We rarely have the opportunity to see Lamps Plus products used in real interior spaces, so we were thrilled when interior designer Debbie Talianko, principal of Talianko Design Group, shared these before and after photos of one of her recent designs. Debbie's work is clean, modern, and tasteful, and the lighting she selected is a fabulous complement to her work. Welcome Debbie!

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Inspiration: This home is a Spanish style with tiled roof, a Saltillo tile pathway and arched doorways. My clients, however, have a contemporary style sensibility. Some of the artwork they already had and the existing flooring, which is a dark, wide plank mahogany, already hinted of a contemporary room. In addition to contemporary artwork, was a gorgeous dining table and buffet with a geometric pattern as well as a highly polished black grand piano. I needed to employ other current and geometric elements to complement these pieces.

About the project: In these photos, you will see a living room and dining room designed in a monochromatic scheme using a light mossy green. Dark woods and contemporary artwork in primary colors accent the room and help to bring it to life. This project had one important objective, which was that it be “kid friendly." The homeowners have lots of family visiting often and the grandchildren are all very young. For the upholstery, we used outdoor fabrics from Kravet and JF Fabrics. To demonstrate to my clients that they had nothing to worry about, I literally poured ketchup, mustard, and red wine on the swatches and they cleaned up beautifully. The carpet is from Fabrica and has been treated with a stain repellent. The sheer draperies are polyester and can be easily dry cleaned when needed.

We rebuilt the existing fireplace by changing the surround dimensions, adding a Zebrawood mantle, a black slate-looking porcelain hearth extension and sleek new bronze and glass fireplace screen doors. The outcome is a more contemporary look.

Why we source furniture and light fixtures first: There is a very detailed and systematic process that we follow in order to achieve an end result that is both on time and on budget. After the research is done and the measurements taken, we then create a two dimensional floor plan that begins with the walls, doors and windows. After this, the furniture and area rugs are drawn in according to the requirements of the client’s needs and the allowances in the space. From there, we place lighting into the drawing to accommodate the varied functions within the room. (For example, next to a chair, we may have an end table. If this chair will be used for reading, a table lamp is drawn in.)

There are three categories of lighting; ambient for general lighting, task for specific uses such as on a desk top and accent which adds the mood. When assessing a room's lighting needs, a designer will consider the function of the space, as well as the required amount of wattage. There are formulas that help in calculating wattage per square foot, but other considerations are the use of the room and the ages of the people occupying them. An elderly person needs a more brightly lit room than a younger person, for instance. 

In the case of this home, there were many windows to let in natural light during the day. My focus was on creating the proper mood(s) for entertaining guests in the evenings. The rooms in this project use ceiling lights, table lamps and accent lamps. Every fixture uses a dimmer switch or 3-way lamps to allow for even more flexibility.

It is also a good idea to make sure you use a mixture of types of fixtures for the room to keep it interesting. If you use only table lamps, or only accent lamps, the eye does not want to travel around the room to see what’s next. Try to incorporate different fixture types into each room. Floor lamps, for instance, are a good way to save space and yet light a dark corner. Mix a floor lamp with a table lamp and also a smaller accent lamp. When it is time to actually source the pieces to be used in a project, we tend to choose all of the materials and elements together. That way, we can see them on a computer document or laid out on a workspace to ensure there is a harmony between them.

Why we source lighting from Lamps Plus: I like to source light fixtures from Lamps Plus for a couple of reasons. The selection is tremendous and I have a wonderful sales rep who is very polite and efficient and helps me find what I am looking for quickly. The paperwork is easy with Lamps Plus and I like having one person I am familiar with and that I can trust. 

Because lighting offers such a vast array of choices, it is not always possible to find what I am looking for in a showroom. Lamps Plus offers my company and my clients a very easy return policy in case we receive something different than what we expected. This is the Rolls Royce of customer service, in my opinion, and a very big part of my decision to purchase through them.

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Love the lighting that Debbie Talianko used in her design? These light fixtures are the same as the ones shown above (or similar, if the original selection isn't currently available): Wells Glass Table Lamp, Bubblini Collection 3-Light Chandelier, and Raschella Solid Marble Base Table Lamp.

Images courtesy of Talianko Design Group