would look much more expensive than it actually was.

So, when it comes to the place where you eat, good lighting is important. Yes you might want candles and yes, it might be the kitchen where you have spot lights and downlighters so that you can see what you’re doing, but when it comes to the bit of the table, try and be a bit more dramatic.

Sadly, in my dining area, the ceiling was too low for a really dramatic pendant, which is why we have a tin ceiling and wall lights. The light reflects off the ceiling and creates a really pretty effect.

Now, I know it’s fashionable to have low lighting but the Italians prefer to have an overhead light so they can see a) what they’re eating and b) who they’re talking to.

So, with that in mind, take a look at the fabulous pendant lights shown here. They are from Rothschild & Bickers and are all hand-blown in Hertford. You can choose from nine different colours of glass and lots of beautiful coloured flexes, which I have now decided is completely de rigueur when it comes to pendant lighting, as well as dozens of fittings.

And, as if that wasn’t enough, if you don’t want any of these, they will make bespoke ones too.

Elisa Fanella, who runs Elni Interiors with Nicky Dyer, is a huge fan of these lights and has used them in several projects. Nicky said: ” We love to inject colour into our schemes and the Rothschild & Bickers lights enable us to continue our passion for colour in the design.

“They offer a bespoke service whereby they can take the colours from the fabrics we are using and create beautiful glass lights to exactly our colour specification – they look truly stunning and provide that final ‘piece de resistance’ in any room.”

Here are some of the lights the company created to match Elisa and Nicky’s colour scheme.

Together with the fabric samples

So, next time you’re redecorating don’t forget the lighting. Think of pendant lights in a room as the earrings on an outfit.