The Interiors Brand We Love Right Now

What was your background before you launched your brand?

My career started out in advertising, but I was always obsessed with all things interiors. My grandmother had an excellent eye, and made exquisite handmade lamps using the same techniques we do now – that being hand-painting and decorating behind glass. Without overthinking it, I quit my job and took a leap of faith to try and resurrect this old craft.

So, when did you start the company?

In 2016. Initially, I experimented making lamps in my kitchen and tested demand for them at fairs – before launching the business online. We still make all the products in-house and pour all our efforts into making them from scratch.

What was the gap in the market?

There was a big gap between the functional high street lamps that are predominately shipped in from China, and the really superb but expensive lamps sold to interior designers. I wanted to create high-end lamps that were beautiful in themselves, but which were also a bit more attainable. I set out to create a fusion of classic shapes with contemporary colours/designs, and I also wanted to bring in a lot of choice, where you can customise the colour of the lamps to perfectly suit a room – the same way you would a headboard or sofa. Give us a paint name or swatch of fabric to colour match the lamps to, and we’ll hand-paint it from there.

Tell us a bit more about some of your bestsellers...

The ‘Pink Ladies’ flamingo lamp is our bestselling product – it’s very popular as a bedside light. They are whimsical in design, but add a subtle touch to a restful bedroom. The plainer ‘Singing The Blues’ lamp also does very well – the beautiful, calm tone is so versatile. 

What's your preference: patterned or plain shades?

I like patterned shades on plain lamps, and plain shades on patterned lamps. That way you can create a contrast to enhance what you want to stand out most.

Any other lighting tips?

If you are re-doing your electrics (pre-painting), it’s worth adding in as many 5amp sockets as possible – that way lights will be controlled by the mains, so you don’t have to individually turn each lamp on when you enter a room. Also, try and make sure all your lamps are on a dimmable circuit. It makes all the difference being able to switch up the mood and create the right ambiance. Lots of the cheaper LED brands make a very flat, neon green coloured light and it’s very hard to get them to dim properly, while still maintaining a warm light. My recommendation would be to buy them from Dowsing and Reynolds – they’ve got it just right. Lastly, lots of people have lampshades sitting too high or too low on the base. If you use an adjustable shade carrier, you can sit them at the perfect height – although this only applies to lampshades that don’t have fixed fittings inside.

Finally, a quick word on your stunning and colourful cushion collection…

Cushions are an affordable way to finish off a room. Often you need just a little pop of colour to lift the entire scheme, and they can also be a useful way of drawing colours together without it being too overpowering. Cushions that have finer details – like those made using handwoven silks (ours are hand-dyed and made traditionally on a loom) or those with sumptuous trims – are usually worth the money. Finally, try to use very plump heavy cushions pads to give a everything a beautiful finish.

For more information visit RosannaLonsdale.com

All images courtesy of Rosanna Lonsdale