Wood, linen, natural materials and forms that are not subject to seasonal trends – the trend for nature-inspired interiors is increasingly making its mark on lighting too. Nowadays, a lamp is not just meant to provide light, but also to create the atmosphere and character of a space. How do you choose one that works well in everyday life and won’t go out of fashion after a few years? Brinova, a Polish manufacturer of wooden lamps, explores this issue through the eyes of four interior architects, for whom fine materials and well-considered design are more important today than fleeting trends.
When furnishing a flat, we might spend ages choosing a sofa, a table or the colour of the walls. We often treat lighting more practically, as an element that can easily be replaced when a new trend emerges. Yet light not only allows us to see a space, but also influences how we use it. It can define the boundaries of privacy, set the mood, encourage socialising or create a more intimate atmosphere.
At home, it’s particularly clear that well-designed lighting should respond to different situations and needs, and that a lamp itself can be more than just a source of light. How do female designers view this issue?
Brinova, a Polish brand specialising in lighting that combines natural, fine-grained timber with a craftsmanship-led approach, has examined how interior designers approach lighting planning and the selection of lamps in their projects. Marta Zajdel (Zajdel Interiors), Karolina Michałkiewicz-Kasina (Lume Design Studio), Marta Eljasiak-Dziki (Beautiful Minds) and Sylwia Kowalczyk (‘Silvia Art’ Interior Design Studio) had the opportunity to test selected Brinova luminaires, paying particular attention to their form, materials and the way they interact with light within a space.
How do they plan the lighting in their projects? What do they look for in lamps, and how important is the material from which the lamp is made to them?
The architects also examine how wooden light fittings fit into various interior schemes and whether a well-designed lamp can remain relevant despite changing trends.
First the light, then the lamp
“First, I decide where the light should be and what purpose it should serve, and only then do I decide what to put it in. Doing it the other way round results in a beautiful pendant light hanging in the wrong place” – says Marta Zajdel, architect and founder of Zajdel Interiors, a designer of functional and timeless interiors, whose interior design advice on Instagram is followed by over 130,000 people.
It’s worth bearing this in mind before you step into a lighting showroom. Because intuition suggests the opposite: first, you spot a lamp you like, then you choose the right spot for it. However, good lighting starts with a question about function, not appearance. Zajdel sketches out lighting scenarios as early as the installation design stage, before selecting specific models.
This way of thinking gives rise to an approach that is increasingly rarely limited to a single point on the ceiling. “These days, I rarely have to convince clients that a single light in the centre of the ceiling isn’t a good lighting solution” – says Karolina Michałkiewicz-Kasina, an architect with over 15 years’ experience and founder of Lume Design Studio. In her projects, entire lighting scenes are playing an increasingly important role, allowing the lighting to be adapted to different situations and times of day.
In practice, this means several light sources instead of just one, positioned in different places and switched on as required. As Marta Eljasiak-Dziki explains, this approach allows for the creation of several layers: general, functional, decorative and accent lighting.
Only once these layers have been planned is it time to choose specific light fittings. “The brand has such a wide range of collections that you can find a lamp to suit very different styles, from calm and understated to highly architectural,” says Marta Zajdel about Brinova. Her favourite collection is Amigo: “It fits perfectly with the Japandi style, but it also breaks up and adds warmth to modern interiors that lack a sense of softness.”
Form or function?
“A striking lamp can act like a sculpture. It can define the focal point of a room, establish its scale or even organise the entire composition,” – says Marta Eljasiak-Dziki, owner of Beautiful Minds, who designs premium interiors in both Poland and Spain, and also serves as an interior design expert on the programme “Halo tu Polsat”.
Because a lamp doesn’t have to be hidden away. Increasingly, it is the lamp that defines the character of the entire interior, rather than merely accompanying it discreetly. Karolina Michałkiewicz-Kasina greatly values such solutions. “I like bold forms in decorative lighting because, as the name suggests, decorative lamps should be a kind of sculpture within the interior,” – she says. She had the opportunity to see this for herself with the Amigo lamp, whose bright, geometric shade immediately creates a distinct, architectural accent in the room, even though the form itself remains simple and elegant.
