Tuesday, December 11, 2007

Fixtures fun

We're finally at the point where we can shop for fun stuff like hardware and lighting-- we decided to get rid of most of the ceiling fans (we'll be installing an attic fan soon) so that means buying a lot of new fixtures. I love to shop! This was a great opportunity (read: excuse) to bargain hunt and buy pretty things. I'm finding, however, that in terms of new ceiling lights, we have basically 2 choices at our local big box stores: lights that look like nipples...Or lights that look like we just yanked them out of an outdated apartment complex...


So we could get the inspection out of the way, we went with the latter option. They were $4.97. Also, I am hopelessly immature and I giggle like Beavis and Butthead every time I see one of the boob lights in the store. I was afraid I'd do the same thing at home. And while laughter is the best medicine or whatever, I decided I need to have at least a modicum of control over my giggling.

Anyway, I'm now starting to hit up my internet options...

We do have one original period fixture in the living room:

It's a little (ok, a lot) on the dirty side in this pic, but when clean, it's a yellowy pink and it has grown on me tremendously. I kind of love it.

We've also picked out and purchased a chandelier for the dining room:

The dining room is connected to the living room by a very wide open doorway, adn I wanted the two fixtures to get along, visually speaking. Obviously, they don't really come from the same place, but I think they can live together relatively harmoniously. And it was on clearance.

Now I need to find a fixture for the office and I'll be happy. I can live with what's in the bedrooms and bathroom for the time being-- they're not so much public spaces, so I don't feel the need to have them done first. The office is separated by double French doors, so it's lighting is also visible from the living room, and I'd like these two fixtures to be similarish as well...I'm looking at something like these:












I think the one on the left is maybe too heavy for an office and the one on the right, perhaps a bit too modern-- or too "modern imitating art nouveau"...? Dunno. I feel like I'm getting warmer, anyway. And something like this for the porch...
No need for anything to be matchy-matchy, or so similar that the house becomes Arts & Crafts or Art Deco themed or something. Just not completely out of character.

Time to hit up eBay and see if I can find anything that doesn't look like a boob or cost an arm and a leg!

3 comments:

Jennifer said...

I always think the same thing about our "boob" light in the living room. You are right to avoid them.. I can't NOT laugh at it, even after a few years!!

Karen C said...

Hey, we have the outdated-apartment light in our bedroom!

I can't remember what the earlier one looked like, other than it was the same type of light. We had to replace it when... I am not making this up... our greyhound broke it. As near as we can figure, she was standing on the bed tossing one of my husband's heavy slippers up in the air, and it hit the fixture. All we know for sure is we came home to a bed covered in broken glass with a slipper in the middle of it, and a very sheepish (yet amazingly uninjured!) grey.

Amalie said...

Consider me lucky! I love it, too, Dawn. Ours has had the base changed at some point, though-- I found one exactly like it on ebay, except the base was cut glass, and I want to say there was another hobnail cap...? I thought it was the only original fixture in the house, but I've since uncovered a couple of milk-glass shades and ceiling mount bases with only 2 wires, so I think these may also be original-- or at least very, very old. I'm considering rewiring them and finding a home somewhere...