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Monday, September 24, 2012

Thank you…and some other lighting in my house


Thank you for the wonderful comments on my post about my dining room chandelier decision. If you have not read the comments, they are quite interesting and entertaining to read – click here to see them. I would also like to thank the many readers who sent me great “off the beaten track” antique chandeliers sources.

As always, I read each and every comment, and I also received dozens of emails from readers with more lengthy thoughts.

I have decided to go ahead and put ‘dining room chandelier’ high on the list of items that I will work on with my designer in early 2013, when we do phase II of the design work.   Ultimately, knowing both myself and my husband, I am aware that whatever goes in my dining room will be there for a long time, so I have to select a fixture that I really love.  And, as many of you suggested, such a key design element really needs to be found with my designer’s guidance, especially since she selected all of the other lighting fixtures in the house.   We will get something that works with the style of the house, the room, and the budget.  If that’s an antique, great.  If that’s an amazing new lighting fixture, that would be great too.  But I do think it is time to find a beautiful fixture to put in the dining room.

Many of my readers were shocked that I have a naked bulb in my dining room, after spending so much time and effort working on the design and build of the house.   If you have ever built a house, or gone through a major renovation, you can understand the mental and financial fatigue that sets in at the end of a project. That’s why I still have my old beat up reproduction French country kitchen table and 1980s style barstools in my kitchen – which are definitely at odds with the architecture and style of the kitchen -  and will be replaced next year.

But – rest assured – I do have some beautiful lighting in other areas of the house, and here are a few glimpses (taken with an iphone camera this weekend).

A simple bell jar lantern graces the front hall.

I love our kitchen light fixture – it is grand in scale, which works perfectly in my kitchen. The iron of the fixture works beautifully with the steel windows in the kitchen.

The library light fixture is alabaster and has a subtle Greek key pattern etched into the side.  It has a lovely glow at night, and truly ‘makes’ the space.  I never would have selected this fixture on my own, but my designer thought it was the perfect touch for the room – and that has proven to be the case.


The lantern in my stairs is also large in scale, and looks great from all angles, particularly important as it is often seen from below.

My favorite lantern – the Mizner by Niermann Weeks – I had my eye on this lantern for years (I would often go into the Atlanta showroom and visit it), and I love seeing it every day.

I do have one other bare bulb to show you – in my groin vault hall.  My designer wanted something very special for this place, and she has never found just the right thing.  We will find something when we do phase II.

And finally, my master bedroom.  We put a cap on this one!  We looked at a few options, but again didn’t find just the right thing.  Maybe because it is capped, or maybe because I had a ceiling fan in my old master bedroom, but I don’t miss having a chandelier in my master bedroom.  Right now the room is lit by lamps and a few small targeted recessed lights, and it works just fine – although it would be nice to find a pretty chandelier to finish off the room.

It’s interesting to see these fixtures in isolation, because I was not aware that we had so many iron fixtures in the house!  They work well with the architecture and style of the house, and are spread throughout the house, so they are not seen at the same time. There are some key rooms that do not have fixtures at all because of the design of the space– like the living room, because centering a light fixture would not make sense for the furniture arrangement given the architecture of the space (and two chandeliers would not have worked either).

Writing this post brings back memories of all the time and effort that went into selecting light fixtures – not an easy task when building a house from scratch!

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19 comments:

  1. Rome wasn't built in a day! You have done and exceptional job on your home. I can honestly say that you have impeccable taste, and missing a few lighting pieces is part of getting thee. I do love the fixtures you have in place, and your kitchen chandelier is amazing.
    Thank you for sharing, Holly. Can't wait to see what you do in the future.
    Happy Monday.
    Teresa
    xoxo

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  2. We are planning a few phases ourselves for our new build (that financial fatigue you speak of). Love the fixtures you have already installed, especailly the lantern. Love your vault. We might opt for a barrel vault in a few locations.

