Lamps around my house

When I moved to Atlanta, I moved out of a very small graduate school housing apartment in Boston.  I brought a lamp or two with me that had come from my husband’s teenage room, and might have had a few work lamps from Target.   I also had a white ceramic lamp that I had used on my bedside table in college.  In my first house in Atlanta, I still used those lamps, but mainly relied upon overhead lighting and built in sconces on the side of the bed for my lighting. 

This was the first ‘real’ lamp I purchased in Atlanta (I had to take a picture of it in the kitchen as it is SO gloomy here in Atlanta today!).  I remember seeing this lamp in the Plantation Shop, a now defunct home décor store.  I thought it was the most beautiful lamp in such a pretty color, but I debated purchasing it for weeks because I was not used to spending money on home décor.  I went ahead and bought it, and ever since then have used it in one place or another in my house. Its scale and proportions are nice and it has worked in many different locations. In recent years it has been in my middle daughter’s room. The lampshade is original, circa late 90s.

Since then, I have gained much appreciation for the beauty of lamps and the role that they play in adding another dimension of lighting to a room. I also love having lamps on all of the time, especially at night and on gloomy days.  In fact, I would have to say that I have a lamp obsession and I have lamps in every room of my house.  Here are a few of my favorites, in situ.

A lamp on a chest in my master bedroom, made by Zeugma Imports. The shade came with the lamp, and it is a bit casual for the room – I really should replace it.  My bedside table lamps were ordered months ago, and have not arrived yet, but should be here soon.

It’s very tough taking a picture with a window in the background, so this is not the best quality!  This is a Suzanne Kasler for Ballard gourd lamp in the small size. It was going in my oldest daughter’s room, but I ‘temporarily’ placed it in my bedroom a year ago and it has not moved…the pretty French blue color looks great in my room. It is not as dark as this picture appears. I don’t see this color in the small size on the Ballard size, I wonder if the French blue has been discontinued?

I have my Ballard lamp on my favorite table, the Bunny Williams hourglass design in gold.  The painting on the easel is by Christina Baker. I have a few more paintings from this series in the shop, click here to see them.

My Barbara Barry for Baker pleated lamp in peridot. A friend of mine loved this so much she bought two for her bedroom, and two for her dining room - and they look beautiful. 

Although it may be hard to tell from this picture, the light from the bulb is really beautiful light – and it is a dimmable LED bulb.  I have LED bulbs in all of my lamps (one of the best Christmas gifts a few years ago from my brother-in-law – he replaced most of our regular lightbulbs with Philips LED bulbs).  The Philips LED bulbs are my favorite (click here to see examples).  They are expensive, but they are supposed to last for decades and they have a beautiful color to them.  Everyone who sees them is always surprised to find out that they are LED, the color is so nice. They turn on immediately, and they also dim much better than other brands of LED lights. I highly recommend them – and I haven’t changed a light bulb in a lamp in years because of them!

I buy mine on Amazon. Here is a link.  They come in 40 watt equivalent, 75 watt equivalent, and 100 watt equivalent.

The newer ones seem to be all white, and I have a few of these too.  They are sold in 40 watt and 60 watt equivalent. They can be seen on Amazon here.  They are less expensive than the ones with the yellow design, and have the same energy efficiency and long lifespan. I am not sure if there is a difference in light quality, but I have been happy with the ones I am using with this design.

Back to the lamps!  This lamp doesn’t photograph well, but it is really pretty against the window – the light shines through the mercury glass. I love the combination of the silvery mercury glass, the brass accents, and the pattern on the glass. The lamp can be purchased here, but one thing to note is that each lamp is individually made and the pattern is hand created, so the pattern on the mercury glass varies from lamp to lamp.  The inside of the shade has a charming leopard print.

One of my favorite lamps. I love the shape, color, and texture.  This lamp can be purchased here.

I love lamps in kitchens (and wrote a post about this topic here), and I have a pair of triple gourd lamps in green in my kitchen.  They add a nice splash of color agains the white of my marble.

This is another favorite lamp, a Suzanne Kasler design made by Visual Comfort. I swap this with the concrete lamp on occasion just to change things up a bit.

Finally, one of the first lamps purchased for my new house, and a lamp that I truly love. It's a beautiful blueberry color, and it glows in the day and night. The color is quite vibrant, and it provides a great pop of color in my family room. This lamp came from Mrs. Howard, and the pleated shade is perfect with it.

Many of you have emailed me and said how much you enjoy hearing about products that I enjoy. One product that I discovered last year, that is very much on topic with lamps, is the WeMo switch.  It plugs into the wall, and connects to WiFi.  It pretty much makes anything plugged into it controllable with an iphone or ipad (with a free WeMo app). This means that you can turn things on and off with an iphone, ipad, or any smartphone or tablet running Android 4.0 or higher or iOS 6 or higher – even remotely as long as you are connected to WiFi.  There is also a button on the WeMo switch so items can be turned on and off on the switch itself.  You can also create programs to turn items on and off based on time of day, sunrise, sunset, and so on. Apparently the newest version has even more features, such as energy consumption monitoring.

Here is what the latest version of the WeMo switch looks like.  Click here to read more about it.  I have just placed an order for the new version as I use my WeMo switch on many of the lamps in my house – it’s great to set programs for when they go on and off, or just be able to turn my lamps on and off with my iphone.

I have the older version of the WeMo switch, which apparently has been discontinued. It is bigger and bulkier and does not have as many programmable features as the new one (I think the smaller size of the new model is a big improvement).  I have been very happy with my WeMo switches, and now have 5 of them plugged into various lamps and items throughout the house.   This year we even plugged the artificial tree into the WeMo switch and have it going on and off every morning and night, and I love being able to turn the lights of the tree off and on from my ipad when I am downstairs!  Some of the reviews of the older model say that it disappears from the wireless network frequently (although the programs still continue to work), but I have found that if you unplug and replug it the switch reappears on the network. It sounds like this is not an issue with the newer model.

