lighting

April 27, 2011

Dining Room Light Found!

My year-long search for a dining room chandelier is finally over! When I went to Circa to get the sconces for the family room I saw this Barbara Barry Bowmont chandelier (on sale) and that was that. The size, color and clean lines are just perfect for the room.

I was *this* close to going for the Jean de Merry light I posted about last month but in the end I was too chicken to make such a big commitment. Specifically, I was worried that 1) someone would knock it off and 2) it would start turning up everywhere. We all have those things that just drive us bonkers. For me, it’s those two things. The second thing can’t always be avoided, especially these days when everything is transmitted at warp speed but it still drives me insane.

Do you care if things in your home are seen in a lot of other homes? And how do you feel about knockoffs? Have you ever stopped yourself from getting a high priced item because you were afraid it was going to get knocked off? I’d love to know what you think so please share!

March 16, 2011

I May Have Finally Found a Dining Room Light. For Real This Time.

The first time I saw this Jean de Merry light was when I had lunch at BG Restaurant in Bergdorf Goodman in New York several years ago.

They are all flush mounted in the restaurant but it usually hangs from a chain:

I was reminded of it more recently when I saw it in the 2010 Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles’ Christmas House:

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When I saw it, I realized that it is exactly what I’ve been searching for for my dining room without even knowing it.

So I’ve been frantically researching it and I finally found it at a great local showroom called R Hughes. I went to see it yesterday and I liked it even better in person:

R Hughes, by the way, has the most exquisite things housed in a fantastic space at White Provision. If you’re local, I highly recommend a visit. Here’s just one shot of the showroom:

My only hesitation with the light is that I’m afraid I’m going to start seeing it everywhere and then I’ll start hating it. This is definitely an investment piece so I can’t be swapping it out 6 months from now!

Oh, what to do, what to do …..

(Photos: 1-2.Kelley Wearstler 3.Jean de Merry 4-5.Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles 6-7.FTRB)

March 8, 2011

Breaking the Rules: Oversized Lighting

I don’t follow rules when it comes to decorating spaces; I never have. This room is a great example of why we should do away with the one about how big a light fixture should be. You’ve seen those formulas, right? If you applied them here, this would be all wrong but look how great this room is. Proportion is important, of course, but for me, it’s something I know in my gut, not something done with mathematical formulas. What about you?

(Photo: Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles)

January 31, 2011

Dining Room Light Options, Part 2 + DIY Fail

Okay, I’ll try to make this long story as short as I can. Almost a year ago, I saw the Comet Pendant Light on Horchow:

I was in love but I was wondering whether it would give off enough light. I then saw on Janell’s blog that she had bought it so I emailed back and forth with her and decided it could work. But when I went to order it, it had disappeared from their site. I was bummed but then promptly forgot about it (ADD at work) and the search continued.

Fast forward to last week and Aimee from the Functional Space posted about chandeliers and she included the same one, only from a different source. I emailed her a bunch of questions which she was nice enough to answer and then just out of curiosity, I went back over the Horchow site and they have it again too.

Seeing this light again made me see the chandeliers I posted last week are going to be too heavy. The room definitely needs something airy and light so I did some more looking. Here are two others that are similar and could work:

Glow Lighting 16-Light Starburst.

LBL Lighting Confuzion 12-Light Chandelier. I think the arms are flexible so I could shape it into a prettier shape.

What do you all think of these? Oh, and as for my DIY pendant, as with 99% of my DIY projects, it went terribly, terribly wrong.

Exhibit A:

I told you all I don’t do DIY. (If you haven’t been following and are wondering what the hell this is, I was trying to make this pendant light.)

For what it’s worth I do know where it went wrong. I didn’t apply the Mod Podge evenly and I clearly didn’t put enough on certain spots even though I used the whole tub. I could try to salvage it but I just don’t have that kind of patience.

So that’s it for me. I’m throwing in the towel once and for all.

January 26, 2011

Chandelier Picks for the Dining Room

Well, that string pendant DIY project is not looking so good. It’s not 100% dead so stay tuned for the results.

In happier news, I think I’ve found some lights that may work in the dining room. They all come in different finishes like bronze, silver, nickel, etc. so you’ll have to imagine them in different colors.

Breck 12 Light from Arteriors is my current favorite.

Venetian 16 Light from Circa is a close second.

Reed Eight Light from Circa is nice and simple.

Double Twist Five Light from Circa is the oddball of the bunch.

What do you think?

October 27, 2010

Ochre Chandelier Revisited

Last year, this room made the rounds in the blogosphere and I instantly fell in love with the chandelier.

