There I was at Home Goods, Gentle Readers, walking through the lighting section on my way to towels, when something caught my eye. A flash of pink. What’s this? I thought. A lovely lampshade? BUT NO. It was this:
Why? Why? Quirky little lamps were everywhere I turned.
I can hear you saying, “They’re cute! For a child’s room? Why not?”
I grant you: almost anything goes in a child’s bedroom. (Except the absence of color. Thank goodness the gray nursery fad is behind us. Depressing!)
It’s not that I object to “novelty” accent lamps as a general rule, many of which seem to feature animals.
You know that in general, I love an animal doo-dah. One per room is usually plenty, though; no dragon on zebra violence, please. But there are just so many of them on the market now. Have they taken over?
The difference between a cute accent lamp and one that’s tacky (or ironic) is that final element that pushes it over the edge. E.g., the fringe on the peacock above. I thought this lamp was sweet until I realized that the ENGLISH TEA label was part of the design and not a removable sticker:
If you’re drawn to a lamp in the shape of a blue and white cat curled around a glowing orb, who am I to object? (Well, I’m an interior designer with 20+ years of experience decorating people’s homes tastefully, but let’s put that aside for now.) If it makes you happy, go for it. But here are some recommendations:
- Keep them small. The gigantic teal peacock above will not age well, even if you’re a stylish person in your 20s embracing granny chic.
- They work best in out-of-the-way rooms: a child’s nursery, as mentioned; a sun porch; a guest bedroom.
- Don’t overspend.
- For the love of all things holy, one whimsical accent lamp per room max.
I debated whether these qualify as “novelty” lamps, but they made the cut in the end. The petite size clinched it. As did the annoying fact that they don’t actually emit a lot of light.
Couldn’t resist including this one:
I’m reminded of the time Jeeves was horrified to discover monogrammed handkerchiefs in Wooster’s wardrobe (a new fashion at the time, apparently). In the next scene, Jeeves asks, with great disdain, “Shall I lay out one of your novelty handkerchiefs today, sir?”
Use your judgment, Gentle Readers. We need all the levity we can get right now, so if it makes you chuckle and you have the right spot for it, by all means jump on the novelty lamp bandwagon.
All I ask is that you proceed with caution.
Annie Elliott Design is based in Washington, D.C., but we also love working in NYC and on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. We’re now scheduling projects for late fall. Please contact us to discuss.