If this was your house... Part 2
/Part 2 – Dining Room, Kitchen, Den and Bedrooms
Remember the house...
Now here are my thoughts for the rest of the house.
Dining Room
So many choices for the Dining Room! As mentioned in one of my previous posts (Lighting Guidelines and Tips), there are design guidelines for the selection of a dining room light (based on the size of the room, your table, and height). Not having any of this information (except in my memory), I have selected some lights that I think would be options.
The Iron Chandelier by Rose Tarlow has very gracious lines and a more traditional feel to it. It is a large light, with a 50”diameter and 30” in height, so the room needs to be large enough to accommodate it. I know they have the height, but I’m not sure about the dimensions of the room (it would need to be 25 feet by 25 feet or some variation thereof).
The Florentine Chandelier by Currey & Company harkens back to a more rustic time but still feels contemporary, and if the room had enough height to accommodate it, I think it would be a cool choice. (30” high, 30” diameter)
The Bluma Pendantis the one to go with for some drama in your dining room. Still subdued enough with the black lampshade, the light on the crystals would create very interesting shadows on the walls, and provide very pretty light to your tabletop when entertaining. (28” in width , 14” high, 12” depth)
The Puri Racetrack Pendant by Sonneman is classic in its shape, yet with a more contemporary feel given the materials. I think this would be my choice. (8” in height, 36” in width, and 12” in depth)
Kitchen
For the kitchen, I pulled a number of light options, all of which I think could work in a house this style, but i have to admit they don't work together, so this is an either or choice.
What is vintage is modern at this point in history, and I think these Glass Jar Pendants by West Elm would fit well into this house. I think they would definitely feel “of the era” in the house, but because vintage is a very current style, they would still go with a contemporary vibe. I would pick the left–most light for the kitchen, as in this particular kitchen the cabinet and countertop are on the darker side, so the dark steel accents would tie in well but not be lost with the lighter colored walls. 3 of these would be my pick for this particular house. You could actually try doing three of these over the exposed counter, and then the shorter height light over the kitchen table.
I love these Silver Line Pendants by Holly Hunt Studio, and I think they would work well from a style perspective. My only concern would be that this particular kitchen has a very high ceiling, with a high counter for these to hang over, and they might be the wrong scale. While the XX accent on the glass gives it presence and weight, it might not be enough.
I love the Clemson Classic pendant from Restoration Hardware, and while we’re seeing a lot of it in magazines today, I’m not tired of it yet and I think it will hold up for a number of years to come. This would work best if the kitchen also had either stainless steel appliances or polished nickel fixtures (or both) to tie in with the polished nickel accents on this pendant light. Since this particular kitchen has a beautiful black soapstone counter and cherry cabinets, this probably isn’t the best choice. But for this style of house but with a different color scheme in the kitchen, this would be beautiful.
While the Echo pendant by Tech Lighting is very modern, I think it could work well in this space, and be a nice contrast with the older home. This would only work if the furnishings and other fixtures were also contemporary and mixed throughout, I don’t think you want to walk from one era into another in the same house. What I like about this light is the internal white case glass tube that lends a soft light. I think three over an island or exposed counter would look terrific. This would be my pick if it were my house, but knowing my friends and their style, for them I would stay with my choice of the vintage jar lights from West Elm.
I think the Hanover Light paired with a vintage-style light bulb could be really great over a kitchen table. The glass light shape is fairly traditional, but I would be made more modern with the vintage style bulb – a great combo in seeking the transitional style.
Den/Office/Library
I love the Mobius Arc floor lamp from Hubbardton Forge. It manages to be feminine and masculine at the same time, and while it has a beautiful arc shape, it’s not the arc light you’ve seen in all the magazines. Plus, the use of the black finish would help it fit into this house.
The Antique Drafting light by Barbara Cosgrove is a classic, and would be great in an office where you have a large desk to work at, and can give this light a lot of space.
The Derrick Tower Table Lamp provides a little punch with its bright brass base, and I love the complexity of the design on the base, mimicking the old oil derrick towers. If you pick the Mobius Arc light though, this isn’t the light for the room. I don’t think the brass finish and the black or iron finish of the Arc light go well together.
The Ray T Table Lamp has a similar feel to the Derrick Tower table lamp but it’s lighter base materials and more simple design would be good in a room where you want the light to look good and function well, but you have a lot of other patterns, textures, or design going on.
Finally, a classic swing arm task light in the Pask Pivoting Light. Easily movable to focus where you need it, but with a soft brushed nickel finish for some warmth. This reminds me to mention that while I have suggested a mixture of brass and nickel finishes here, it would entirely depend on the furnishings of the room and any fixtures you choose as to which finish works.
