Edison’s lamp is called the ordinary incandescent light bulb, invented by the famous American scientist in 1879. Simultaneously with Thomas Edison, similar inventions were made in other countries, but it was this person who guessed in time to issue an author’s patent for his brainchild. The principle of the lamp is simple and clear, it is a source of artificial light, working from the mains. Light radiates red-hot tungsten filament enclosed in a glass flask. Today, designers are increasingly using Edison lamps in the interiors of apartments, giving them a bright eclectic, sophistication and retro hue.
Types of Edison Light Bulbs
Modern analogs of Edison lamps are produced by domestic factories and foreign manufacturers from China, Sweden, and Germany. They are united by the general principle of operation, with the exception of the designer novelty, a lamp made in the same style, but working on LEDs. The main differences between LED models are high cost and long service life, up to 30,000 hours.
Between models with a filament, filament differs in external characteristics. Thus, the element of tungsten can be made in the form of a sheet, spiral, herringbone, squirrel cage, loop, and other forms.
Lamp bulbs differ from each other in shapes and sizes. So, taking into account the interior of the apartment, you can choose flasks in the form of a pear, trapezium, oval, circle, rectangle, candle or torch, mushroom, crystal, tube, bullet.
Edison lamps in modern interiors can be used as components for chandeliers, wall lamps, various lamps with shades and lampshades, and without them. In the latter case, the bulb is simply hung on a cord or beautifully attached to a decorative object that plays the role of a lamp base. Cords can be classic plastic, including colored (together with cartridges made of ceramic or brass or copper), as in the photo below, made of metal, twisted in retro style. The type of bulb determines the type and size of the spiral, and the general appearance of the lamp is chosen according to the style and atmosphere of the apartment, office, and restaurant.
Advantages, disadvantages, and characteristics
Incandescent lamps have many advantages, although in recent years they have been purposefully replaced with modern energy-saving analogs. The advantages of Edison bulbs include the following properties:
- they create a cozy, pleasant looking warm golden glow;
- look stylish, diversify the interior and emphasize design ideas;
- in tandem with dimmer allows you to change the brightness of the lighting in the room;
- environmentally friendly, because they work without the use of mercury and harmful substances;
- natural color rendition, – Edison lamps do not change the natural shades of objects;
- simple and easy to use, easy to replace, suitable for standard cartridges;
- can be used without lamp shades and shades, in different lamps and as independent lighting devices;
- are available in a wide range in different shapes and sizes, making it easy to fit into the interior of an apartment.
Disadvantages of Edison lamps:
- vintage and design models are quite expensive;
- a short lifetime in comparison with LEDs;
- high power consumption and low efficiency (produce from 5 to 20 lumens per watt), a significant portion of the energy is spent on heating the spiral;
- a fragile glass bulb requires very careful handling; in addition, it can burst from overheating or after a certain period of use.
The main characteristics of Edison lamps are in many ways inferior to LEDs:
- the average lifetime is 2000-3500 hours;
- power varies in the range of 20-100 W;
- work on the network with a voltage of 220 W;
- the base corresponds to the articles E27, E144; the color temperature is 2100-2700K.
For most of the characteristics, we can conclude that it is more profitable to acquire ergonomic LED models of Edison lamps, but then the whole retro effect will disappear, and it is unlikely that soft warm lighting can be achieved.
Using Edison lamps in different interior styles
Although incandescent bulbs are most often used by designers to give the interiors a stylish touch of “retro”, they fit surprisingly easily into modern apartments and into classic surroundings. The main secret lies in the variety of produced flasks and the ability to organically introduce them into the furnishings of the apartments and the light scenario.
Retro style
In an apartment with a vintage atmosphere, furniture and decoration Edison lamps will undoubtedly be in place, especially if used not separately, but in tandem with lamps and lampshades. If we are talking about recreating the interior in the spirit of the 60s of the last century, furniture on high legs of streamlined shape, plain colors of sofas and textiles, strict floor lamps with laconic lampshades like the photos, and the same ceiling chandeliers would be appropriate here.
A more “deep” retro of the beginning of the century is similar to the classic modern, where the main role is given to refined furniture on curved legs, forged and openwork elements, floral ornaments, stained glass windows. In such an apartment, Tiffany-style lampshades and wrought-iron ceiling chandeliers with a round base and Edison lamps without lampshades, but in an odd shape, will take root.
Classic
In classic interiors of soothing colors, with stucco on the ceiling and wide skirtings, designer models look beautiful, gilded or copper chandeliers with crystal pendants and candle-shaped bulbs, similar to sconces on both sides of mirrors, at the head of the bed. In the neoclassical interior of the apartment, lamps of the usual pear-shaped form will take root, including those hidden by lampshades or ceiling lamps, ceiling, wall and floor lamps.
Steampunk
Steampunk is a mixture of industrial style and futurism, and the main idea is the alternative future of mankind, in which progress has taken the path of steam, rather than electric cars. The abundance of leather, wood and metal parts in retro-industrial style (made of copper, steel, with rivets, pipes and valves), globes and sailboats as accessories will be perfectly complemented by Edison lamps mounted on metal bases like chandeliers decorated with strange details of crystal lamps with flasks in the form of a flame of candles and directed spots.
Loft
In the interior of an apartment in the loft style, with his addiction to retro accessories and furniture, Edisonbabudut lamps look more than organic. These can be light bulbs hanging from the ceiling on twisted copper or rope cords with copper, “gold” or metal caps, fixed on wooden beams, branches, brick ledges plastic black or colored cords. Lamps in transparent lattice geometric shades of black or any “metallic shade” look very stylish and modern. They will be equally relevant in the interiors of Scandinavian apartments, and in a related minimalist design.
Scandinavian style
The interiors of this type of due to the abundance of light colors, natural materials and free spaces. The furniture is extremely functional, laconic, the decor is graphics, the color spots are limited by textiles and a pair of bright accessories. Against this background, Edison lamps usually just hang from the ceiling on long cords, lampshades and ceiling lamps are not used. It is also appropriate to highlight the area near the bed (long suspensions with incandescent bulbs on both sides), garlands with round and pear-shaped lamps in the mirror zone, at the head of the bed, creating a romantic atmosphere and a festive mood in the apartment.
Minimalism
Lamps in the apartments decorated in the spirit of minimalism, as concise as the whole situation. Strict furniture, glossy surfaces, perfect order – and graphic suspensions-lamps with incandescent lamps.
In addition to these ways of placing lamps with Edison lamps, they can be modeled and combined at their discretion. Become a designer of your own apartment and fantasize about the topic of lighting by assembling suspensions with light bulbs on rope cords in a tight bundle or tying a complex knot.
Knead a garland of colored light bulbs of the same or different shapes near the window, highlight the bathroom, and create an original industrial-style chandelier made of a wooden rim and rope, an old birdcage, a lantern. As a basis for the chandelier, you can take a wooden beam, a metal bar, and instead of the plafonds, you can use glass and tin cans with perforations, old glasses or even beautiful wine bottles with a neatly removed neck. We wish you successful experiments and stylish update of lamps in the interior of your apartment!
