Incandescently Happy. Selfridges & Co., London. December 2015.
London really knows how to show off during the holidays. I visited Oxford Street in December and was more interested in taking photos of the light installations in the squares and streets than shopping. It was a nice surprise to find equally elegant lighting details inside stores lined along Oxford Street.
A crowd favorite along Oxford Street is Selfridges & Co. Walking into Selfridges is walking into an experience—it is grand, stately, and classic—a time capsule into 1900s design. As I wandered through the floors, I stumbled across this hidden gem in the basement—a room that, to steal a line from Jane Austen, made me "incandescently happy." The idea of hundreds of bare bulbs illuminating a room is simple and obvious, and yet so elegant. I love the warmth this style of lighting exudes. I realize Selfridges is not the first to execute this concept, but given the atmosphere of the season, it was really magical to see.