As homeowners become ever more innovative with how they decorate and furnish their properties, attention is being increasingly turned to lighting solutions - and how they can be manipulated and designed to become a thing of aesthetic beauty as opposed to just a practical amenity.
The Wall Street Journal recently reported how twigs - especially those from hickory, maple and beech trees - are fast becoming a central design feature of many trendy new lighting fixtures being dubbed 'brancheliers', primarily due to their adaptability to create a variety of looks from rustic and elegant to gothic and more imposing.
But why is it that people are becoming so much more demanding with their lighting?
Karen Howes of Chelsea-based interior design company Taylor Howes told the Telegraph: "Sculptural chandeliers and glamorous light installations are a great way of creating a luxury feel as well as softening the illumination," adding that a bespoke piece "can fill the void on a staircase, bring drama to the dining table or brighten up a breakfast bar."
She claims the craving is for homeowners to have something which is completely unique and which will double-up as a piece of artwork in their home. Where people used to have paintings commissioned, it would appear they are now designing lighting fixtures.
When it comes to interior design, the market is saturated with easy-to-browse, simple-to-order, painless-to-deliver and straightforward-to-install solutions from mass market retailers. Accordingly, in a sort of knee jerk reaction, it would seem that many homeowners are shunning the catalogues in favour of coming up with their very own ideas.
London-based lighting specialist Charles Edwards told the newspaper how the advancement of technology was having a huge impact on this trend of seeing lighting as artwork, as designs can now be far more architectural as much as they are practical. He talks about the resultant "freedom in the design and use" of certain fittings.
