Light up my Life

So here's the thing about lighting.  I never noticed it until I owned a home.  Not that I didn't think some lamps were more stylish than others (I was particularly attached to the large stained-glass fruit bowl chandelier than hung in the kitchen when I was growing up), but I never really considered it as an important design element.

Until I moved into The House of Brass.  Every opportunity they had, these people threw up a shiny brass fixture.  It was blinding.  So...I went to the local home improvement store and looked for a reasonably priced (under $50), reasonable stylish light fixture.  What I found was this:

The dreaded boob light.  It comes in every finish imaginable, and is often priced under $20.  It is just wrong.  So, so very wrong... so what to do?  I need a thrifty fixture.  I hate it when I watch a home improvement show and they show a 'bargain' light fixture for $250.  It's like reading a magazine and seeing the 'cheap and chic' clothes.  Everything is under $100! Hmmm....every piece is under $100.  Show me an entire outfit for that price and then we can talk.  But I digress. Back to lighting.

This is better - kind of a nautical-lighthouse vibe.  What I don't like is that it is still boob-like, and the bulb is visible. Until the local hardware store starts selling aesthetically pleasing CFL or LED bulbs, I need to keep my fixture parts covered.  Clear shades with a big 'ol corkscrew CFL kind of set my teeth on edge.  And while edison bulbs are lovely...I just imagine my meter spinning like a top when I turn them on.

Ok.   I do truly love this one, even though it appears a bit exteriorish.  And a bit pricey, as its from the Pottery Barn.  Maybe on sale?  

A bit better - no boob light in sight, and the shade color is 'opal' which leads me to believe that lit, it would cast a warm, pearly glow.  But the clips bother me.  It looks like a claw or some kind of 3-legged spider is clutching the shade from above.  Every time I walked down the hallway, I'd be afraid it would attack me with its other three legs.

No boobs, no spiders...and sparkles!  I love this...it is a flushmount the aspires to be a chandelier.  It is a bit Downton Abbey-ish for our little brown ranch-in-the-woods, but what can I say...I'm a sucker for sparkle.   And, oddly enough, I don't mind the brass.  It doesn't appear too 1986-shiny in this picture.  I still have the visible bulb issue, though.

This is similar to what we have now.  Functional, no lady parts, no visible bulbs.  Utilitarian.  Boring.  Ugh.

Back on track!  I love the craftsman looks, the marbled shade, the bronze details...but it may be a little much for our tiny hallway...

Aaaand we have a winner!  A little much at over $80, but it fits all my criteria...and it has a slight Deco feel to it.  Plus I love the color of the shade - I feel as though it would make the whole hall warm and glowy, which is especially important on cold mornings in Maine!



sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 
6,  7