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One of the most underrated aspects of beautiful luxury interior design is something that many people touch multiple times a day without even thinking about it.
The humble light switch appears in every room, every office, every shop, every restaurant, every place of business, and essentially any indoor location in the country.
But just because it serves a highly practical function doesn’t mean that it can’t be beautiful or stand out.
To help future design choices, it is important to know how the light switch as we know it today even became as prominent as it is.
The inventor of the light switch as we know it was John Henry Holmes, an inventor and physicist based in Newcastle, who was inspired by Joseph Swan’s electric light bulb.
He founded his own company, J.H. Holmes & Co., in 1883, where they specialised in lighting, motors and dynamos.
However, the most important invention Mr Holmes would ever make was a year later, in 1884, when he developed one of the most important inventions in the history of electrical appliances.
Historically, light switches were relatively slow in operation, which meant that the internal contacts would be close enough to allow for electrical arcing to complete circuits that should not be completed.
Mr Holmes’ solution was to create a switch that quickly moved from one set of contacts to another, which immediately broke the circuit, protected the wiring and prevented fires.
This simple solution was a revelation that is still used in basically every light switch made to this day, and allowed for electrical wiring to be used safely in the home.
Whilst light switches are often treated as utilitarian, a few simple touches can make them stand out and look fantastic. Here are some of our suggestions:
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