However, a striking design has its own rules. “I like bold designs, but under certain conditions. A lamp like this needs space, and it must also look good when switched off, because you can see it all day long, whereas it’s only lit for a few hours,” points out Marta Zajdel. In her view, the most interesting lamps are those where the form stems from the construction, rather than from decoration added as an afterthought.
With a strong form, one must also maintain discipline. As Eljasiak-Dziki observes, if a lamp is to be a strong feature of the interior, it doesn’t need another five objects that will compete with it.
If you’re choosing a lamp with character, it’s worth giving it space so that it can take centre stage, and treating the rest of the interior as a complement to it, rather than a rival.
What makes a good lamp?
“Lamps made from wood, glass, precious stones or high-quality fabrics will be an investment for many years to come” – notes Sylwia Kowalczyk, founder of the Silvia Art Interior Design Studio, which designs interiors for houses and flats both in Poland and Cyprus.
Whilst testing the Silva Brinova table lamp, she drew attention to the preciselyfinished oak base and the linen lampshade, which gives the whole piece a warm, subdued look.
The lampshade plays a similar role in the brand’s other models. “I like floor and pendant lamps made from natural materials best: wood, natural fabrics and hand-crafted glass shades,” says Karolina Michałkiewicz-Kasina. It is the lampshade fabric that determines whether the light will be sharp or gently diffused, creating a softer, cosier effect.
Michałkiewicz-Kasina highlights another aspect: the light fitting should harmonise well with the overall interior design, not compete with the interior architecture, but complement it. “Above all, timeless, simple solutions and the use of fine materials,” she says.
Marta Eljasiak-Dziki shares this view. In her opinion, a good lamp should have its own character, but not be dictated by passing fashions. With the Mercedes floor lamp, she particularly appreciated this combination: a jacquard lampshade featuring a fabric pattern designed by a Moroccan artist gives the lamp its own distinctive look, whilst remaining understated enough that the lamp will not go out of fashion as interior design trends change.
That’s how well-designed lighting works
A well-designed light fixture does not draw attention to itself, but works in the background. “I believe that light should harmonise with the natural rhythm of the household, sculpt the space with shadow and glow, and bring out the beauty of textures, colours and lines,” says Karolina Michałkiewicz-Kasina. The Amigo lamps mentioned earlier are a good example of this: “The linen lampshades diffuse warm light, creating a soft ambience in the interior,” says the designer of the Brinova lamps.
Equally important is the comfort of everyday use. Marta Zajdel draws attention to details that are easily overlooked at the time of purchase, but which later determine how comfortable the product is: “I appreciate the adjustable suspension height and the touch dimmer” – she says, referring to the features available in selected wooden luminaires from Brinova’s Premium collection. Thanks to these, the light can be adjusted to suit the time of day without any unnecessary movements, with a single gesture.
It is also important whether the light fittings can be combined with one another. “The collections are designed so that the light fittings complement one another, allowing you to create several layers of light in a single room,” adds the founder of Lume Design Studio, once again referring to Brinova’s wooden light fittings.
Good lighting, therefore, is not a single lamp, but a system in which each luminaire knows when to shine more brightly and when to give way to another.
Five years later
“Solutions that succumb to passing fads, as well as those made from poor-quality materials – mass-produced light fittings without a well-thought-out design – quickly become outdated,” – says Karolina Michałkiewicz-Kasina, who has been designing private and commercial interiors throughout Poland for over 15 years. In her view, what truly serves us well is what stays with us for the long term: simple, minimalist forms that do not compete with the interior architecture, but complement it.
The owner of Zajdel Interiors uses a simple test when choosing a lamp. “I ask myself: will this model stand the test of a colour scheme change in five years’ time? If I know it won’t, I tell my clients so that they can make informed purchasing decisions,” she says. What remains, however, are simple geometric shapes and natural materials – versatile enough that the lamp doesn’t need to be replaced every time the décor is changed.
