Good Drama

You know what I've been taken with lately? Uplights. Are you still with me? Have I lost a few readers??

I know that uplights are considered by some to be gauche, perhaps due to their use and abuse back in the 1970s and 80s. I suppose they might, and I stress might, be in the same league as those big and bad track lights from a few decades back. But you know what? I think that when used tastefully, uplights can be quite practical. And the light they give off can really add some drama to a room. Need some light in a dark corner? Stick an uplight on the floor. Want to give that bust on a column some brooding personality? Put an uplight on the floor at the base of the column. Or, shine a little light on a piece of wall art- preferably a large canvas- with an uplight.

There are different options available for uplights, but to get the most bang for your buck I would suggest the canister lights from CB2. Available in black or white, they're only $19.95 a piece. For that price, you can go crazy with uplighting. I bought one in black and I'm having fun trying it out in different areas of my home. And you know what I've realized? Dramatic lights are a lot easier to stomach than dramatic lives!


John Stefanidis used this chrome canister to light this large painting.


Mica Ertegun used an uplight behind this screen. Positioning an uplight behind a screen seems to be a big decorating trick of the trade.




David Hicks... On Uplights. When I think of uplights, I immediately think of Hicks. Here, he has used them to light blank walls (both painted and upholstered) and to light a corner of a room concealed by a screen.


CB2's Can Lights, available in black or white, are a great way to experiment with uplights.

Image at top: Even back in the late 1920s, people used uplights for a bit of drama. Don't you love that shadow that the calla lilies cast?