There is a WeMo motion sensor that pairs with the WeMo switch and sends smartphone notifications when motion is detected (such as when a teen returns home), and can turn appliances or light plugged into a switch to turn on or off if motion is detected. I don’t have this, but it looks interesting! Click here for more information and a description.

There is also a WeMo light switch which is great for older homes that are not wired with the latest and greatest wireless light systems. It apparently overlays a legacy light switch (single switch only) and allows the items that the switch controls (overhead lighting and such) to be controlled by an ipad or smartphone app (or set on a schedule). Click here for more information on the WeMo switch – the Amazon page has lots of examples of how it is used (with pictures too).

I have already purchased the new Wemo Switch for several people on my Christmas list – I think it is a very useful and cool thing, and use my WeMo switches every day, many times a day – I love them for lamps in particular!  I even ordered a new one as I have another lamp that I would like to go on in the morning so the kids don’t go downstairs when it is dark.

Is anyone out there as lamp obsessed as I am?  I truly can’t have enough lamps in the house! Initially my husband was annoyed with the increase in lamps in our new house, but once the WeMo appeared on the scene, he was grateful as it meant fewer lamps to switch off at night  (I have four lamps on the WeMo programmable timer).  

Favorite design and architecture books of 2013: http://www.thingsthatinspire.net/2013/12/books-from-2013.html
2013 books on my Christmas list: http://www.thingsthatinspire.net/2013/11/books-for-my-christmas-list-2013.html
2012 books on my Christmas list: http://www.thingsthatinspire.net/2012/11/books-for-my-christmas-list.html  
2011 books on my Christmas list: http://www.thingsthatinspire.net/2011/12/my-book-list-christmas-2011.html

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Nineteen Mercier: Elegant Home Furnishings and Decor

I recently discovered Nineteen Mercier, a new online store offering the most exquisite and highly curated collection of home furnishings and décor, much of which is either very hard to find, or can’t be found anywhere else. 

Nineteen Mercier began in a small loft in Lyon, France, inspired by shopping through the centuries old streets. According to the Nineteen Mercier website, “the inspirations of the day - the French streets, the textile art, the little home to which we had returned - came together perfectly in the small loft, and the ideas that began to develop there would one day solidify into a new studio on the other side of the Pacific Ocean. Our decorative soul, though, still lies in the aesthetic of that little fifth-floor walk-up in the oldest part of the town. Each item in our collection brings to mind a flash upon the eyes and the heart - a glimpse of ancient streets through the branches of the chestnut tree that grew outside the window of 19 Rue Mercier”.

Nineteen Mercier is a beautifully designed site, and is very easy to navigate and search. Everything is organized into distinct categories (furniture, lighting, accessories, décor, bedding, spa, antiques, kitchen and dining), and everything is cross referenced by room (bedroom, living room, and so on). I particularly like the accessory and lighting section of the store. There was clearly much time and thought put into the design of the site. 

Here are a few items that caught my eye as I spent time perusing Nineteen Mercier’s online store.  Keep in mind that there is a special, limited time 20% off promotion going on – just use code 19MERC20 when checking out. 

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Furniture

Italian Baroque Pedestal Table

Thrace pedestal ottoman (love the nail head detail).

Penelope Cabinet

Klismos Bench in gray leather

Scroll Accent Table

The Franklin wingback chair, with hand rubbed black legs

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Mirrors

 Nineteen Mercier offers almost 300 mirrors in their collection, and so many inspirational styles

Honore Mirror

Circles and Squares Mirror

Prescott Oval Iron Mirror

Vendome Hand Carved Solid Wood Mirror

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Pillows

Nineteen Mercier features over 250 pillows in just about every shape, size and color.

Tulip Trellis Pillow

Velvet Keys Pillow

Ali Baba’s Garden Pillow

Faro Pillow

Yuan Pillow

Beryl Pillow

Morris Pillow

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Lighting

With over 200 chandeliers, over 300 table lamps, and hundreds of floor lamps and pendants, there is something for every taste and style.

Bruges Lantern with three light candelabra

I really like the unusual shape of this lamp, and of course I love the color – it’s one of my favorites. Lute Lamp.

A stacked ball lamp in a silvery color.

A modern and somewhat industrial style lamp would look great in a more relaxed décor scheme. Lino Table Lamp.

The silvery gold color of this lamp would look lovely in most color schemes, and the delicate tracery pattern is beautiful. Mallory Champagne Glass Lamp.

I adore this lamp. Note the detail on the bottom and the top of the base, and the matching pottery finial. Nicosa Lamp in Cypress Blue.

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Accessories

I am loving these acorn finial bookends. 

I have a serious obsession with mercury glass, and this large etched mercury glass bowl is gorgeous.

Decorative beads in one of my favorite shades of teal. Click here to see all decorative beads available.

Turquoise Shagreen Jar, Large (also comes in other colors and sizes)

This 10” lotus bowl caught my eye. The antique white and gray color goes with just about any color scheme.

This vase is really special. Toulouse vase.

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There is so much more… a spa section, bedding items, antiques, kitchen and dining.  Please visit http://www.nineteenmercier.com to see it all for yourself.  Let me know if you have a favorite item! I might have some Christmas present ideas on this list I have made...

For a limited time, get 20% off sitewide by using code 19MERC20.

To visit Nineteen Mercier, please click here. Follow Nineteen Mercier on Facebook here, Twitter here, and Pinterest here.

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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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To see design, architecture, art, and decorative books that I recommend, please visit the Things That Inspire Amazon store.