Sylwia Kowalczyk adds another, less obvious category of durability. “Lighting that, as the saying goes, ‘blows the system away’ in terms of functionality can last for decades, even if it doesn’t entirely satisfy users’ tastes.”
A lamp that ages well therefore combines both these qualities: a timeless design and practical functionality.
And how has the approach to lighting design itself changed? “We are thinking less and less of lighting purely as a technical element. Customers are much more aware these days,” notes Marta Eljasiak-Dziki, an interior design expert on the programme “Halo tu Polsat”.
They’re also increasingly asking about the material and origin of a lamp, not just its appearance.
Who made this lamp?
Questions about a product’s origin increasingly concern not only where it was made, but alsowhat happens to the lamp when, after a few years, it needs repairing. For Marta Zajdel, local production has a very practical aspect in this case. A shorter supply chain means easier contact with the manufacturer and quicker access to the necessary components.
“A Polish manufacturer will send a missing part within a week, not a quarter,” says the designer. That is why, when choosing light fittings, she pays attention to the place of manufacture, the availability of spare parts, the length of the warranty and the possibility of replacing LED modules; and, in the case of wooden components, she also looks for FSC certification.
Brinova manufactures its lamps in Poland and states that they can be serviced and that replaceable components are available.
Sylwia Kowalczyk, founder of the Silvia Art Interior Design Studio, takes a similar view on this matter. “I think I’ve often made a name for myself in the industry as a designer with a penchant for all things natural and Polish,” she says, adding that she checks the origin of raw materials and the place of manufacture just as thoroughly as she does the quality of the workmanship itself.
The founder of the Beautiful Minds studio also highlights the importance of local sourcing. “If there is a person behind a product, with experience and attention to detail, this is evident later on in the interior,” she says, emphasising her interest in local production and craftsmanship.
In the case of lighting, this also means the possibility of continuing to use a lamp when it requires servicing. The availability of spare parts and the option to replace a module mean that a single component does not have to determine the fate of the entire luminaire.
The architects are clear: we’re returning to what is natural
“Natural materials are back; after years of black metal dominating, we’re now seeing wood, linen and paper,” notes Marta Zajdel, describing the changes that have taken place in recent years in the approach to interior lighting. Wood holds a special place amongst raw materials: its texture, colour and surface finish mean it harmonises well with light, lending it a softer and cosier character. This is one of the reasons why wooden light fittings work so well in interiors where natural materials and a calm atmosphere are key, as confirmed by the architects testing lamps from the Polish brand Brinova.
Marta Zajdel draws particular attention to the design of the Amigo model. “This lamp brings a softness to the interior that is often lacking in modern, minimalist schemes. The combination of a slender oak base with a cotton-and-linen lampshade achieves this very naturally,” she says, adding that it is precisely the lampshade – its geometric shape and the way it diffuses the light – that determines the character of the entire lamp. She also appreciated that the brand’s consistency is evident even where few people look: “I appreciate the plastic-free packaging, because consistency in matters that nobody pays attention to says the most about a brand.”
Karolina Michałkiewicz-Kasina takes a broader view, seeing it as a versatility that allows a single collection to fit into very different interiors. “I can see Brinova lamps in both modern homes and cosy flats inspired by the Japandi style or understated minimalism – wherever a space needs warming up,” she says.
Marta Eljasiak-Dziki speaks similarly about the Mercedes lamp; for her, form and material matter more than a fleeting effect: she likes it when a lamp is a bit like a well-designed piece of furniture or an art object and doesn’t have to shout to be noticed, and the jacquard lampshade with its original pattern gives it precisely that discreet character.
The founder of the Silvia Art studio also appreciates the use of wood in the Silva table lamp she has been testing.
“I really like the wood of the base: it’s superb, precise craftsmanship, beautifully sanded in its natural colour. I also really like the fabric of the lampshade,” she says. She adds with a smile: “I didn’t get to enjoy it for very long: the courier hadn’t even reached the car yet, and my daughter had already taken it to her room.”
Further information: www.brinovalighting.com
source: press materials
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