While scale and proportion is an inherently critical element of lighting design, it’s often overlooked.

Not only is scale and proportion relevant to the actual design of a light, but also to how the fixture fits its intended space. Fortunately, the owner of this impressive 12,000sf suburban Chicago home — an engineer by profession — kept this well in mind when specifying his decorative lighting. “Several large spaces demanded fixtures of a size and scale that required customization,” he explained. “So we took that opportunity to approach the lighting in each room as a focal point, both in dimension and design.”

Members of the Hammerton design team worked on-site with the owner and builder to facilitate fixture selection, dimensions and materials, using full scale composites to verify size and scale. The final decorative lighting schedule included a wide-ranging series of transitional fixtures that combined the warmth of traditional design with the clean-lined geometries of contemporary design. Artisan kiln-fused glass in various textures served as the unifying motif, adding an element of intrigue while minimizing the visual weight of each fixture.

Matt Mansueto Photography