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  3. Hello; great choices of lighting! I have a couple of favorites myself for dining chandeliers...if you check on Interieurs.com, collections...Joses esteves, click on Globe chandelier, also designer collections...Tekna...click on Portreath chandelier, collection..Pouenat...Groix chandelier and Capman chandelier, for amazing unusual chandelier, check out the Simon Peleg collection.
    A little homework. Your house project is so exiting....

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  4. That lantern in your stairwell is simply amazing. I adore it too! I'm sure the other fixtures you source will be equally great! Can't wait to see them - something to look forward to in the new year! M.

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  5. your mizner lantern is wonderful.

    I appreciated seeing the bare bulb in your previous post almost as much as I appreciated your line about your husband hitting his 'financial and psychological limit' on the lighting budget. that made me smile. Whatever our budgets, whatever our projects, I think we can all relate to that frustration. I really loved those glimpses of reality there. thanks, holly. donna

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  6. Every fixture is indeed a jewel...so I agree...wait for that "perfect one"....!

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  7. They are all wonderful. I especially love the lanterns. They all feel timeless and classic. My favorite item in the post however, is your stunning groin vault hall! Beautiful! I look forward to seeing what you find to put there.

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  8. So glad you decided to wait to find just the right fixture - exactly what I would do! And you do have lots of other great lighting to enjoy in the meantime. Building a house is only the beginning - creating a home takes time!

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  9. All of your fixtures are beautiful! I can't wait to see what you choose for the dining room!

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  10. I am so happy to find out that I am not the only one who capped several ceiling sockets until I can find the perfect fixture! The only problem that I find is that I do not feel the pressure to complete the task when I am not in all out construction mode! Love the fixtures you have picked so far. Love reading your blog. Maybe I will be inspired to get back on the task of picking some light fixtures!!!!

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  11. I love the light bulbs! I have one at our chalet in the master bedroom and it has been 7 years! However, I did find an antler chandelier that is to go there, but it is hanging in our kitchen at home, ha! I can't find "the perfect" chandelier for the kitchen, so until I do...the bulb stays at the chalet;) I love the colours in your home, calm and soothing and especially love the groin vault ceiling. Stunning!

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  12. I can see why you want something with crystal, since all of your lighting is clean lined. Maybe something with rock crystal would be pretty in the dining room. Please keep us posted when you and your designer pick something.

    Thank you for this post. It makes me feel much better about all of the unfinished projects in my house!

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  13. I applaud you taking your time in waiting for the perfect one! The search is so much fun!

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  14. Every light fixture you have is superb Holly. It is always best to wait for The One!
    I love, love the Niermann Weeks Lantern!

    xoxo,
    Karena
    2012 Artist Series

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  15. I love those fixtures! I'm a bit partial to the iron piece in the kitchen ;)

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  16. You are so right about going through the building process and then having to step back for financial, emotional, physical and even mental reasons! It's fun but oh so exhausting! I love your fixtures you showed us and feel quite confident that you will find just the right things for the other spots. I'm so in love with your house! I love the detail in the moldings more than anything! Our next phase is to work on that…it truly makes the house have character and "good bones"! Loved seeing this! Have a great week!

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  17. It is so fun to see a few little glimpses into your new home! Your attention to detail is fantastic. I can not wait to see your library! What a beautiful color! I was wondering if you would be willing to share the source for your knock-out alabaster fixture and the small lights with the square shades over the bookcases in the library? Thanks for another beautiful post!

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  18. I love all your light fittings. I love the iron and they would be my light fittings of choice too. Good on your for taking your time with it all. It's good to take a step back and have a think (also let the bank account recover:)) We are taking our time with our house too. As frustrating at times and as impatient as I am I'm glad we're taking our time and working to find the right piece. Thanks for sharing. Jx

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  19. I love the bell jar lanterns. It adds a different ambiance in every visitors.Little by little
    now you see all the hard work and time selecting and searching lights that sits to your home.

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