Latest news with #VictoriaDavar
Vancouver Sun
31-07-2025
- Lifestyle
- Vancouver Sun
Designers showcase creative lighting solutions at recent exhibit
Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Unless a home is designed by an interiors expert, a lighting plan is often overlooked or factored in later as an afterthought. Or there's really no plan at all. Good lighting contributes to well-being, functionality and the overall esthetic of a room. It can take a space from blah to remarkable with the right fixtures and placement. Nowhere was this more evident than at the recent WOW!house design exhibit at the Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour in London England where lighting was the focal point in many of the 22 unique rooms created by some of country's top interior designers. Despite the name, WOW!house, which was open to the public for the month of June in aid of the United in Design charity, was not a house but an installation comprising both exterior and interior spaces situated in the atrium of the Design Centre. Rooms, filled with originality and creativity, ran the gamut of any possible domestic space: entries, kitchen, den, bar, dining, library, bathrooms, bedroom, and outdoor courtyards. And within most of these spectacular spaces, lighting took, if not quite always centre stage, a prominent position. Stay on top of the latest real estate news and home design trends. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Westcoast Homes will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Unarguably, the most dramatic and beautiful piece was the leaf chandelier by Cox London in the grand entry of the installation. Victoria Davar, founder of Maison Artefact , requested that the ceiling height be five metres to not only accommodate the striking fixture but to ensure it had pride of place when entering the room. 'I wanted to give them (Cox) as much height and drop as possible,' Davar recalls, adding that it's more in keeping with classical design to have a high ceiling. The esthetic of mixing both classical and modern elements used in this room works, Davar believes, because each can balance the other with the 'old speaking to the new.' The framing of the leaf chandelier in front of a traditional-surround fireplace demonstrates that approach. 'I really wanted them to use negative space because I wanted that feeling of airiness,' Davar explains. 'That's why I left the wall blank about the fireplace. So when you come in, you see it like a sculpture. There's nothing interrupting it.' Created as another entry, the courtyard room by Emma Sims-Hilditch positioned a light fixture as a focal point and other softer fixtures to layer the lighting for both functionality and comfort. The multi-use space accommodates all aspects of country living — boot room, dog wash station, gardening work — while incorporating classical characteristics of heritage country homes but with modern touches. 'I wanted to take the classical elements of the historic English country house lanterns,' Sims-Hilditch says referring to the oversized Charles Edwards lantern above the island in the centre of the room. She notes that it gets a modern take from the Farrow & Ball colour Lulworth Blue. Wall lights took inspiration from carriage lanterns while pendants positioned in the corner spaces were finished with fabric shades to co-ordinate with other patterns throughout. 'I wanted softness for some of the lighting,' she explains. 'I don't like it when you have too many bare light bulbs. We designed these shades to have a very soft light. The lighting is very layered. In the ceiling we used John Cullen Lighting design to help us with the down lights and then we used Soane Britain for some of the wall lights.' While the layout and materials informed the bathroom by design studio 1508 London , it was the lighting system, by John Cullen Lighting and Lutron , that ensured an elevated status. A luxurious three-level illumination program takes the room from mere functionality to a restorative retreat where one could easily expect a masseuse the be on call. The system provides three unique illumination options: Ritual, Revitalizing and Revery — all at a touch of a button. 'Ritual is the kind of moment of the bathroom, that the idea of cleansing yourself of going through that daily ritual that we all go through,' explains Paris Albert, an associate at 1508 London. 'Revitalize is celebrating the vanities and the shower. It's that kind of rejuvenation, refreshment. We have revery, which like being in that dreamlike state, taking yourself somewhere else, lying in the bath where you're dreaming about some other place.' Interior decorator and antiques dealer Daniel Slowik believes that lighting should subtle — which doesn't mean dim or dark. It's about layering which is how he integrated it in his morning room design for WOW!house. 'I don't like centre lights at all, and I really don't like task lights,' Slowik remarks. 'So we have a very subtle lighting system. What I like are side lights (lamps) and side lights can double up as beautiful objects. I quite often use vases to make into lamps. On this occasion we've got some marvellous Arts & Crafts candle sticks, which were made into lamps. It is about ambient light … I felt confident that we had that subdued lighting, not over lit.' Though not fond of task lighting, Slowik finds ways to incorporate it without it being intrusive, such as this room's brass floor lamp positioned low next to a comfortable reading chair. 'I quite like a task light like that,' he observes. 'In all these things, it's important that they look good. I don't like things too industrial. I want them to look like they've been somewhere for a long time. So I like distressed brass. I like things that look old.' A commonality that all these uniquely designed rooms reveal is it that lighting should be integral to the overall design. Having a considered approach to how a living space is illuminated can enhance its comfort, functionality but also showcase and unify its esthetic. Oh, and as it's been clearly demonstrated: a great lighting piece can transform a room into something truly unique and spectacular.