It’s the Arctic Pear Chandelier from Ochre:

Here’s a smaller version:

When I saw it in this amazing home in the current issue of Elle Decor, I fell in love all over again:

I’m still looking for that perfect dining room light and this could very well be it. Doesn’t it just make the room? (And how much did you love this entire loft?)

(Photos: 1-3.Ochre 4.Elle Decor)

July 26, 2010

Kitchen Eat-In Reveal

Today I’d like to show you the eat-in space of our kitchen. To make it more dramatic, let’s see what it used to look like first. As some of you may recall, this was the light that was there when we moved in:

Changing it was one of the first things I wanted to do but I couldn’t decide on one/find one that I liked. But I also couldn’t stand looking at what was there so we removed it and this is how the eat-in area has looked for the past several months.

Pretty bare. Well I finally found the light I wanted and we installed it over the weekend:

I found it at Providence, a cute local shop that I wrote about last week on Averill’s blog. The owner told me she found it in Florence. It also appeared in a photo shoot in – I think she said – Southern Living. Those aren’t the reasons I bought it but it’s always fun when there’s a story behind a piece.

It’s so nice to finally have a light over the table! I plan on getting small round bulbs for it but I had these lying around.

You may have noticed that I changed the dining table too. We bought this farmhouse table for the dining room in our house in Seattle, which was a long rectangular room. It was from a local woodworking shop there. But for some reason, it never looked quite right in that room so I ended up using it in my studio. I decided to try it here because the space is pretty large and the round table didn’t seem substantial enough for it. I think it works much better.

For new readers, here is a complete source list for everything you see:

Light: Providence
Chairs: Arne Jacobsen Series 7 from Fritz Hansen
Plates: Crate & Barrel (I don’t see this style on their site anymore.)
Pitcher/Vase: Sentou (Paris)
Napkins: Anthropologie
Purple Stalks in Vase: Whole Foods (Does anyone know what they are? They look black in the photos but they’re actually a dark violet.)

Next, I need to tidy up the office area of the kitchen and then the kitchen will finally be finished!

Did you tackle any projects over the weekend?

(Photos: From the Right Bank)

July 20, 2010

Ultimate Wish List Item: Serge Mouille Lighting

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I think most people keep wish lists for their homes. I do too but I also have another list that I call the Ultimate Wish List. The difference is that my wish list is for things I currently want whereas my ultimate list is for things that I know I want at some point that I don’t have the need/space for right now. They are also things that I’ve loved for a very long time.

First up on the list is Serge Mouille lighting. It’s a classic and as with all classics, you really can’t go wrong with it.

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It’s also a good excuse to post some of my favorite rooms again.

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It seems like whatever the topic, I can find a room in Jenna Lyons’ house to illustrate my point.

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Seriously, I’m almost embarrassed at the number of times I’ve posted some part of her house. Not too embarrassed to stop doing it though(!)

I’ll share the rest of my Ultimate Wish List in the coming weeks.

(Photos: 1.via Solid Frog 2.Marie Claire Maison 3.Elle Decor 4.Domino)

June 23, 2010

Bye Bye Boob Light & a Sneak Peek of the Office

I bought this Tord Boontje Midsummer Light a million years ago but never installed it anywhere. When we moved into this house, I knew that my office would be the perfect place for it because this is the light fixture that was in there:

Tommy, the sidekick on Sarah’s House, calls these “boob lights” and I think that’s dead on.

The weird thing is the Tord Boontje light was supposed to come with a cord but it didn’t and I couldn’t be bothered to do anything about it. It also came with a plastic cone/cover which got misplaced during the move. So I had to improvise.

So, I got this pendant at Ikea:

and had dear, sweet hubby install it. I then draped the yellow part of the light over the pendant. (The light is green and yellow but I only wanted the yellow.) And here is how it turned out:

I think it adds a nice color and texture to the room.

There’s still more to do in my office but I think it’s time for a peek.

We brought in the table that used to be in the eat-in area of the kitchen. My plan was/is to use blue or yellow chairs but for now, I paired it with the two Pantons. They make the room a lot more white than planned but I’m kind of liking that (when do I not like white?) so we’ll see about the other chairs. There’s still art to hang and the inspiration wall to finish so stay tuned for more.

June 21, 2010

Copper Pendants and My Devotion to Arne Jacobsen

You know how everyone is loving brass lately? Well, I am too but I’ve also been really attracted to Tom Dixon‘s copper pendant for a while.

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Over the weekend, I was perusing my files for rooms with copper lighting and I noticed something really interesting . . .

