We need many more lamps in our interiors than we often think. Ceiling lamps, table lamps and wall lamps for the bedroom, living room, kitchen and bathroom should ideally be present in every home. To create good lighting, it’s almost indispensable to have ceiling lights in your home. A plafond is a particularly good source of pleasant light in a room. We guide you on how to decorate with plafonds.

What you should know about plafonds

Plafond lamps are not a new invention. You may recognize them from summer houses or from the stairwells of classic Copenhagen buildings, where they illuminate the floors between apartments. We believe their renewed popularity is due to both function and form.

You may not find a lamp as versatile as a plafond lamp. Originally intended to hang on the ceiling, the name itself suggests it — ‘plafond’ is French for ‘ceiling’. Available in varying sizes, it can be mounted almost anywhere — but it is most often seen in a size around 30 cm. That size is ideal for hanging in smaller rooms. It can be used in the bathroom, where it doesn’t take up much space and doesn’t require much height since it mounts directly to the ceiling. The Italian Murano plafonds from the 1970s come in many sizes, and at Murano Vintage you can often find them from 25 cm up to 50 cm in diameter.Find a size that suits you right here.

Vintage Murano white plafonds 30 cm and 40 cm, mouth-blown in the 1970s in Italy.

We especially notice that the white plafonds are popular. Here you get a sculptural lamp that provides functional light and is beautiful to look at. The Italian vintage plafonds are particularly notable for being handmade, and many have swirl patterns in the glass that make them even more interesting. Their renewed popularity is probably due to their size, which is easy to mount in an entrance or in a bathroom.

See our entire selection of plafonds right here.

How to decorate with plafonds at home

Consider which room you want to hang your plafond lamp in. Should it light the bathroom? Is it for your entryway? Or do you want to hang it in a child’s room?

Decide whether you have space for a large plafond if it is to hang in the ceiling of a small bathroom with limited ceiling height. Perhaps the ceiling is also low. In that case you will probably prefer a small, flat ceiling lamp that can still light the whole room, since brightness depends on the bulb you choose. If, on the other hand, it will hang in your entryway where you have high ceilings, you can choose a large plafond. You can even create a sequence of several plafonds in a row. In a child’s room, a plafond can be a decorative wall lamp. Hang it on the wall above the bed as a bedside lamp and use a low-brightness bulb to create a cozy atmosphere.

Although a plafond is originally intended to hang from the ceiling, it can easily be placed on the wall. This adds a decorative touch to the interior, especially if you choose a plafond with a swirl or a color that contrasts with the rest of your decor. Combine two or more plafonds in a line in your entryway or on the wall above the sofa to create an installation. A wall-mounted plafond can also be a good alternative to a table lamp if you want to save space and at the same time create an interesting wall decoration. It’s easy to add a cord with a switch so it can be used as a wall lamp.

A mouth-blown wall lamp or ceiling lamp in glass is a very special lamp. You won’t find two identical ones, but if you’re lucky you can find pieces that resemble each other. There will be variations in the glass, but that’s the charm of mouth-blown lamps. You can see that it’s handmade. Consider using the lamp as an addition in a newly built home, where a mouth-blown Murano lamp can add charm to the contemporary style.

How to hang a plafond in just 3 steps

One reason for the plafond’s renewed popularity may also be that it’s an easy lamp to install. Here are 3 steps to easily and safely mount the lamp at home.

1. Disassemble the lamp. Loosen all the screws on the mounting.

Tip: Do not unscrew all the screws completely; leave them in place. You only need to loosen them enough to separate the mounting from the glass. That makes reassembly easier.

2. Feed the cord through the mounting and then connect the cord to the socket before you install the bulb. Tip: Make sure to test the light before you reassemble the lamp and hang it. That will save you a lot of work so you don’t have to repeat the process.

3. Mount the fitting where you want the lamp to hang, then place the glass and tighten the screws again. Tip: If the plafond is to be mounted on the wall, you can get away with just one screw and then hang the plafond. That way you avoid drilling more holes than necessary.

It’s that easy, and you can definitely do it yourself. You can find all our plafonds here

You can also read about the most iconic Murano lamp, namely the mushroom table lamp. You can find the article right here.

See our selection of Murano plafonds and all Murano lamps. Also read our guide to pendel vs. plafond or installation instructions.