Garden Lighting

The dim light outside the house casts interesting shadows

In summer I spend a lot of time in the garden. It’s not that often that I sit and sunbath as I like pottering and keeping on top of jobs that I feel need doing. This really leaves me very little time for other hobbies or interest beyond horticulture – no complaints here. 

 

When it comes to late autumn to spring though, I turn my attentions to other varied pursuits to help hang onto my sanity. 

This year I have done a bit of soap making, which made Christmas presents for family and friends pretty easy and then I do a bit of pottery in my quieter moments. My main interest away from the garden this year is buying lamps – generally ones that need to be refurbished as I like cleaning and mending things. 

It must also be something to do with the long dark days. Dim, warm ambient lighting not only makes the house more relaxing, it can really accentuate treasured ornaments and your favourite houseplants.

If I’m being truthful the main reason I go for ambient lighting might be that it’s makes the dust on surfaces fade into the shadows and makes clutter invisible in shaded corners. In the right lighting your house looks as though it doesn’t need cleaning or even redecorating.

I’m more focussed on desk lamps compared to table or standard lamps because I am a bit limited for space. I particularly enjoy lamps dating from the 1930’s to the 70’s (“my era” so my lads say) before the use of plastics. Of course, the old Bakelite lamp fittings were an early form of plastic for years but I don’t count that. I also like the inclusion of steel and industrial enamel finishes, particularly for Danish designs.

I did start off by buying and selling the lamps a couple of years ago but missed them so much after they were posted out to customers that I think I have sort of turned into a collector – or even a lamp hoarder as I have boxes of parts beginning to clutter up the garage.

My interest isn’t confined to the inside of the house either. I really appreciate old external lights too as these are both an aesthetic and also a practical feature in any garden. I have some great cast aluminium security lights, each a whopping 500watts that can illuminate the whole garden and beyond if needed but I very rarely turn them on, mainly as not to annoy the neighbours. I’ve also got a couple of more practical and neighbour friendly 1940’s vintage  goose neck lights that help to make the pathways safe and see any obstacles when I get the dogs home from a night time walk. The lights also illuminate certain “Objects D’ Art” (junk some might say) I have scattered alongside the pathways behind the house. I think my old cast iron windows, chimney pots; terracotta planters look great in the reduced light. Even shadows cast by an old broken skateboard, left behind by my lad, has a certain magic to it.

I do have one modern lamp which lives on the shed lighting up the step to the doorway. It’s a solar panelled one and works efficiently, being charged up even on dull days producing a dim light just powerful enough to show the step. I don’t have an emotional attachment to this light though as its modern and plastic – it’s purely for practical safety purposes. 

Lighting up the garden isn’t all about function, style can play a big part although most of the time it’s not the lamps you see as such it’s the light they omit and the mood they set. Unless you have a row of cast iron Victorian street lights in the garden others have very little impact on a design in the daylight. There are modern fittings that hide the cables if not using solar energy and fittings hidden in walls, decking and floors.   

Lighting up a step outside is practical adding to safety when you go outside to the bins and highlighting something as simple as a small evergreen shrub can really make a difference to how the garden looks even if you just catch a glance of it through the window. It doesn’t have to be an elaborate affair.

I’ve also been buying (collecting) 1950’s lampshades, which could make good hanging baskets with a bit of tinkering. Maybe that’s a job for next winter.