Irish Examiner
16-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Interior design ideas for every home at London's Wow!house
Janes Austen fans, gather round: The morning room might be making a comeback. Think about a relaxing space filled with eastern light where Mr Darcy's mother attended to her daily correspondence at Pemberley, although today she'd be emailing rather than picking up parchment and a quill. Interior decorator and antique dealer Daniel Slowik has worked up a morning room as one of the 22 rooms and outdoor spaces at London's Design Centre, Chelsea Harbour's WOW!house. I'm not exaggerating when I say WOW!house is appropriately named, as what else would we expect when some of the biggest names in interior design globally are given free rein to design a room for it? Forming the entrance, set under the centre's lofty atrium, is the façade of a Georgian townhouse designed by Adam Architecture. It's an imposing, monumental structure nodding to the design output of more than two centuries ago, itself inspired by the buildings of ancient Greece and Rome. 'This front facade is a clear homage to the great architects of the Georgian era; Sir John Soane, Nicholas Hawksmoor, George Dance the Younger and John Nash,' says designer Darren Price of Adam Architecture. 'But it is a contemporary interpretation of the past rather than a replication, demonstrating that the enduring language of classicism remains as relevant and inspiring today as it was 250 years ago.' The WOW!house entrance hall by Victoria Davar of Maison Artefact. Making the point nicely is a reference to Latin inscriptions we often see chiselled onto classical buildings. Price has repeated the word 'wow' rather humorously and placed the year 2025 above the door like a house number, giving it a contemporary touch. Inside, we land in the first room, this one an entrance hall which continues the notion of historic, giving off distinctly French chateau vibes but with contemporary accents. 'I was inspired by the idea of an artist finding a charming historical building and turning it into a place of optimism and creativity,' says Victoria Davar, designer and founder of London-based antique dealer and interior design practice Maison Artefact. The Benjamin Moore colourful dining room is designed by Peter Mikic. She began with the architectural framework, raising the ceiling height to five metres and commissioning and adding a floating staircase to give the notion of rooms at the top. Reclaimed stone flooring and period doors and architraves give it the feeling of a permanent structure. There's also a styling layer beyond the visual and tactile, a reminder from previous years that scentscaping is an integral part of WOW!house rooms. Teaming up with a home scenting atelier of note each year — in 2024 it was the splendidly fragrant Dr Vranjes, and for 2025 it's Jo Malone. At the entrance, Davar has chosen fresh and summery pomegranate, lime and basil, with a smoky, woody note. 'The scent is there to magnify the vision of the interior designers,' says Céline Roux, Jo Malone London's global head of fragrance. 'They all talk about how they want people to feel in their rooms, and that's exactly what we do too. We use the same language. Do you want a space to feel fresh and energised? Do you want it to be comforting? Do you want something that is tranquil, that can help you unwind? Or something floral that brings the outdoors in?' Fragrance of oak, myrrh and tonka bean set the atmosphere in The Curator's Room, designed by Brigitta Spinocchia Freund, principal and creative director of interior architecture and design practice Spinocchia Freund. There's a subtle nod here to art deco design, which happens to be celebrating its centenary. Treasure House Fair Morning Room by Daniel Slowik. Spinocchia Freund has also collaborated with specialist decorators, lighting studios and panel makers, with each contribution helping to add depth and character. Decorative columns are crafted by Féau Boiseries to a 1920 design for the residence of fashion designer Jeanne Lanvin, and an ottoman by another fashion designer, Luella Bartely, is finished in exquisite needlework by modern artisan embroidery studio, Hand & Lock. The Curator's Room by Brigitta Spinocchia Freund. It's sumptuous stuff throughout the rooms, with a level of detail and quality that insists on slow strolling and a feeling of immersion. It's invigorating for those of us who love interiors but are somewhat jaded by social media's offerings and the constant conveyor belt of trends. Rarely do we get exposure to this level of interiors as it's usually commissioned for high-end private homes, so if you're looking for inspiration beyond the relentless online design algorithms, a flying visit across the water is recommended.
