Lighting Up Perth

If you’re a Scottish native then the idea of the “Big Light” is one you’ll understand entirely.  After the seventies, an era that interior design had a good old belly ache of a laugh at, we became all-consumed by table lamps, side lights and uplighters.  It was at this point that Mums the country over started telling you to switch off ‘The Big Light’ and put the wee lamps on. We were suddenly a nation who demanded ambiance and created mood.

And so the light shop was born. Rows of gorgeous lamps; standard, side, wall and table came. A whole host of shapes and sizes for us to ooo and ahhh over.  And as the decades progressed and the rise and rise of Laurence Llewelyn Bowen came to pass, we came full circle and are once again in love with a feature ceiling light (with a dimmer switch of course!) or a chandelier!

You can, of course, source all of this and a maid to dust them, online at any time of the day or night. But in a sea of various wattage, weight bearing beams, LEDs and a building desire for a magazine-ready home, how do you wade through the nonsense to find the perfect solution for your lush new office or cosy snug?

Enter Solas Lighting, the newest addition to Perth’s Independent Retail scene, owned and run by Moira and Duncan Porter.  They have more lamps, lights and knowledge than I ever knew existed about lighting up your home.

“We are the only independent lighting store in the centre of Perth and we’re really proud of that. We’ve been in this trade for years now and there was a real temptation to go online and skip the overheads of the bricks and mortar. But you know, that’s not really us.  I think that people want proper old fashioned service, they want to come in and chat and ask for advice about size, wattage, low energy, LEDs.  They know we care about their dark corners!”

I am intrigued by the notion of an LED I must confess. I use low energy because it’s the right thing to do but honestly, sometimes I’ve brushed my teeth and washed my face before I can see the sink. My bedtime routine happens almost by osmosis now.

“Exactly! People don’t know that there are some great energy saving solutions that are highly effective. LEDs are really white, bright and will light up an area using a tenth of the electricity.  We only use reputable suppliers, people that we know and trust. So we can guarentee that we'll save people money and give them a quality, high end product.”

They offer a free home design service to people who are building from scratch, planning a major conversion or looking at the renovation of a room or entire house. This can be done by popping into the shop with your plans or inviting Duncan out to your house to have a look. It’s a level of service that the big multiples just can’t match and you’re certainly not going to get it from a website.

“I think people want to buy from people. We started introducing little bits of lifestyle product because we were being asked for them. Suddenly, we’ve gone from a couple of clocks and ornamental baskets to an entire homewares section!  I found these console tables on a buying trip and thought I’d try them out to see if there was an appetite for it. Turns out there is! We have new stock coming in all the time to keep up with demand. I'm loving it - I’m getting to shop and buy all in the name of business!"

Their home range is gorgeous.  Tables, clocks, little ornamental nik-naks.  They have price points starting a £5 and I spot a couple of stocking fillers that I’ll be coming back for.   The furniture includes a two seater sofa and leather arm chair, bedside tables and little sets of drawers.  It’s wonderful to see this all under the banner of ‘independent’ from a local Perth family.

“I do think that matters. We’re building a business on honesty and trust because we live and work in this small city and our reputation matters to us.   We’ve looked at Perthshire and we know we need to stock everything from traditional lamps for a wee cottage to contemporary, glitzy bling for a young girl’s first flat. It’s what makes it so much fun .”

Drop in for a pack of bulbs,  book an appointment and take in your plans or just have a wee wander around the rows of beautiful lamps and homewares. Moira would love you to pop in and say hello. And you never know, she may just be able to light up your day!   

Solas Lighting is at Highland House on the corner.  Website and Facebook to follow! You can call them on 01738 446660.