THE SPACE The sitting room is an open- plan area with the hall. The mirror-glass panelling on one wall makes it seem larger.
SALLY’S SOLUTIONS ‘The chimneypiece is accentuated at night with small “Lucca” 1-watt LED uplights (from £102 each), which are named after my eldest daughter. They illuminate the surround of the mantelpiece, appearing like small night lights. The flowers on the table are highlighted by a 10-degree beam of light from a “Polespring” LED (from £101), as is the picture above the chimneypiece, which was painted by Lucca.’
STAIRCASE
THE SPACE It is narrow (although mirror glass on one wall doubles the feeling of width) and the low ceiling heights meant that the traditional solutions of pendants and wall lights were not possible.
SALLY’S SOLUTIONS ‘I wanted to keep the energy consumption down, so the only lights I used on the stairs are small 1-watt “Lucca” uplights, with 1-watt “Cazalla” floor washers (from £90) – named after my second daughter – used in the skirting board on every other step. The total consumption over the three floors is just 17 watts. The lights also dim perfectly to create a magical, almost candle-like effect. This is the perfect solution to maximise and add drama to a tight staircase.’
A simple system controls the lighting with four preset scenes. One scene is for daytime (above), with downlights only to add in-fill light. The second, for early evening, introduces the features of the ‘Lucca’ uplights to the chimneypiece and shutters together with the decorative lamps and a soft low-level uplight behind the sofa. The other scenes dim the lights to create a perfect party setting.
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DECORATING
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BATHROOM
THE SPACE This clean-lined room has beautiful slabs of ‘book matched’ marble, designed to have a spa-like feel at night.
SALLY’S SOLUTIONS ‘Here, “Lucca” uplights hidden behind the bath provide a soft wash up the marble and reflect light at the ceiling. This creates a much softer effect than a grid of downlights. For the best facial lighting, consider having wall lights on either side of a mirror at face level (below right) and control them together with a downlight directed towards the mirror to add sparkle to a basin. I’ve also used a “Cazalla” LED steplight under the free-standing vanity unit as a night light; this operates via a passive infrared (PIR) presence detector so it comes on at night and guides the way to the loo.’
main BEDROOM
THE SPACE It is not a large room, but mirror glass on all the cupboards adds the feeling of space and reflects the light.
SALLY’S SOLUTIONS ‘The shelves are backlit, which is preferable when the display is a combination of objects and books, and adds depth and a sense of soft indirect light. The same warm light here is provided by a Porta Romana “Motu Lamp” (£1,114; portaromana.co.uk), but the key is a good reading light. I’ve used the wall-mounted “Cama” (£334).’ Unless otherwise stated, the lighting products mentioned are available from John Cullen Lighting (johncullenlighting.co.uk) Dimming can create everything from a bright daytime
feel to a relaxing effect. These can be preset, or use rotary dimmers with a night light on a PIR sensor.
ADDED INSIGHT
DECORATING
|DESIGN IDEAS
NOVEMBER 2015 HOUSEANDGARDEN.CO.UK
WING CHAN PHO TOGR APHY ; JOD Y T ODD
T
he six years that I spent living in New York has definitely changed the way that I decorate. The most obvious in- fluence was the brightness; I find that, as a general rule, rooms in the States are lighter, brighter and also less cluttered. They are not as big on curtains as we are, and I love the way that Americans paint theirfloorboards. White floorboards bounce the light around and give a room that pretty glow I always associate with East Coast style. Pale grey floors and white walls are a classic canvas that allows for the relaxed decoration that Americans are so good at. The grand decorators go a step further and do all sorts of things, such as painting hexagonal or zig-zag designs on floors and ‘runners’ on staircases. Bunny Mellon did this a lot to great effect.
There is a group of American interior designers to whom I refer again and again in my work: Billy Baldwin, Albert Hadley, Steven Gambrel and Tom Scheerer are among the highly talented decorators whose work I absorbed while living there. Steven trained as an architect and it’s his architectural detailing that I love. He always pays great attention to the colours he applies to the windows and wood- work in a room – it’s a detail often neglected, but makes such a difference when done well. I would really recommend his book, Steven Gambrel: Time & Place (Abrams, £35), to anyone working on a house and getting stuck on all those small bits in a room.
Trays, strangely, are a household item that took on a whole new role for me. I was even inspired to design my own range. Americans use them in abundance for corralling all sorts of things. As well as on drinks tables, they are used on side tables with little vases on them, by beds, on coffee tables in powder rooms, and
on hall tables for sunglasses and keys. Relatively inconsequential things are elevated in stature while also being tidily organised. Even in kitchens, the olive oil, salt and pepper by the stove look less ordinary.
Working for Domino magazine taught me a lot, mostly about how to do things much more simply. Instead of curtains that are two-and-a-half times the width of the window and lined and interlined, I’d see less formal drapes (as they call them) hanging simply. These are so much lighter and more easy-going than ours – and, of course, so much cheaper to produce.
Americans also spend much more time decorating their rented apartments, which is so liberating. When you move out, you just have to return your apartment to the same white box you took on. If you take on a place thinking that you are going to have to paint it when you leave – which isn’t a huge deal – you can have a much nicer time while you live there, with pictures on the walls and paint colours or wallpapers that you like around you.
The other great idea I picked up has been panelling walls with wooden boards. I know that tongue and groove has become wildly overused, but I haven’t finished with mixed-width boards on the walls and I am using horizontal ones a lot, too. They are so charming when used in small rooms and give more definition than flat paint. A good tip is to randomly mix the widths and go as wide as you can