The book "Sculpting Light - 500 Lamps" is the concentrated style inspiration for your own home. Whether chandeliers, pendant or table lamps, sculptural or minimalist - art historian Agata Toromanoff brings together iconic light sources of different shapes and materials in the book. She focuses on three different types of lamps: ambient, spotlight and outdoor. The book is a homage to the luminous decorative elements. Agata Toromanoff portrays legendary designers and also reveals her sources of inspiration and personal favourite pieces.

To learn even more about "Sculpting Light - 500 Lamps" and the author's world, we asked Agata Toromanoff eight personal questions. In conversation with teNeues, she reveals her inspiration, personal preferences and gives important design tips:

Where does your great love of art and design come from?

Even as a child, I loved art and beautiful objects and loved learning all about them. Later, when I worked with artists and designers, I started to appreciate these two areas even more. I believe it is important to enjoy and experience art in everyday life, and even more important to be surrounded by aesthetic objects, especially in our chaotic visual world that is full of low-quality content. 

THE perfect light source for a cosy/romantic evening?

For all occasions where we need really atmospheric lighting, lamps with brightness regulators would be the best light source. Of course, original shapes or sophisticated materials also have a great influence on the way lamps create atmosphere. Given the diversity of contemporary designs, any type of lamp, whether ceiling or floor lamp, can create a magical atmosphere. 

You have to decide: Ceiling lamp or floor lamp, minimalist or pompous.

Definitely floor lamp and minimalist. I'm a big fan of the "less is more" philosophy. A floor lamp with an original shape or light emission can do the trick. It doesn't dominate the room like a traditional ceiling lamp and its position can be easily changed. We are used to the traditional centrally placed ceiling light, but that is dynamically changing. Contemporary designers are looking for ways to surprise with shapes and with the way they can model the light in our interiors. 

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Your style inspirations for your own home?

I am very picky and like to have fewer items (with the exception of books) around me, so I tend not to have superfluous elements in my interiors. I like to mix old and new, but also different styles, which also requires reducing elements to a minimum. The light is perfectly matched to the function of the room in question. I like well-lit spaces, but pay particular attention to the intensity and hue of the light. 

Your illustrated book "Sculpting Light" in three words

Illuminating design spectacle

What design tips do you give to people on a smaller budget?

Many of the lamps featured in this book were chosen for a smaller budget, which proves that we don't have to compromise on any aspect, neither the quality of the light nor the aesthetics of the lamps. A good lamp is a way to make everyday life healthier or more pleasant, so it is definitely worth choosing fewer models for each room, but really looking at how they can transform spaces. Even if the prices are sometimes a bit higher. 

How many light sources does a room need?

It is impossible to answer this question in just one way. On the one hand, it depends very much on the nature of the room - its size, the materials it is made of, the natural light sources or the furniture - and on the other hand, on its function. A dining room with a large table needs a good ceiling lamp, while for a salon several smaller lamps are better suited to create a cosy ambience. If we like to read or create a working area, we need to think of good spotlights. Contemporary lamps offer space for different solutions that perfectly adapt to our interiors (or exteriors) by channelling/shaping the light and regulating its hue.