Candace Pereira has spent her entire 28-year career with Klaff’s, the esteemed home-decor retailer founded as a home-design center more than 90 years ago. Certified by the American Lighting Association, an industry trade group, she began working at the flagship store in Norwalk, Connecticut, and moved to the Scarsdale location when it opened in 2009. What’s her take on what’s trending now in decorative lighting? “Everything’s going toward a more clean-lined look, with not a lot of detail,” says Pereira. “Traditional is waning in popularity and contemporary is increasing, so a more transitional look is a bridge between the two.”
In keeping with a move toward clean looks, Pereira says that clear glass pendants are very big. “With their nice, crisp look, they’re very transitional,” she notes. Looking for an easy way to update or refresh an area without redecorating the whole space? Try switching out a more traditional fixture for a transitional acrylic-mixed-with-metal, mid-century modern chandelier from manufacturer Hudson Valley. Or go more modern—a wrought-iron Hubbardton Forge lamp with a base of hand-forged wave-like shapes. Pereira says she’s struck by how much more innovative design she’s seeing these days. “A lot more lighting fixtures look like pieces of art work—metal ribbons, a tree branch with crystals hanging from it, or glass or metal fixtures shaped like starbursts.”
And in tabletop? With everything mid-century still ultra-popular, Pereira is seeing more geometric ceramic shapes in mod shades of bright orange, green, white, and off-white, plus the return of the antique brass base. In terms of metal overall, “it’s impossible to find anything polished brass,” the buyer notes, “whereas, 10 or 15 years ago, that was all we sold. Now it’s all polished nickel and chrome with hand-blown glass.” Also trending for lamps, she says, are shapes and materials evoking nature, like glass lamps with stackable rock bases, and the use of real (treated) twigs, shells, and mother of pearl. And in flush-mount, Pereira can’t resist mentioning a new Zen-inspired sconce design by Corbett that features crystal Buddha heads. Om…furnishing a meditation room, anyone?
Bright Idea: Glass pendants look even more crisp and clean when you use clear Edison bulbs in which you can see the actual filaments, suggests Pereira. The old-school-type bulbs are a huge new trend.
