A few Lights of Note -- Cool, Modern, Unique

A light can make a real addition to the design of a room, not just the ambiance or ability to see.   A lot of us think about pendant lights and chandeliers from a design perspective, but table and floor lamps can also have a big impact.   I was reminded of this when I was looking at a feature in the February 2012 edition of House Beautiful where they did a re-design of a living room in one day.  As I looked up from that feature to my living room, my eye went immediately to my table lamp (a Simon Pearce piece I love) with the same lampshade it’s had since I bought it some 7 years ago.    I started to think that a different shade would add a nice new dimension to the room (and for not a big budget amount).   I eventually found one (I’ll leave the lampshade search process to another post) and it really does change the room in a good way.   And that was just a lampshade.  The whole fixture can have an even bigger impact.

With that introduction, here are a few lights of note (pendants, table lamps, and floor lamps) I have come across.  Ones that I think are unique and interesting, and sure to add design to your room just by themselves.

Modern Table Lamp

I found this table lamp browsing on Etsy (for the aforementioned lampshades), and loved the juxtaposition of the concrete and the wood veneer.  Assuming the wood veneer has been well put together, it would be a very cool piece in a more modern setting.   It’s 17.5” tall and 3” by 3” square, so it’s a great table lamp for a smaller area – a nightstand or desk -  or as part of a vignette on a table.

Grouping Pendant Lights for a Dining Room

Love a light but it’s not the right scale for your dining room?  Consider hanging multiple of the lights together in a row.   I loved this grouping of the Orbita Pendant Light in a room designed by Sally Markham and Photographed by Thomas Loof in a feature for House Beautiful in June 2011. (see the lights above the dining room table behind the sofa)   They’re such interesting lights and they really help create the dining room look, but don’t overpower the entire space.   Interestingly I don’t think the lights look particularly good on the ecommerce site I found them on, so it shows that sometimes you have to look a little harder.

Rosebud Pendant Light

For something truly unique, I thought this light was fascinating.  Apparently made for an outdoor setting – and thus built with the appropriate UV and waterproof materials – I love the shape and energy of this light.  It looks like fabric and has the flow of it, but it’s actually made out of acrylic.  It’s a good example of the very unique lights that are available, but that require a lot of hunting.  Hopefully you’ll find them here on my blog.

Update:  I found this light on the Fire Farm lighting site, but this particular light is no longer available.  But they do offer custom fabrication.

Great Translucent Pendent Light –

This Infinity Pendent from John Pomp Studios has such a modern feel, and gives you something unique as it’s different than the standard shaped pendant light as well as the unique light bulb they have used.   The way the glass is flowing it also brings in a little of a natural vibe as well, and I think it could almost feel a bit vintage.   It really has such versatility, and could be used singly, three in a row, or even a more diverse collection.   On the Studio site they display images of a number of these lights together at different heights which would look great in the right location in the room.

Another Cool Pendent Light -

While we’re on pendent lights, one look I like is hanging pendent lights over nightstands (as opposed to table lamps sitting on the night stands).  I did it in my guest bedroom, and I’m starting to see it a little more in magazines.   I like the look of it, plus it’s also functional as it leaves the nightstand free for books, alarm clocks/radios, and the other things of life one wants next to the bed.  I think two of these Alabaster Cumulo lights from Caleb Siemon would look great on either side of a bed over the nightstand.

Update:  This particular light is no longer shown on the Siemon & Salazar website, but they have other beautiful lights there.

Modern Floor Lamp

Finally, a floor lamp.  Recently a friend asked me to help with his home decoration, and I wanted to mix just a little modern in with the more rustic, found objects he had going on.   I saw this light from WestElm in an Elle Décor edition, and fell in love with it.  I loved the metal nature of it and thought it would go really well with the wood and leather furniture pieces he had in the room.  I also like the flexibility of it - it adjusts from 58” to 70” or just under 6’ - which can make it versatile for your current needs, and if you wanted to move it to other rooms later on.   It has the added benefit of only being $149 plus shipping.

Capiz Shell Chandelier

I love this piece for it’s uniqueness in using the capiz shell, how it brings a rounded, soft shape into the room but with a bit of an edge with the lining of each leaf in metal.  I am a fan of mixing styles, and I think this light could go in a more rustic setting (as the Vivaterra picture shows), a home with more modern décor, and even into a design bordering on traditional.  It would bring a different element to each, and is definitely a statement piece.

I have found it on two sites, the first being Vivaterra.  The 15” light is $369, and the 21” size is $689, plus $40 shipping.

That’s my favorite, though if that’s more than your budget allows and you only need the small version (or want to group a few lights together), Pottery Barn has this 15” diameter light for $199 plus what looks like $21 shipping.  (and, if you don’t like it you have the additional advantage of being able to return it to a local store if there is one in your area).

Vivaterra Lotus Flower Lamp

Pottery Barn Capiz Shell Light

About this Blog

I decided to start this blog when I started looking for a new light for my dining room.  I love my current light in it’s shape and uniqueness, but I realized that it’s not quite at the right scale for my room.   When I bought the pendant light (I don’t really think of it as a chandelier) I was focused on finding a light with a cool shape, something with curves given how many rectangular and straight lines I have in my house (it is made of cinder block after all).  I wasn’t focused on, and didn’t research lighting design rules about scale (see an upcoming post), except for how high over the table to locate it.

After I realized it wasn’t to the right scale, and I didn’t like how the light shined in my dinner guests’ eyes, I started looking around for a light.  I wanted something unique, ideally with a more rounded shape (even though I love rectangular dining room lights).  And since my default is online shopping, I turned to the web.  And while I found a lot of lighting on the web, I found it really hard to find unique lights and to find an easy way to sort through all the lights (other than the two defaults most sites typically have of type and style).    Even in showrooms, you can only see a tenth of the lights they have, and you end up going through all the books to look at lights – and there are a LOT of books.   So my blog is an effort to share with you interesting lights and lighting sites I have found on my online travels.