Breaking the Rules: Lamps Where You Least Expect Them
Amp up the wattage in your bathroom and kitchen with stylish lamps
Architecture and interior design can be the seats of great innovation, where novel ideas and a healthy dose of rule breaking have the power to change the way we experience our homes and organize our lives. But too often we settle for the safe bet, what we’ve seen before, what’s easy to find. This series sets out to explore the offbeat and celebrate the road less traveled. Let’s begin with adding lamps to your bathroom and kitchen.
A flat toilet tank top is a prime location for candles or a lamp. Out of the way of the counter and farther removed from splashing water, if ever there was a perfect site for a small lamp in a bathroom, it’s there.
Safety concerns about bringing electricity so close to the faucets is probably the reason lamps in wet zones like bathrooms and kitchens aren’t more popular, but it’s by no means impossible or even difficult to use an electric lamp safely in a bathroom. For starters, nesting it in a dropped vanity atop a tray will add two degrees of protection from puddles. A retractable cord and an outlet close at hand also reduce the length of cord exposed.
If possible, work with your carpenter and electrician to stash an outlet in the cabinetry, with a hole in the surface to run the cord through, as you would on a computer desk. You’ll benefit from the amber glow of lamplight when it’s time to decompress at night or gently rouse your senses awake in the morning, without any unsightly cord interrupting your Zen.
Lamps can be an important feature of a lighting scheme that eschews harsh overhead bulbs in favor of more romantic mood light. Next to the mirror, a lamp promises to cast flattering shadows for primping, while the soft, dim glow helps our brains shut down from the day and begin melatonin production for a good night’s sleep.
Often you see things in twos in bathrooms because the layout is so conducive to symmetry. If two mirrors, two sinks and two sconces are visually appealing, why not two lamps? Glowing urns add another layer of warm light to this cool room.
A Knockout Choice for the Kitchen
Moving now to the kitchen, we see the same symmetry in action here, with two identical lamps gracing the island. Just as they do in a bathroom, lamps add a more homey, cozy vibe to the utilitarian kitchen, and that’s precisely what makes them so unexpected yet attractive. That they’re somewhat “out of place” makes even a traditional-style lamp feel fresh.
Moving now to the kitchen, we see the same symmetry in action here, with two identical lamps gracing the island. Just as they do in a bathroom, lamps add a more homey, cozy vibe to the utilitarian kitchen, and that’s precisely what makes them so unexpected yet attractive. That they’re somewhat “out of place” makes even a traditional-style lamp feel fresh.
Next time you visit a hotel, notice how the bedside lamps are usually fixed to the table with no cord or plug in sight. For safety’s sake, such hard-wiring would be all but essential for flanking a sink with table lamps. It will require a little extra forethought and care, but the reward is that your kitchen will officially become a room for living, which is usually the whole goal of opening it up to the rest of the floor plan.
If you’d simply feel more comfortable keeping electricity away from sinks, look to your bar counter as a refuge for lamps in need of a home. Yes, this countertop is shared by the sink, but it’s not hard to imagine a stand-alone bar or console table at the foot of the dining table instead.
This photo illustrates the impact softer mood lighting can have in a compact open floor plan where every square foot is touched by the glow of lamplight. The daylight and kitchen task lights here are perfectly adequate, but sometimes adequate isn’t enough. Sometimes extra-special is desired, and the two stout lamps on the island nail it.
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Admittedly, adding a lamp to your bathroom isn’t exactly earth-shattering. However, it may be just uncommon enough to feel like a decadent deviation from business as usual. This brass task lamp turns an ordinary bathroom into a retreat, complete with a well-lit corner and cozy chair to unwind in before sinking into a warm bath.