I have a drawer specifically dedicated to housing partnerless socks, which would be a brilliant idea if I were ever able to reunite any of them with their partners. I have never once found a partner. I have a beige, wooly sock that matches a beige wooly sweater I own, that has sat, partnerless in that tomb of a single sock drawer for 5 years.
Yet I keep them all with the kind of unfailing hope normally reserved for fad diets.
Other stuff? Useful stuff? Yeah, I just chuck that. The one and only key to open the bars on my basement window? Chucked it. The instruction manual for my very complicated tomato press? Chucked it. The Prada skirt I got for $20 at a second hand store? Chuckeroo. I have no idea why, but it must have seemed like a good idea at the time. Maybe I'm sleep chucker.
Which brings me to my dining room light, the Draper light from Crate and Barrel. I bought it on sale online a few years ago and really liked the bit of mid century modern it brought to my front hall. Then this past year I did a bit of rearranging in my house and I replaced the Draper lamp in my front hall with an empire chandelier that I got from Kijij (Canada's better answer to Craiglist) for $100. I had to do this to because I didn't want a mid century lamp over my new mid century Tulip table. Too much mid century.
It was all going to work out fine because I could just hang the Draper lamp in my library/dining room. The light has kind of a library feel to it so I was confident it would look good.
And it probably would have looked good ....
... had I not chucked the extension bars for it. The pieces of brass rod that let you drop the light lower. Yeah, I chucked them. I don't know why but I did it. I guess I figured that once it was installed in the foyer I was never going to move it and was never going to need them. But I did and I do.
After a bit of consideration I also decided that maybe I just didn't like the light that much. I could have searched around to find extension bars that matched the same burnished brass colour as the light or I could have bought some and painted them to match but that's a pain for something I'm not completely in love with. Like, I'd go to the ends earth to fix something (anything) for Idris Elba or even Jeff Goldblum. Definitely Anthony Bourdain or Adam Driver. But for say, Brad Pitt - yeah, he's O.K. - but he's not worth the work.
Neither is the Draper lamp.
As it turns out the Draper lamp is going to end up in the sock drawer.
Which means I now have to pick out a pendant light for the dining room. I did a bit of browsing just to see what styles I liked and came up with a few. The one I really love is the Lindsey Adelman type branch lights but I'm worried in a few years I'll look back on it and think, "Oh look! The Chevron of lighting fixtures!".
I really do love it though.
Here are a few of the looks I'm considering, including that Lindsey Adelman knock off.
- Candle style chandelier.
- Geometric Gold sculpture chandelier.
- Lindsey Adelman (branching) knock off chandelier gold.
- Lindsey Adelman (branching) knock off chandelier black.
- George Nelson Bubble light.
- Globe light that I can no longer find anywhere on the Internet, lol. Oy.
The first light, the sort of medieval looking candle style chandelier is nice and I really like the style but it's a bit too ... wrong. I'm not sure why but I think it's partly because it's very busy with all the chains and links in the chains and 7,000 bulbs. It's just too much with all the books in the bookcases. It also doesn't look solid enough, it's too wispy.
Now this light I LOVE. I love it with all of my heart and a sliver of my appendix. It's a big, solid looking sculpture made from metal that lights up the room. What's not to love? At $1,369 it's a bit of a budget eater, but since I did the entire room myself and I do EVERYTHING myself, I'd almost consider it. I'd at least consider saving for it.
What's selling me on it is I haven't seen it anywhere else before. Also, to get over the sticker shock I'm considering it a piece of art and any piece of art is going to cost $1,000. This one just happens to hang from the ceiling and light up.
And the Lindsey Edelman branching light. I'm sure you've seen these lights before. They're everywhere now and for a much lower price than Lindsey's. She came up with this design and deserves any and ALL credit for it. Her designs are the Haute Couture of the lighting world and most of her lights cost in the tens of thousands of dollars.
Just look at this from her Cherry Bomb collection.
Yeah. She knows what she's doing that Lindsey Edelman. Her branching light kind of disappears in this photo of my dining room but I think in real life it would show up beautifully.
Genius woman that she is, she offers a DIY version of her iconic branching light for $200 US, which I would have bought years ago if I thought it would be big enough for my dining room table. She only recently added dimensions and photographs on her website so now I know it probably would be big enough.
It's a contender.
I have a hunch I should maybe be looking at more black options though. Black might be a better choice.
I've wanted a George Nelson Bubble light since I moved into this house. In fact I wanted one so much and talked about it so often that a designer friend of mine, Carol Reed (who e-designed my kitchen), believed that I had one. I do not. But if I did, this is what it would look like.
These globe type branching lights are another Lindsey Edelman inspired lighting option. If not for the fact that I found the light online and then promptly forgot where I found it. I thought it was Wayfair but if it was it isn't on there anymore.
That's O.K. It's no Anthony Bourdain.
I'm leaning towards the DIY Lindsay Edelman I think because, that's what I do. I do things. Stuff, I do stuff. But honestly, I wish I wasn't quite so compelled to do everything. If I weren't so compelled I would just buy the Lindsay Edelman knock off for almost the same price and spend the time I saved not making it to do other more useful stuff.
Like hacksaw the bars off of my basement window.
