Cabochon Limited sheds light on handmade ceramic lamps
There’s much more to lighting than meets the eye. Lighting can affect the mood of a room (and, therefore, the mood of anyone who enters). It can brighten a space when needed,
add energy and color, and influence the overall ambience.
For interior designers, who are commonly faced with incorporating myriad types of lighting into any given project, one of the most versatile and influential of all is the table lamp. And for those designers fortunate enough to be located, or working on projects, in the Dallas area, Cabochon Limited is the source for high-quality, kiln-fired ceramic lamps
for the most challenging of projects or discriminating of clients.
Rather than simply importing or stocking lamps in only select colors, which is often the norm, Cabochon Limited’s ceramic factory craftspeople actually make the mold for the ceramic portion, then pour the slip into the mold and let it harden. Next, they clean up the body, then fire into bisque before applying the glaze and refiring to get the beautiful, rich finish they’re known for. Some finishes require additional applications and a third firing. Each time in the kiln can be around four hours.
“It is a significant process,” says Gary Humphries, who handles sales for the company and has been selling lamps for over 40 years. “Our lamp designers have years of experience and are talented artists.”
Customizing lamps is a specialty. “Designers can pick the lamp, the color and the shade that work in the room they are creating,” says Humphries. “They can show their design talent and, if they need a color that we don’t have, we can match it for them custom.”
Upon perusing the collection in the Cabochon Limited showroom at Lloyd Humphries and Associates, located in the Dallas Market Center, or scrolling through the company’s website, designers may choose from a selection of ceramic lamps in various shapes, finishes, color schemes and shades.
But then there are the numerous options from which a designer may choose to make their piece unique. “When you’re looking at a lamp, you have the base that the ceramic piece is sitting on, then you’ve got the finial and then you’ve got the shade,” explains Humphries. “Each of these elements needs to be considered, along with the finish of the ceramic.”
As a basic primer, Cabochon Limited offers a choice of acrylic, gold leaf, silver leaf or rustic wood bases, and any two may be stacked for a different look. Lamp shades, with a 1-inch trim, are offered in cream or white linen homespun, oyster silk sheer or black with gold foil liner. The color of the shade can influence the brightness of the lamp or help to soften the light it gives off, as well as coordinate with the fabrics in the room. “It’s all part of the overall aesthetic,” says Humphries. Finials are available in acrylic or can match the ceramic. Turn knobs are solid brass, and two sockets with pull chains are an option as well.
The actual ceramic piece? Well, the possibilities seem endless. First comes the actual shape—cylinders, diamond-shaped, double and triple gourds, spheres or “stacked snowballs,” or a modern, elliptical “marquis” shape. Once that is decided, colors range from bold orange to cool ivory to a subdued “delft grey crackle.” “There are just so many options,” emphasizes Humphries. Finishes range from a straightforward solid color or crackle glaze to palladium or mother-of-pearl marble to the premium (and hard to find) raku, which involves an elaborate firing process that results in a unique, multicolor glaze.
Whether to simply accent a room or help create an overall aesthetic or décor, Cabochon Limited lamps will illuminate every experience or space. *
Linda Hayes is an Aspen, Colorado-based freelance writer specializing in architecture, design and the luxury lifestyle. Her articles have appeared in LUXE, Hawaiian Style, and Elle Décor.
Cabochon Limited
Dallas Market Center
Lloyd Humphries and Associates
10062 World Trade Center
2050 N. Stemmons Freeway
Dallas, TX 75207
214.742.7986
cabochonlimited.com
