Learn the tricks of the trade in celebration of a stunning collaboration with an architect turned award-winning interior designer and luxury lighting company
Often an afterthought, lighting should take center stage as it has the power to completely transform a space. Architect turned award-winning interior designer, Marie Flanigan, knows the power intentional lighting can bring to a home.
The lauded designer teamed up with acclaimed lighting company Circa Lighting to brighten up your home with their new Visual Comfort collection.
“Lighting is perhaps the single most transformative element in any environment. Its power to illuminate and animate—literally—shapes how we experience our surroundings,” Flanigan explains.
To celebrate the launch of the new collection, Flanigan gives us her top 10 tips for lighting and living. Read the advice below to take your home to the next level.
Choosing elements in your home that help ensure that it can handle wear-and-tear is important. For example, this lovely and bright kitchen in the home of a young family utilizes strong raw materials such as brick and marble.
The home’s neutrality gave Marie Flanigan the opportunity to play around and create drama with light fixtures.
Devin Pendant by Sean Lavin, shown here.
Try Circa’s Talia Large Chandelier by Julie Niell.
In what can often be seen as an industrial room in the house, adding sconces to either side of the range hood instantly softens up the kitchen while also providing task lighting.
Rousseau Double Wall Sconce by Kelly Wearstler, shown here.
An architect first, Marie Flanigan knows that it’s all about geometry. Extending the barrel-vaulted ceiling into the living room, Flanigan added extra dimension to the expansive space. To ensure serenity in the space, the barrels were lined up with the door and windows.
Geometric table lamps also draw attention to the geometry of the room.
Try Circa’s Gates Medium Rectangle Table Lamp by Marie Flanigan.
The long and lean, brass floor lamp draws eyes up to the tall planked ceiling and accents the fluted wood surrounding the fireplace in this sunroom.
Dover Floor Lamp by AERIN, shown here.
Try Circa’s Maverick 60″ Ceiling Fan in Matte White.
Installing lighting on reflective surfaces can be tricky, but Marie Flanigan has a great tip for doing so. By selecting fixtures with light-diffusing shades, you can avoid overly bright hot spots.
Flanigan achieved diffused lighting in this powder room with beautiful alabaster sconces.
Melange Elongated Sconce by Kelly Wearstler, shown here.
Cristol Large Triple Flush Mount by AERIN, shown here.
When it comes to a pool bathroom, durability is key. Although beauty should not have to be sacrificed in the name of function.
Marble-clad drawers match the countertop in the perfect harmony of function-meets-beauty. The sconce on the corner subtly illuminates the space, adding to the ambiance of the room.
Vail Sconce by Ian K. Fowler, shown here.
Mixing up traditional fixtures with more eye-catching silhouettes, Flanigan chose pendants rather than sconces to help draw the eyes up to the tall bathroom ceilings.
Melange Small Elongated Pendant by Kelly Wearstler, shown here.
Blush is the new neutral, serving as the perfect backdrop for soft whites, natural tones, and warm gold hues. This serene color palette blends well with almost any décor and provides a sense of calm to all who walk through the space.
Olsen Table lamp by AERIN, shown here.
Don’t be afraid to add on the lighting!
For anyone who shares a bed, the inevitable scenario when one partner wants to sleep while the other wants to stay up and read “just one more chapter,” has surely played out.
Instead of having the larger bedside lamp on, a smaller reading lamp will not only resolve this issue but look chic by adding depth and interest to the bedroom.
Metropolis Table Lamp by Ralph Lauren, shown here.
Try Circa’s Graves Pivoting Sconce by Suzanne Kasler.
This master bathroom’s showstoppers are the marble slab wainscoting and metal inlays on the walls. In order to complement but not overshadow, Flanigan chose simple sconces that compliment the clean lines of the standout elements.
Covet Tall Box Bath Sconce Kelly Wearstler, shown here.
Flanigan says, “each of my pieces embodies serenity and sophistication, craftsmanship and elegance—all tenants of timelessness.”
Check out Marie Flanigan’s collaboration with Circa Lighting, Visual Comfort, on Circa’s website.