When it comes to decorating our homes, inspiration for lighting design is all around us. From the galvanized overhead pot lights in a Texas kitchen to light fixtures featuring the ancient Japanese style of charred wood called Shou-Sugi-Ban, lighting ideas are everywhere we look. At the Light Center in Fort Collins we have discovered the connection between travel memories and the light fixtures we love to bring into our showroom.
Introducing Luminesta Travels
Travel brings new ideas and memories. We coined the term Lumenista because as lighting designers, everywhere we go we notice fixtures and the way lighting can impact the ambiance of a space. We get asked daily to use our expertise to give great lighting advice, whether it is about design, lighting techniques, technology or the latest in thought leadership for our industry and how it applies to homes and business spaces.
Join our team of Lumenistas as they travel around the country and around the world. We love sharing our inspiration on our Facebook page and by bringing lighting design inspired by our excursions back to our showroom so our customers can enjoy our findings. Check out these fresh finds from our latest Luminesta Travels.
Galvanized Overhead Lighting
While Lumenista Jennifer was celebrating her mother’s 80th birthday on a Texas ranch last summer, she discovered a vintage pot light over the Texas-sized marble island in the kitchen. The custom made iron was perfectly bent and had enough metal character to be interesting but enough shine to be classy. The dark metal up top accented the bottom of each galvanized pot. It is not often we find island lighting of this impressive scale to cover the width of a 12′ long kitchen island!
The vintage kitchen island light and the Texas heat was the impetus for an outdoor galvanized fan display in The Light Center showroom. Jennifer says every time she sees that fan, it takes her back to the sizzlin’ ranch and her large family gathering.
Japanese-Inspired Wooden Light Fixtures
While exploring in Japan another of our Luminestas discovered the ancient technique of Shou-Sugi-Ban, where wood is preserved by charring it with fire. For hundreds of years, this process was used to weatherproof the exterior wooden siding of buildings.
The technique adds beauty and character to the wood only replicated through the charring process. We were delighted to discover that an American manufacturer in Vermont has added this style to the exterior wood bands of its pendant series. We proudly showcase the Made in USA series and love the reminder of ancient Japanese culture.
Simple Lighting Adds a Sophisticated Feel
The Light Center Lumenistas found inspiration inside the Ralph Lauren Flagship store in New York City. As we walked in off the bustling street, the feeling of simplicity and upscale drama hit us instantly. The clothes were beautiful, timeless pieces and the decor included rich wood accents that successfully flirted with crisp clean white paneling and walls. The store’s lighting was primarily unobtrusive low voltage cans and spotlights but they were able to frame and bring a sense of life to the merchandise.
Their color palette of black and white clothing even complimented the wallpaper in one small dressing room on the 3rd floor – where we stumbled upon a beautifully framed space with a classic sconce that plays up the elegance of the store but offers clean simplicity. Visual tributes to Louis Armstong and bygone eras are highlighted with direct spotlights next to the dimmed down polished sconce. Lighting perfection. We enjoyed a solid glass of Hudson Rye Whiskey served on a glass tray by a well-appointed staff member. We can always appreciate simple but elegant lighting that creates drama in a small space and brings an air of loftiness to Ralph Lauren’s already amazing clothing!
Join us on our Travels
Journey around the world with us as we explore destinations near and far! Follow us on Facebook or Instagram and join us on our adventures when you follow #LumenistaTravels. In the meantime, stop by The Light Center in Fort Collins today to check out lighting designs inspired by our sightseeing to make each room in your home a destination in and of itself.