European Confidence: Light & Shadows
I AM OFTEN STOPPED IN MY TRACKS BY THE SCENE OF LIGHT THAT IS CAST IN ITALY – SIMULTANEOUSLY BRILLIANTLY BRIGHT AND DEEP AND DARK, THE PLAY OF THESE EXTREMES (AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN) IS HALTING AS WELL AS INVITING.
If light is the protagonist, shadows are the supporting player. Light can only be bright because of the shadows that surround it. I often draw on memories from my European travels of how light, in its various forms, marry with dark: sunlight on a marble staircase, its surfaces captured by both light and shadow; textures revealed, intricacies hidden and, together, shape is formed. The Pantheon, its awe-inspiring volume of darkness punctured by the single shaft of sunlight through its ceiling. The intensity of this light would not exist without the contrasting pool of darkness, without shadows we cannot appreciate the light. Europe embraces its shadows.
Above: The ‘Golden Staircase’ Doge’s Palace, Venice. There is intrigue in the interplay between light and shadow – both in the details as well as the overall impression.
The trend of ‘light, bright and airy’ spaces, though immediately attractive for their freshly scrubbed appearance, results in rooms void of secrets. These overly bright spaces reveal all they have to offer at first glance (read: open concept) and therefore cannot hold our attention for long. A room that has a relationship between light and dark is a room with more to offer.
Above: On the left, a corner of a room in Villa Grabau, Lucca, the pool of sunlight drawing you in to sit at the table while the shadows provide some comfort from the expanse of a large room. On the right, a corner of my living room, light streams in highlighting objects, while some fall back in shadow, making the display all the more textural and interesting.
Shadows also make a room feel more intimate; pools of light draw you in but shadows envelop and protect you. It takes confidence to allow the darker corners to exist in a room, to allow for layers of light. To hide, rather than expose, is - oddly enough - more courageous than showing everything. The continued discovery of a rooms corners and secrets is what captures our interest: shadow lines create depth, muted light creates a comfortable refuge, and the playfulness that comes from the use of materials – to diffuse, reflect, absorb - all have the capacity to enchant. The eye cannot help but be ensorcelled by it all.
ALWAYS ENRAPTURED BY THE LIGHT IN A CLOISTER. THE LIGHT EXPRESSED HERE, IN THE COVERED WALKWAY OF NEW COLLEGE’S CLOISTER (OXFORD), WAS PARTICULARLY CAPTIVATING DUE TO ITS DAPPLED NUANCE.
Good interior design should reflect and respond to the inhabitant and, as we humans are a many-layered beast rife with nuance, brightness and darkness should co-exist. We therefore cannot truthfully live in a mono-focused environment because we are not monotone. In order for our spaces to honestly echo who we are, we must use light as well as dark in our palettes for it is in the intermingling of these tones that we will find the spirit of the space.
Quote from E.M. Forster’s ‘A Room with A View’: “But Italy worked some marvel in her. It gave her light, and – which he held more precious – it gave her shadow.”
Above: A marvellously carved mantle piece in the Doge’s Palace, Venice captures the light from the window as well as the deep tones of the shadows. A simple vignette using elements that both capture shadow as well as reflect light in a recent Rudy Winston Design project.
- Francesca
Photo Credit: Francesca Albertazzi