We’re celebrating French inspired lighting! The 1st July marks the start of ‘La Tour de France’, the well-known annual cycle race through France. Italy and Spain started their own versions a while later, the ‘Giro d’Italia’ and ‘Vuelta a Espana’ respectively and collectively, they make up cycling’s most prestigious Grand Tours which last for three weeks.
The route alters each year, but will always pass through the picturesque mountains of the Pyrenees and the Alps to finish on the iconic Champs-Elysees in Paris.
France is a nation steeped in history, with stunning architecture and designs earning them a well-deserved esteem amongst designers. The same is true of their lighting designs, with traditional café style lights and chandeliers oozing the undeniable French charm. Effortlessly teaming elegant beauty with functionality, these are lights that will complement vintage and traditional settings alike.
The ‘Emile’ range of lights, designed by David Hunt, offer a traditional Candelabra style of lighting, with candle bulbs taking a safer place of the original candles. Handmade in the UK by Artisans, the soft, French cream has been heavily antiqued with a mole brown paint effect to offer a truly realistic aged finish. With elegant, curving arms, adorned with three-dimensional leaf detailing reminiscent of the decorative plasterwork of the decadent age. This really looks like it has come straight from a glamorous chateau and adds a rustic, vintage charm to any space.
For a more modern take on the design, there is a perfect finished option available. Shown here in Mole Brown, Marston and Langinger paint, we can get this made in other colours to compliment your colour scheme.
The Kingsley range of lights offer a more structural take on a classic French design. Complete with rich ivory pleated shades which add a modernity to the design, with elegant scrolls softening the angular frame. Silver leaf has been hand applied, adding to the luxuriousness which sees this fit so well into most settings.
Traditional Parisian cafes favoured simple designs with polished finishes and few will say it better than the gorgeous range of Provence lights. Functionality is paramount to the design and many will feature clever designs, allowing you to direction the light with ease.
A gorgeous range of Tiffany glass lights, the Mille Feux range is French for a thousand lights. Depicting an intricate pattern of creams and buttermilk glass, accented with red and shiny bead work which are laid in a geometric pattern which filters the light through for a dazzling effect. Tiffany glass was a huge part of the Art Deco and Art Nouveux movements, with many influential designs originating in France.
For all of our gorgeous lighting inspired by French design, come and browse here!