Wall Sconces – Library, Dining room, Hallways
I like the Reed Double Sconce. It has soft, graceful curves, and I think the aged brass finish is such a warm feel. This definitely has a more traditional feel to it, and I think it would be wonderful in a library if you had the horizontal space on the wall to accommodate it.
This Small Aspect Articulating sconce also fits with the angular shapes of some of the other light fixtures, but is definitely in the traditional/more classic style of the house. The size and scale of this wall sconce also works well when you have less horizontal space to play with, say between bookshelves, or in a hallway where you want the light but don’t want people to knock their head.
The other sconce I love in the brass color family, is the Base Wall Sconce in rough iron and Soft Brass. I think the name is an apt one, as the lampshades really do appear soft, and are accented very nicely with the black bars supporting the lights.
For something different, the Chelsea Wall Sconce would be a great choice. A vintage style that is very in vogue today, but I love the lines on this light and the vintage lightbulb. It could also be an option in a guest bedroom, with a pair flanking the bed for bedside reading lights. It mght be slightly impractical as there is no shade so the light would be bright (as opposed to diffused at all), but I think it’s the right balance of vintage and modern for a house like this. And, unless your guests stay for a long time, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
The Ashdown Sconce is definitely the most modern of the sconces I have chosen, and plays well with some of the other angular shapes of the lights – if you chose the Paper Tier light in the master bedroom, the Weymouth pendant for the bathroom, and/or the Monolith lamp in the living room). It does take up more space vertically, so it will have more of a presence.
Master Bedroom
I am fixated on the Studio Paper-Tier Table Lamp from Thomas O’Brien for the Master Bedroom, so it's the only one I will recommend for this room. I think it’s just perfect for this house and these occupants. There is a masculine feel to this lamp, which is great for men, but would also work well in a room occupied by a man and a woman. It could be balanced with soft bed linens, for an example. But I also love the interest in the design of the lamp, but it also has simple lines which makes it unfussy and uncomplicated – perfect for a place of rest.
For floor lamps in the bedroom (this one is definitely large enough to have a sitting chair and I think the soft glow from a floor lamp in the bedroom in the evening can be beautiful and relaxing), I have a few options.
I think the Hannah Floor Lamp by Thomas O’Brien plays the best with the Paper-Tier lamp, not too surprising since it’s the same designer. I like this lap for the traditional materials (an aged iron base) but with a more unusual shape to it. I think this would be beautiful.
Another light I like for the room is the Bronze Column lamp by Holly Hunt Studio (sadly only to the trade). I love the proportion of this light – the base and the lamp shade, and the detail on the wires out from the base to support the lampshade. Not that you have to be matchy-matchy with your lampshades, but I think I would a more linen-color shade would go better with the Paper-Tier lamp.
The last option, also in an unusual shape, could be done in linen or in a black shade. Tip: with black lampshades you don’t get as much ambient light out from the shade itself, so they’re good to use when you only need the light straight down (if this stood over a reading chair) or don’t need it to provide a lot of ambient light at all but rather want some drama or accent with the light – say in the corner of a bedroom. Again, a more contemporary light but I like how light it feels with the tripod base, andI think it would still fit in a house with a transitional style.
Bathrooms
I like going a little lighter in the bathroom, I like bathrooms to feel fresh and clean (aren’t those the most important things in a bathroom after all?)
Per some of my other posts about using unusual lights in spaces, I would suggest the Weymouth pendant – one on either side of the mirror. I think it would look lovely – these are traditional lights, but it’s a modern application – a great blend of traditional and contemporary. And these lights are 100W each, so I think it would be enough light if you have two of them. Plus, hanging the lights at face level really does provide the best lighting in the bathroom.
If pendants aren’t the way to go, I like these wall sconces as options. The Sadler wall sconce by Currey & Co is a graceful wall sconce, which I think would fit easily into this traditional house. The polished nickel finish is crisp, and its nicely finished off with a white shade in contrast.
The Hardy Cylinder Sconce by Thomas O’Brien would be going a little more contemporary. Still with the crispness of the polished nickel finish for the clean and fresh look, but the frosted glass gives it a little more muted feel. Given that both of these wall sconces are only 60w each, you would have to augment them with some recessed lighting. (I prefer the idea of recessed lighting rather than an overhead light fixture in this case because the guest bathroom I’m thinking about isn’t that large, and you wouldn’t want it to feel cramped.
See my Pinterest board for other lights I considered but didn’t include in this post: http://pinterest.com/radiantroom/if-this-were-your-house/
