New lighting brightens loft

Earlier this year when Ro Lisk and her husband, John, downsized from a spacious, sunny house off Rockwood Boulevard to a downtown loft with northern exposure, they took steps to brighten their environment.

For most people, February in Spokane is a dreary month. For Ro Lisk it can be downright depressing.

Lisk, a well-known Spokane Symphony supporter and Fox Theater volunteer, is one of the roughly half-million Americans who suffer from seasonal affective disorder, a condition that can lead to significant depression during overcast winter months.

“We knew that we needed to do extensive lighting,” Ro says, though the couple didn’t realize how dark the two-story unit in the Blue Chip Lofts could be until they walked through on a gloomy day last November.

“All the owner’s lamps and furnishings were gone. It was empty, cold and dark,” Ro says. “I had a few moments of real trepidation, but we had gotten it for a good price and were in a financial position to put some money into it.”

The couple, who are both retired, immediately shopped for lighting ideas to accent the art and keep spirits up. In December 2006 they hired designer Destiny Siino of Carr Sales Co. and Doug Downey of Downey Electric to help arrange and install new lighting throughout the unit.

“The lights are a huge help here in the loft now that they’re in,” Ro says.

Now, in addition to keeping the winter blues at bay, the new lights illuminate the couple’s impressive art collection. Throughout the loft almost every surface is covered with original work, including a number of pieces by local artists that hang on a large expanse of exposed brick in the living room.

On the main level an enormous crystal and bronze chandelier defines the dining area, hanging low over a long table. A suspended gas fireplace flickers warmly, separating the dining and living room areas.

In the main floor bath a fluted crimson Murano glass lamp hangs above an antique sink basin from the old Davenport Hotel.

In the kitchen, four thin, brushed-steel pendants twinkle above a tiled island, giving off tiny, intermittent glints of magenta and pink.

Wine goblets rattle musically on a shelf as a train passes through town.

“The train that goes by about every 15 minutes is something we enjoy,” John says. “It gives a feeling of being in New York.”

Downstairs, spirals of airline-cable lighting illuminate the master bedroom, snaking down a short hall to the bath. Delicate Murano glass pendant lamps blaze a fiery red on either side of the couple’s bed. A third lights the way up a metal staircase past a huge industrial-looking door to the living area above.

Even Ro’s home gym – an elliptical trainer in the couple’s den – radiates a cheerful warmth.

The loft’s numerous north-facing windows offer a breathtaking view of downtown and Mount Spokane beyond – a major selling point for the couple when they first viewed the loft.

“I love looking at the city lights at night and in the morning seeing the whole community spread out before me,” she says.