Update! I went with the white George Nelson Bubble light. You can see how it looks in real life here. :)
Lynne from Design The Life You Want To Live
I think you should come to the treehouse... sit... and just contemplate light and life. ha :) Sounds like a great solution to me! PS. the squirrels may even weigh in on your decision making.
PS. You could hang a paper bag from the ceiling and it would still look great because, hey... THOSE BOOKSHELVES... hello gorgeous.
Kathryn
I think all of these are cool in their own way. But I'm gonna go with the simplest design in your awesome dining room /library. The bubble light. The others seem to get lost in the background of the library.
Susan Claire
I like the bubble, but my first consideration would be just exactly how much light am I getting? I wouldn't want to blind anybody, but 25 watts isn't going to cut it. Second choice would be #2-I would love to have an alien wasp's nest hanging over the dining room table.
Teri
Ah, to have electrical service that would allow a chandelier - my century home doesn't even have OUTLETS in the 'ahem' dining area. it does, however, have a lot of clutter. Every light switch is different - some are bakelite and switch HARD, some are 70's replacements and switch soft, and I have a grand total of ONE 3-way switch in the entire place (and 100 Amp service). I think prior to ME getting a fancy-dancy hanging light, I should remove 2/3 of the clutter in the house, and upgrade the electrical..... But I love your photoshopping and sharing. not actually a fan of hanging lights, I have a friend who is 6'6" and when we built the great-room in my younger-old house, my poor designer was having conniptions as I made her hang the dangly pretty lights 2 feet higher than one would normally do - but I knew if we pulled the tables out of the way for a partay, my friend would break the lights.... ;-) Pick what you want, Karen, and indulge yourself.
Kirsten
I like the branch and I think it would look nice..... but that gold one is a knockout!!! It looks the best in the pictures. My husband teases me for this but my motto is " if I want it, I must need it" No this does not imply that I own mink coats, fabulous jewelry, or a Porsche. My wants/needs are not very extravagant, except maybe for the chandelier that I splurged on 5 years ago. Every time someone compliments me on it I beam and say " thankyou this room really needed it"
Heather J Tebbutt
When you look at the whole picture, #5 or #6 suit the room because of the curves which you have in your chairs. Love the Cherry Bomb branching light...a true work of art!
Linda J Howes
I like the one you can't find anymore. For me, it's Richard Dreyfuss. I once followed a guy around Canadian Tire just to hear his voice, he sounded just like Richard Dreyfuss. I learned that he taught at the local college. I wanted to go to school and take his course just so I could hear that voice, that laugh, ... sigh.
Miriam
#2 is amazing!
I know it's expensive but think of all the money you've saved by doing things yourself.
If I were buying it, I'd have to pay someone to instal it, about $200 I'd say.
And it definitely is a piece of art.
Ev Wilcox
Gold w white globes! The black ones will suck up the light (and show dust overnight!). BTW-thanks for The Times article. I managed to copy it and it now resides in my document file. Well done, and the photos were very good. Don't get too famous-we'll all miss you so much!
Karen
#1. Too castle. #2. Perfection. #3. Eh (that little sound like nah) #4. Great (because it's got that bit of black every room needs) #5. Too ikea. #6. You'll have a lovely piece of art. Just no light.
Cathy Reeves
#2,/#5. The stick ones seem too stick-y, too wispy. The white one disappeared in your photo. I like the impact of #2 and the color. #5 was made for your dining room. It shouldn't live in anyone else's home. The black bubble thing reminds me of something viscous that dripped from your ceiling and became suspended mid air.
Gotta go, it's Orphan Sock Day. Last one yielded 3 reunited pairs....woo-hoo!!
Leslie
Karen, you HAVE to go with option number two. Agreed it's a budget eater but if you love it, you won't regret it. I had the same dilemma a few years back when deciding on a kitchen light and after thinking it over for a full year, I finally made the purchase. One of the best decisions I ever made - I still love it now and people always comment on how striking it is. Treat yourself - you deserve it :)
Lynda0
Bubble👌🏻💯
Allison
Please do the gold geometric. It really is a work of art. My second place vote goes to the George Nelson, but that geometric one is just so gorgeous.
Lesley Brisco
I'm going crazy trying to work out what the thing is under The Cherry bomb collection is!?
Can someone help me out? Is it a photo, a painting, a mirror? Karen, please help an OCD reader!
Melissa
Maybe a piece of brass furniture - a demi-lune?
Catherine
Bubble here too. I've always wanted one. Also I find nekkid bulbs too bright so I like shades/diffusers on pendant lights. But that's just me!
Sherry in Alaska
Oops.
Buy it!
Sherry in Alaska
Yeah, I'm voting for the George Nelson Bubble. I just love it. Soft even glow around the room. Which, remembering how you like to use dimmers, will be easy to amp up or down. And I think it's a way better choice for a library/dining room than the harsher light of exposed bulb pinpoints.
Yup. Believe me, it's the right light someone sophisticated enough to be in The New York Times. But it.
Margaret K.
Interesting set of choices. Not sure that 2, 3, and 4 would actually work well as dining table lighting, though. Fine as hanging artwork, but as table lighting?
Jennifer
That Vermont something Cumulus light is ON SALE for $1050.00!!! I vote for that one. I love it too, but I'm not remodeling anything yet. I think it would look amazing in your room for years.