A Brief History Of Lamp Lighting In The Home

Lamps in the home have a long history. It seems that hanging Chandeliers and standing Torchiere lamps were among the first freestanding lighting fixtures in use, introduced towards the end of the 17th century. The Torchiere lamp itself had a tall single stand and typically had one at the top. When it was introduced in France, multiple candles were introduced to the design. The addition of more candles was heralded as revolutionary in the lighting of large rooms.

The torchiere lamp now has the reputation of being a mainstay of the student dorm lifestyle package, because there have been many overseas manufacturers who have flooded the US with cheap versions of the style. If you're considering a torchiere lamp, there are also many features to be lauded as well. Consider first the sheer lumen power of the lamp. It can provide a significant amount of indirect upward light in any room, lighting the room without feeling the blaze of bright light can come from overhead.

This factor alone makes the torchiere a great choice for basements, game rooms, or family rooms, where light is needed, and indirect light is preferred.

The reverse of the torchiere lamp is the pendant lamp. One might say it looks like a torchiere lamp stuck to the ceiling, albeit a whole lot better looking version. The nice thing about Pendant lights is that there is much more latitude for the shade to carry some significant design elements. Pendants, by their very nature have the ability to offer up a very bold design statement. A pendant light gives the home a designer-type look in a pretty easy-to-install package, and can be a center piece around which other room elements are chosen or designed. As an example, Forecast Lighting, among others, has a wide selection of bold pendant designs that run the gamut from the Art Deco period, up through the Arts And Crafts period, and on to the modern contemporary period. The pendant has been a fixture in each of these architectural design periods, and it's easy to see why. The Pendant remains a viable artistic choice in today's home, just as it has been for decades already.

Lighting fixtures are still used today by designers and architects to evoke certain moods or feelings. Certainly this can be seen in major public buildings and gathering places where lighting is necessary, and pendants and lamps are an important part of that statement. Chose a lamp of pendant as part of a home remodel project and see the impact for yourself.