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All the rooms also had Arne Jacobsen chairs in them: the Egg chair above and below:

and the Swan and Series 7 chairs here:

As most of you know, I’m a chair addict and Arne Jacobsen is a big reason for that. Worship would be an understatement for what I feel for the man. I have a set of the Series 7 in my kitchen and the Egg Chair is on the top of my wishlist. (I wouldn’t mind a Swan either!) I even went to Copenhagen a few years ago, largely in part to see the SAS Hotel for which he designed everything, including his Egg and Swan chairs. (I’m not messing around here, people, my devotion is serious!)

I thought it was so interesting to see how my search for copper pendants led me to these rooms. I guess it’s safe to say the homeowners of these rooms and I have similar tastes and styles.

Speaking of which, I’m thrilled that so many people (80 so far!) have participated in the What’s Your Style in One Picture Challenge III! I hope you will too!

(Photos: 1.via Apartment Therapy 2.Tom Dixon 3.Elle Interior 4.EH&I 5.Skona Hem)

June 17, 2010

Bathroom Sconces and a Few New Pretties in the Kitchen

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I finally decided on the wall sconces for the master bath. They’re part of the Lugarno series from Restoration Hardware. We have two vanities in there so that means four scones so I wanted something really simple because I think four of anything can get to be too much. Our bathroom kind of looks like this with gray marble so I think these will work well. They’re on back order so it’ll be a few weeks before they arrive. I’ll post photos as soon as they’re installed.

RH is at the local mall and while I was there, I got a couple of pretty things for the kitchen. The tea towel is from Anthropologie. (It doesn’t seem to be on their website.) It looks like an old map with a little piece that looks hand-stitched. And you know I can’t resist anything that’s drawn by hand (or looks like it was).

Guy Wolff hand-thrown pots are on sale at RH so I grabbed one. I just love the color and details. I’m thinking about going back for more. I just put some cuttings from the garden in it for now. The pot in the back is from Ikea and look at the pretty hydrangeas from our own garden! There are a ton of blue ones out there too. You don’t know how exciting it is for ol’ black thumbs here to have things growing in my garden. It’s only because they were here long before me(!)

Thank you so much for all of your support yesterday. They still haven’t taken down my content but it seems we’re at least being heard. They have now removed their contact form and closed comments on all posts so there is no way for anyone to get in touch with them. I guess they got tired of hearing from us! I’m going to follow up with some of the readers’ suggestions and see what happens. Thank you all so much!

April 29, 2010

Lookie What I Found

So I thought I had made up my mind to get the warehouse pendants for over the island in the kitchen. But for some reason, I kept putting off ordering them and when I went out shopping yesterday and saw these vintage lights, I knew they were it!

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I’ve had images like these for quite some time:

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But I couldn’t be bothered to seek them out. So when they just appeared like that, I jumped on them!

It’s hard to tell from my photo but mine are glass like these:

with just the right amount of patina. And they’re really hefty and weigh a TON! It’s the perfect industrial touch I’ve been wanting to add to the kitchen.

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I’m getting the hubs to hang them this weekend so I should have some photos for you next week.

And while I was shopping, I saw this sweet little light and couldn’t pass it up:

I think it’ll go in the hallway or maybe the laundry room . . . So that’s one set of lights down. (Hey, only about ten more to go!)

Elsewhere, I had the pleasure of guest blogging at Apartment 34 yesterday wherein I answered the question, “What is your bliss?” My answer will come as no surprise to anyone!

(Photos: 1&5. From the Right Bank 2&3. via Cococozy 4.The Kitchn)

March 15, 2010

Starburst Chandeliers

Hi, everyone! I’m back from my whirlwind trip to Seoul – jetlagged but very inspired and ready to resume decorating the new house. One thing I really, really need to do is to get some lights. I swear one of these days I’m going to talk about something else. But not today!

It all started with this picture way back when:

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From the minute I saw this room, I was mad for that chandelier. (And while we’re at it, the whole room is pretty great.)

I tried to put it out of my mind. But I keep seeing them everywhere.

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And I don’t think I’m going to be happy until I get my hands on one (or two). Does anyone know of a good source other than 1stdibs or ebay?

(Photos: 1.Ngoc Minh Ngo 2.Sixx Design 3.via Thirteenth & South)

March 2, 2010

Orange Crush: Orange Jieldé Lamps

Welcome to this month’s edition of Orange Crush brought to you by From the Right Bank and Down and Out Chic. Today, I thought I’d combine my love of orange with my love of Jieldé Lamps. I love these classic lights for their amazing quality and industrial good looks.

They come in an array of great colors but I especially love them in orange!

I think this one might actually be red but let’s just go with it:

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And see it peeking out from the corner here:

How gorgeous is this room, by the way?

Don’t forget to visit Down and Out Chic today for orange wardrobe ideas for spring. And as always, if you have any requests or suggestions for this series, please let us know.

