Celestial light fixtures are one of the biggest design trends at the moment, with Pinterest saves for the starburst design increasing 137% globally since last year, according to the Pinterest Home Report.
They’re a throwback to the ’60s era of mid-century modern glam and evoke serious Mad Men vibes. However, you don’t have to be a mid-century lover to incorporate this trend into your home. The fixtures also work exceptionally well in modern, contemporary and Scandinavian interiors.
Scroll through this edit of Pinterest inspiration to see how a starburst chandelier can steal the show in myriad different spaces.
Collaborating again with Melbourne interior stylist Jacqui Moore, klaylife’s latest collection features five gorgeous new designs and a vivid new colour – a denim-inspired blue. “We discovered the most amazing denim blue dye that looks heavenly when applied to our hand rolled clay beads. Because the beads are porous, each one picks up a different shade creating a textured look we adore. We played with an ombré effect as well which is perfection,” says klaylife’s Kerri Wallace.
The Dome (large) in denim blue is certainly a statement!
Handcrafted by a small South African community of artisans, the process is labour intensive and no two chandeliers are the same. Firstly, each bead is made using raw local South African clay which is hand rolled into beads before being sun dried, kiln fired and dip dyed. Next up, the beads are strung onto an iron frame with each finished product requiring thousands of beads. “It very much depends on the size and style of the piece but some of the larger designs can incorporate thousands of small hand-rolled beads. Each bead is hand rolled by a beautiful community of women in Africa and are unique in size, shape and colour. It’s lovely to think of the laughter, secrets and stories that each bead holds,” says Kerri.
The Wall Sconce and The Bauble (medium) in white
Jacqui came on board to design the The Lace, a finer, more delicate design and The Kite, which has a more geometric feel. “For The Lace, we wanted a design that had a lacier, finer feeling to it. Going from concept phase to creating it was a fun challenge. It required a whole new way of beading to create the triangle effect. It took a few goes but we got there and we love it!” says Kerri.
The Lace (large) in black
Romantic Swag is another new design that was created for clients that don’t have the ceiling height to accommodate a pendant light fitting. “The initial plan was to create a chandelier that could sit flush against the ceiling. Many people don’t have the height for lighting suspended with chain and the last thing we want is people bumping their heads! The draping strands of beads set off against the belt of smaller beads create a romantic, dreamy effect,” says Kerri.
Romantic Swag (large) in white
As for her favourite new design, Kerri is in love with the large dome in denim blue. “So much work goes into them all but I couldn’t go past the large denim blue dome. Once it’s in front of you, the sheer number of beads and the fact that each one is a different shade of blue, takes your breath away every time.”
The Dome (medium) in white and The Kite (medium) in denim ombre
LED lighting used to be energy efficient but well, kinda ugly! The good news is that these days, by choosing LED, you can save energy and money, have your pick of beautiful light fittings and a nice, dimmable light which isn’t blue-tinged or harsh like a hospital! Winning!
I first learned what money-suckers those halogen downlights can be in our old apartment, where we had them in every room. OMG. When we swapped them for the newer style LED downlights, our power bills decreased dramatically. I’m someone who likes light and to have lights on if it’s anything less than full sunlight in the day, much to my husband’s annoyance!
When we moved into this house (with more rooms and therefore more lights!), we were faced with a lot of dated glass pendants (an old lady had lived here for 30 years before us) and, unlike many people, I didn’t want to immediately start again with downlights. I love pendants and they can be really nice design features, like jewellery for your room in a way. It was also a lot cheaper to replace pendants with pendants than have downlights put in. I still wanted good-looking LED light fittings though. These days, that’s not an issue.
I chose some gorgeous gold chandelier-style lights from Beacon Lighting (they’re now sold out in gold, but these are very similar) for our foyer, living room and play room. They’re so elegant and just the right mix of classic and modern.
They take nine globes each (27 in total!) so it was important they were energy efficient! We chose the heritage LED globes in warm white which are pricey at almost $30 each, but come with a three-year warranty (I’d suspect they’ll last a lot longer than that). It took a couple of attempts to get the right brightness after trying the first batch in our home and finding they were way too bright (these globes aren’t dimmable, but some similar ones are), but we are now delighted with them. Everyone comments on the lights as soon as they come in! The globes don’t look anything like what you’d imagine as energy efficient. And they really had to be as good-looking as the chandeliers or it wouldn’t work!
An LED heritage globe. Not ugly at all!
In our bedrooms, we went for something more neutral with less globes! These rattan shades from Josh & Jenna’s range for Beacon were my way of sneaking some rattan (which I love and my husband hates!) into the house.
I love the texture they provide, and they take two globes each, so it’s a nice diffused light. These come in three different diameters and two different colours. I went for this natural one, but there’s a darker tan too (there’s also matching floor and table lamps too if that’s your thing!).
I’m getting some professional shots of my reno progress so far very soon, so look forward to sharing some of the lights in situ with you all.
LED stands for Light Emitting Diode; a semiconductor device that converts electricity into light. Super energy efficient and long lasting, LEDs use approximately 85% less energy than halogen or incandescent lighting, which means significant savings on your power bills. The estimated lifespan of LED lighting (depending on the globe) is 15,000 to 50,000 hours. That’s compared to 1,000 to 5,000 for halogen.
If you’re not sure where to start, need advice on how many lights you need and how bright for example, Beacon Lighting can give you personalised help via their online chat facility, by emailing them or by calling 03 8561 1599.
Did you love Alisa and Lysandra’s winning master bedroom and walk-in last night? I did, especially the tub in the walk-in, but then I have a very soft spot for a good bath! I thought the concrete wallpaper in their bedroom was pretty cool. It’s by Piet Boon from Safari Living. Buy it here. $330 a roll.
If you loved the glitzy chandelier from the twins’ bathroom reveal last week, you can buy that here for $469.
