“Light is the magical ingredient that makes or breaks a space; it’s one of the most important elements in all my interiors”, as quoted by interior designer Benjamin Noriega-Ortiz. In order to create atmosphere, drama and intrigue in a room, you need a good balance of general, task and accent lighting.

A good source of general lighting for a drawing room is a pair of table lamps. They are a good way to achieve ambient lighting, radiating a comfortable level of brightness. This pair of 19th Century Kutani Porcelain Vase Lamps, dating back to circa 1890, are a good example of antique vases that have been converted to lamps and mounted upon turned giltwood bases. These look particularly smart and would create harmony and balance to any drawing room. These are from the Meiji Period, polychrome glazed porcelain Kutani vases, decorated with figurative scenes, the bodies having applied handles and gilded dragons. They are a good height at 38 cm.

Task lighting is essential to perform specifics tasks, as for example reading. This single lamp of a blue & white porcelain Chinaman is particularly charming, with the colour scheme being a perennial favourite. It is an early twentieth-century blue and white porcelain figure of a Chinaman in traditional dress, now mounted as a table lamp measuring 30.5cm in height

Finally, candlesticks are a wonderful source for accent lighting, creating atmosphere and drama. This Pair of 19th Century Louis XVI Style Ormolu Candlesticks are particularly smart, being of classical shape. They are finely cast and chased Louis XVI Style ormolu candlesticks in the neo-classical taste, having removable beaded socles, the stems with acanthi, palmettes, swags, stop-fluting and set upon circular bases, and measure 25.5cm in height. Candles are the essential ingredient to any well-laid luncheon or dinner table. And these could work well inside the house or alfresco on the terrace or garden, particularly in this beautiful summer weather.