Lighting plays a critical role in interior design. I was really excited about the lighting choices for this house. In keeping with our Contemporary Cottage style, we wanted something a little bit different than your typical fixtures. It took a lot of shopping, but we found some great selections, that really set the house off right.
The piece d'resistance - the Dining Room chandelier. I bought this months ago and had it waiting in the basement. It was the last fixture Steve Michael from Elldee Electrical put up.....and definitely worth the wait. With all the white paneling in the dining room, I wanted something dramatic over the table. What do you think? I love it!!!
And to compliment it, we installed this cool industrial style cage light in the foyer. It has an 'Edison bulb', which lets you see the filament and provides a soft glow when you come in the front door.
We used 4 different levels of light in the kitchen. The first is recessed lighting to provide general illumination. Next we have these beehive pendants, to provide light over the peninsula. Third, we installed under cabinet lights to provide task lighting while cooking (of course the vent hood provides halogen illumination over the cooktop). Finally, we installed a LED fixture inside the glass cabinets, providing a nice focal point for the hutch, without creating a lot of heat in the cabinet.
And for the other two bedrooms, we cleaned up the original fixtures that were there and reinstalled them. I love the embossed tulips that are on the edges of each glass shade.
For the exterior, we added new lighting as well. The craftsman inspired light fixture over the front porch casts a welcoming beacon as guests arrive.
And this barn light over the garage is the perfect accent! But we also included a motion detector flood light that will come on when a car pulls up in the driveway. That provides additional safety for the homeowner.
Now that daylight savings time is over, these lights will really come in handy. It gets dark early in Maine :-)
Sources:
Dining Room - Ballard Designs
Kitchen Pendants - Home Decorators' Collection
Foyer Light - Restoration Hardware
Master Bedroom - Roth & Allen (Lowes Online)
Front Porch Light & Barn Light - Restoration Hardware
Love all the lights! May I ask what you chose to go with under your cabinets?
ReplyDeleteUnder the cabinets, we had hard wired fixtures with hi/lo settings. Inside the cabinet, the guys put a LED light. It's a good choice because 1) it doesn't put out much heat, which is good inside a cabinet and 2) it lasts forever without a new bulb!
DeleteThanks for your reply Laurel, I have hard-wired fluorescents under my cabinets (came with the house) but I have many issues with them these days. I see they have LED, xenon, and so many choices now. hi/lo settings is exactly what I need. Love your LED choice in the cabinets! Love your blog!!!!
DeleteI LOVEEE the dining room chandelier you chose. I saw a very similar one the other day and thought it was gorgeous. Also, the motion detecting light is such a smart choice!
ReplyDeleteThanks! It certainly makes a statement!!
Delete