Inspiration/Interpretation | Semi-Flush Mounts
Pond House Studio gets her lights
When the work, words, home, style, or talents of someone else makes your breath catch, stirs a longing, or causes you to lean in with curiosity, this is simply part of them reflecting part of you. Their life and work is not a prescription or formula, but an invitation for you to live fully yours. Take that awakening, that curiosity, and see what it becomes in your unique life.
Sometimes, you’re inspired by two things at the same time and what comes from that is something quite beautiful and unexpected.
Pond House Studio posed a small challenge when it came to ceiling lights. There were three existing fixtures, all different, two on the sloped ceiling of the one-room studio, and the third in the adjoining hall. I wanted the three new fixtures to match for visual continuity, but they also needed to articulate so two of them could accommodate the slope of the ceiling in the main room.
Come, see how these lights came to be…
INSPIRATION: The visually clean, nostalgic look of a porcelain single-bulb surface mount light fixture. They’re especially fitting for lighting a kitchen or hall and work well with a design brief that calls for historic twentieth century influence. Bravo to architect Elizabeth Roberts, fellow designer Jessica Helgerson, and boutique clothing designer, Gillian Stevens, who created these inspiring kitchens that demonstrate simple beauty and function of these lights so well.
But then…
I was also inspired by the look of a simple bare bulb pendant with a twisted cloth cord. The cord gives the nostalgia I love and the articulation needed for a light installed on a sloped ceiling, and the simple socket gives a similar look to the porcelain fixtures.
INTERPRETATION: A blending of the two, with a bit of porcelain, some twisted cloth cord, and aged brass. And when the blended idea can’t be found in a ready-made fixture, you source the parts from here and there and make your own, with just enough drop to see the twist in the cord and get the articulation you need. A perfect answer for the aesthetic, the budget, and the lower than usual ceiling.
For the curious:
Commune Light Socket (in many colors)
Matt Alford Studio Bare Cord Pendant
The porcelain fixtures shown in the Jessica Helgerson kitchen are sadly sold out.
Snake Head Vintage light fixture parts
Ceramic Ceiling Rose - Note: this is a European size and drilling, not standard for US application, so, if you choose this, you’ll need to work with your electrician to come up with a way to hang the fixture. (I fabricated hardware to make it work.)
Inspiration / Interpretation is a series meant to encourage us all. Next time you see an inspiring human (or object), let them wake up the best in you. No inferiority or lack. No inadequacy or comparison. Just inspired curiosity, discovery, passion, you.
oooh! Can't wait to see them installed! Beautiful combination.
This is my favorite series. Partly because it was somewhat inspired by a question I asked you years ago about feeling inadequate and dealing with comparisons. Your brilliant response is copied into my planner each year and I re-read it when I'm struggling with those recurring feelings of insufficiency and doubt. The freedom that comes from a creative response, seeking a creative interpretation is, well, incredibly freeing. Thank you, again and again for your encouragement and simplicity. And the satisfaction of knowing it is my inspired choice, not someone else's choice. Love it!