American artist, Louis Comfort Tiffany understood this concept when handcrafting his beloved Tiffany lamps.  He had a fascination with illumination and his revelatory work in stained glass led him to find new ways to meld electric lighting into his recognized designs.  In 1885, while working on the Lyceum Theatre in New York, he managed to use electric lighting and his creative designs for a unique lighting experience.   In 1899, he introduced his nature-influenced, intricate Tiffany lamps that have set the mood in homes for many years.

With Tiffany style lighting, you can create a number of different moods in your home.  Tiffany’s dragonfly designs offer an enchanted feel for any room of your house.  His early works lend a more stately attitude to a room.  Other Tiffany lamps project classic, feminine beauty emphasized by floral patterns. Be creative and consider how each room in your home will be used.  This will help you to decide what type of lighting best suits your mood and the room while still fitting into your budget.

There are four general types of lighting to consider, and they each have their purpose.Ambient lighting provides light for the entire room.  When choosing ambient lighting, you may want to think about installing a dimmer for flexibility.

Ambient lighting includes: recessed downlights, cove lighting, valance lighting sconces, track lighting, chandeliers and portable fixtures.

Task lighting is well named.  It assists you in completing the task at hand such as cooking, school work and grooming.  The best task lighting should be glare free, and effective without cause strain on the eyes.  Task lighting includes: valance lighting, pendant lights and portable fixtures such as desk lamps.

Accent lighting focuses on illuminating a specific object like a painting, a statue or an architectural element of your space.  It is provides more illumination than ambient light.  Wall washers, sconces and track lighting are examples of accent lighting.

Natural lighting comes through windows and skylights depending on the time, season or weather.  It varies in brightness and intensity.

Lighting makes you feel safe and comfortable in your home.  When modifying the lighting in your home, you should develop a plan covering the purpose, the desired mood and how you want to emphasize architectural and decor elements.  The style of lighting such as sconces and lamps can add to any room.  This concept was at the core of the works of Tiffany, and his vision still influences the way we light our interior world today.

Recreated utilizing Tiffany’s innovative techniques, craftsmen craft Tiffany style lamps that enhance home lighting designs today.  But how did the innovator of Art Nouveau launch what is now known as Tiffany Studios?

Read more about the birth of the Tiffany Lamp

Tiffany’s son, Louis Comfort Tiffany didn’t live in his father’s shadow; in fact, he prospered in the the art world, with stained glass artwork and mosaics.  He was born on February 18, 1848 in New York City, and it wasn’t long before he strayed from the family business.

Tiffany began his studies under American landscape artist George Inness in 1866 at the age of 18, absorbing the concepts of composition, color and technique.  In his 20’s, he traveled to Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.  Fortunately, due to his family’s prosperity, Comfort was able to visit Europe more than once between 1865 and 1872.  It was during these trips, that Tiffany began to study Islamic architecture, Romanesque and Moorish artwork and Japanese ceramics.

His studies in stained glass began in 1872 at the age of 24.  Upon returning to America, he dived into experiments with iridescent glass by combining heated glass, fumes and metallic oxides.  These experiments were conducted with painter John La Farge; Tiffany and La Farge studied glass making at the Heidt Glassworks in Brooklyn, New York.

In 1879, Tiffany founded the Louis C. Tiffany Company, Associated Arts which decorated private and public buildings.  Fascinated by ancient Greek and Roman glass that had been buried for years, Tiffany’s pursuit to duplicate an iridescent finish became his obsession and by 1880 he had applied for several patents on this type of finish.

Tiffany’s design of stained glass windows became ever popular and he came up with an innovative idea to use the bits of glass left over to create stunning Tiffany lamps.  During a job lighting the first movie theater, Tiffany worked with Thomas Edison.  Surging together with Edison, the two designed electric lamps.  This great partnership influenced Tiffany to continue creating lamps, and his mini stain glass designs took the nation by storm.  Tiffany Lamps were either designed by Tiffany himself or by artists that were fully under his supervision, and with unparalleled craftsmanship.

During the 1930’s and 1940’s the status of Tiffany Style Lamps gave way to the popular Art Moderne and Expressionism styles.  Tiffany Lamps were considered too ornate for the emerging décor, and it wasn’t until the 1950’s that the “light came back on.” Collectors and museums popularized the mosaic beauties once again, and in 1998 two lamps sold for nearly 2 million dollars apiece.

Innovative, with a true passion for his craft, Louis C. Tiffany’s lighting concepts are still relevant today and an original Tiffany lamp remains a sought after commodity.  With his passion for color, nature and illumination, Tiffany turned the light on for a nation, showing elegance through breath-taking bits of glass.

Recommended Reading

The Story of Louis Comfort Tiffany – Creator of the Tiffany Lamp