Light My Way
Light up your child's life with these innovative
lighting ideas for nursery and beyond.
Light has the ability to change a room and affect the mood
of the people within it. Gone are the days whereby we suffice with
one fitted ceiling shade! Fortunately, we now have a range of
choices, from faithful spotlights to ambient cylindrical novelty
lamps and night lights. The type of lighting chosen for a child's
room will change as they grow. A baby's nursery will need both
practical and ambient light options, while an older child will
require a ceiling light, and floor or desk lamps for reading and
focused work. And for those that are aesthetically minded,
decorative lighting options can be used to create a sense of
excitement or relaxation.
Pendants and shades
There are three general choices for illuminating your child's
bedroom from the top - spotlights, pendant or drum shades, or
standard ceiling-mounted shades. A great range of ready-made,
affordable options are available from standard lighting or hardware
stores, such as www.bunnings.co.nz, http://www.lightingdirect.co.nz and www.lightingplus.co.nz. For a more decorative
or custom made pendant or drum shade, look to your designer
homewares stores for inspiration. Stores such as www.alliuminteriors.co.nz, http://www.gorgi.co.nzor
www.madderandrouge.co.nz or. take care to choose fabrics that are
fade- and heat-resistant, and that will not show marks made by
small creatures that call your ceilings home! Other novel options
that we found include Pylones metal painted hanging lights.
Starting from $115, they come in a range of colours and designs.
Check out www.pylones-newzealand.com.
Dimmers, floor and table lamps
If you are renovating or in the position to enhance your existing
wall switches, then be sure to install dimmers for the least
disturbance during late night visits to little people.
Alternatively, look for table lamps, which will not only add
ambience but also provide a decorative element. lamps with low
wattage bulbs or those with a "touch" option will minimise the
necessity to fumble around in the dark for that pesky switch. We
found a large range of touch lamp options at www.lightingdirect.co.nz and www.lightingplus.co.nz, priced from
$59.90.
For a more novel solution, try the
portable, award-winning oxo Candela lights by vessel. These are
useful cotside as their patented, intelligent circuitry makes them
illuminate automatically when lifted from the charging platter, and
will recharge as soon as they're put back. They also turn on
automatically during power failures, so you always have an
emergency light source within easy reach. available at www.littlefunkymonkey.co.nz, from $109.95.
Alternatively, try Nature Baby's range of toadstool, rabbit, and
Duck lamps for lights that your little ones will adore, priced from
$135. A design piece is a great way to treat yourself as a parent,
and is potentially something that can be moved to other rooms as
baby grows up. We absolutely loved Workroom Design's tripod lamp,
which brings together contrasting materials such as plywood, matai,
tawa, kauri, rimu, and lacquered surfaces. The shade also comes in
a variety of fabrics. $925 and available from www.thepoiroom.co.nz or call 09 520
0399.
Night lights
Night lights can be the convenient answer to your child's fear of
the dark, or help with finding that lost dummy. We found two good
options at the Baby Factory - the novel Baby 200 turtle light,
which includes its own timer and auto sensor, $29.99, and the Elisi
or Dream Baby night light, which also includes an auto sensor,
$19.19.
Kirstin Bailey is the Director and Designer for Gorgi
New Zealand and is mother to three boys, Orlando, Sebastian and
Bodhi.
Photography: Kevin Emirali • Styling: Kirstin
Bailey
As seen in OHbaby! magazine
Issue 10: 2010
Subscribe to OHbaby! magazine
Purchase Issue
10