(Photos: 1.Martha Stewart 2.Skona Hem 3.Popwuping 4.Hus & Hem 5.Lili Diallo)

February 8, 2010

Bare Beauties (Light Bulbs, That Is)

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I think I have looked at a thousand light fixtures of every possible style in the past month and I began noticing (and loving) bare light bulbs more and more.

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I think they really work well in large clusters:

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Daniella wrote about this recently and included this beautiful photo:

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and we had both seen this gorgeousness that nkp posted from the New York Times:

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So I did a little research and came across these from Muuto:

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and this classic from Rejuvenation:

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with a single Edison bulb – what could be simpler or lovelier?

(Photos: 1.Morten Holtum 2.via Desire to Inspire 3.National Post)

February 5, 2010

Candidates for Kitchen Pendants

I want to replace the two pendant lights over the kitchen island as part of my lighting overhaul and I think I’ve narrowed down the choices to two styles.

First is something classic but industrial like these:

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The second option (and on the complete other side of the spectrum of course), something frilly and fancy like these:

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and these from the kitchen I’ve posted before:

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I like these two styles because I need to go with a style that I can carry on into all the areas that the kitchen opens onto: the the eat-in area, the family room and the wet bar. (All these spaces need lighting too!)

In either case, they will be white because I think that’s what would look best with the colors of the cabinets, counters, and furniture, etc. We’re far from a decision but at least we’re getting closer, right?

(Photos: 1-2.via Head over Heels 3.Design Sponge 4-5.Domino 6.House & Garden)

January 20, 2010

Lighting Overload

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My mom and I went to look at lighting today and came home with nothing.

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I need/want to replace:

the wall sconces in the kitchen, hallway, master bathroom, and over the family room fireplace;
the pendant lights in the kitchen;
the chandelier in the master bath and the eat-in area of the kitchen; and
the ceiling lights in the guest rooms, my closet and my studio.

That adds up to a whole lotta lights!!!

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As usual, I’m all over the place as to what I want and I’m totally overwhelmed with the choices – except in the case of wall sconces. Why are nice wall sconces so hard to find? These are some I like:

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Ideas? Suggestions? In case you missed it, you can see other light fixtures that have caught my eye recently here and here.

(Photos: 1-2.Hudson International 3-5.Form Plus Function)

October 23, 2009

Pretty Lights

So I’m looking around for a light fixture to replace my Murano. (I swear I’m over it, not that you’d know it by the way I’ve been going on about it.) However, it did occur to me that I never showed you the what it looked like after it fell:

Imagine a thousand more glass pieces and that was pretty much what it looked like.

So anyway, here are some lights that have caught my eye as of late:

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I asked about these before and one of my savvy readers tipped me off to to the source:

And finally this one:

from this show:

Off the topic but have you all seen this show? It is so clever and hysterically funny that I dare say it may be the best sit com since Arrested Development.

Anyway, on this week’s episode, this light fixture just jumped out at me. Isn’t it just bodacious? This is the kitchen of Ed O’Neill (Al Bundy) and Sofia Vergara (from the short-lived and also hysterical Knights of Prosperity) and their entire house is kind of fabulous. (I swear ABC isn’t paying me.) Okay, so if anyone recognizes the light fixture, please let me know.

Even further off the topic: I’m also loving Glee.

Have a great weekend, everyone. See you Monday when I’ll be having my first giveaway!

(Photos: 1. Ally 2.Murano Imports 3.Lonny 4.via Desire to Inspire 5.W Hotel 6&7.ABC)

September 18, 2009

Black Chandeliers

My love for chandeliers is not a big secret, nor is my penchant for black. So it’s only logical that I’m madly in love with these beauties:

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And to me, the mother of all black chandeliers is this one at Maison de Baccarat which I wrote about before:

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Off the topic but if you go to Paris you must go to the Maison de Baccarat and eat in the Cristal Room. It’s unreal how gorgeous it is. (The food isn’t half bad either.)

Have a lovely weekend, everyone! See you Monday.

(Photos: 1.Barovier&Toso 2.Elle Decor 3&4.Domino 5.Baccarat)

July 8, 2009

Mini Twiggy?

Is that a mini Twiggy I see? I got all excited when I saw this but then I did a little research. It is a small version of my coveted floor lamp but unfortunately it doesn’t come at a mini price. At close to $700, it makes the floor lamp at $2000 seem not so bad. Am I right?

(Photo: Livingetc.)

June 16, 2009

Twiggy (The Lamp, Not The Model)

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Apparently it’s lamp day here at From the Right Bank. I first saw the Twiggy Floor Lamp a few months ago and instantly fell in love. But I moved along because I need another lamp like I need another pair of shoes which, if you haven’t seen my closet, is to say not at all. But it keeps popping up everywhere, taunting me.

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