Bling it on!

From aesthetics to gizmo power, the reasons for choosing lighting for homes have changed drastically. Indians are increasingly drawn to Italian and Japanese decorative pendant lighting, and are willing to pay any price for exclusive/limited edition masterpiece from these collections. Customising lights is another trend that is catching on. Companies such as Klove Studio, Cerco Lighting and Europeone bring some of the best designs and international brands to your doorstep.

Delhi-based Klove Studio is a luxury lighting boutique with a varied collection of theme-inspired designs. Flower and Bird, a pendant light from their recent Shamanic Soul collection, they say, is one of their best works till date. Priced at Rs.135,000, it has two crystal birds sitting on a bunch of dimly lit flowers. “Shamanism is an ancient healing tradition and a way of life. It is a way to connect with nature and its creations. With this collection, we have tried to explore various elements associated with it,” says Prateek Jain, partner and designer, Klove Studio.

Another gem from this studio is the snowflake-like pendants priced at Rs.250,000. This piece tries to capture a Nordic winter with its frost, white blossoms and snowflakes. “Inspired by water, in these pendant lights glass is funnelled to evoke memories of snowflakes. It comes in various sizes and combinations, with sleek metal elements,” Jain adds.

Europeone’s Ketan Dave vouches for Flos, a popular modern Italian lighting brand his company imports. Dave, who is the business head (lighting), says that these decorative pendants stand apart because they are beautiful and, more importantly, smart. Brightness and beam angle of Running Magnet, for instance, can be controlled using smartphones. It is a type of track lighting redesigned for homes, giving it a modern futuristic finish. “Although the base price is around Rs.40,000/sq metre, the cost varies depending on the quantity and crate-service expenses (which comes with imported goods),” says Dave.

While the Magnet is smart it is not the most popular of Flos collection. That would be Zeppelin, a chandelier-like pendant light. Priced at around Rs.150,000-200,000, it has a fabric finish but it is made from a unique ‘cocoon resin’, which is a polymer resin that is ‘spun’ around a metal frame. This casing diffuses the light emitted. The fixture also has a sparkling crystal globe attached to its centre.

Mumbai’s Cerco Lighting stocks international brands such as Fabbian and Masiero, apart from designing and customising its own lights. “Masiero’s Flashwood, costing around Rs.350,000, is one of the best ones we have. Made from oak wood, it’s a star-shaped modern-looking light that would be a perfect fit for new-age homes,” says Jash Hinduja, head (sales and marketing). Fabbian’s wall-bracket lights Cubetto, costing around Rs.100,000 for a pair, is another one of note. The small lights are made from Italian crystal glass and its angles are changeable.

Speaking about Cerco’s memorable signature designs, Hinduja adds, “There is a towering globe-shaped light, designed at our factory and solely made from glass and brass, priced at Rs.100,000. It was once picked up by an actor and another was sold to Baca Furniture.”

What needs to be noted is that most of these lights are imported. So what holds Indians back from designing lights? Klove’s Jain answers, “India has a huge reservoir of skilled craftsmen, artisans and people who do amazing work in lighting design. The only problem is that their work is not documented. Therefore their works go unnoticed globally.”

“Also, there are very few who approach this work scientifically, so work done in India becomes less credible. But there is a lot of inherent knowledge here when it comes to material, products and its usage. So if their work and know-how is documented and academically presented, India too would be recognised a great resource for lighting designers,” he adds.