One of the important ingredients to good interior design has always been lighting. If I’m lucky enough to find an unusual antique or vintage lamp base, and assuming I can bear to part with it, it will most likely be added to a project I’m working on and what an impact it will make with its colourful lampshade. 

Increasingly it’s been hard to find these beautiful objects from the past and this has led me to design a lighting collection that answers all of my needs and wants as an interior designer. My tall lamps give a good reading height so can sit well next to a bed or on a sofa end table.  They can take a smaller shade and would fit nicely on a console table or in a narrow space. They can be used as singles dotted around a room or as a pair to give impact. My drum lamps are based on an original pair I found in a London antique shop and are more contemporary in style while my baby Kashmiri lamp bases are great for smaller spaces. 

As well as being adaptable and useful, my aim has been to make these lamp bases interesting, beautiful and for them to evoke a sense of the past. With this in mind, I’ve looked through my large archive of textiles, Kashmiri lacquer and patterns from Indian artwork and I’ve used the motifs and colours that appeal to me to inspire these designs and to inform the making process.

My thanks to my friend and collaborator John Simpson for his great skill and knowledge of paint, design and finishes and to Mary Bowen for her deft hands, patience and willingness to run with my ideas!   

RACHEL HAMEL COOKE