After ohhhh about a decade or so I finally bought a permanent light fixture for my dining room. I tried to talk myself out of this particular light for the past 10 years. I ended up buying it anyway. The George Nelson Bubble Light. Behold.
This has been a rock solid few weeks of getting stuff done that I've wanted to do for a decade. Got rid of the ugly curtains, made the world's most perfect window treatment, interior shutters, bought and hung my new dining room light AND cleaned my cats' water bowl.
So why did I spend a decade trying to talk myself out of this masterpiece of a light? It's perfect in my dining room. Idris Elba positioned over the dining room table wouldn't be more perfect than this George Nelson Bubble lamp. Yet, for an entire decade I avoided it.
The George Nelson Bubble Light
We've seen this bubble lamp over and over and over and over and over again. Maybe not quite as much as the Eames Lounge chair or, for a time, sweatpants with the word "Juicy" on the bum, but we've seen it a lot. That was part of my opposition to this light. It was everywhere.
Yet. I kept thinking about it. And every time I did I'd do an eyeroll and tell myself to get an original thought in my head. Maybe a group of stuffed monkeys hugging, with lightbulbs in their mouths could work. You could pull one of their tails to turn it on and off.
I kept thinking.
Last year I went through a collection of possibilities in this post on dining room lighting options, all of which I loved but only one was right for my dining room and I knew it. Yet I still didn't buy it.
In that post there were a couple of light fixtures I liked better than this bubble lamp but I also knew they wouldn't look as good in my room as this one does. The multi-faceted gold one still haunts my dreams.
So why does this George Nelson Bubble Lamp work? It's the right balance. By that I mean the size is good compared to the table, the chairs and the room. The shape is also good. Everything in the room is square except the chairs. The round light mimics the roundness of the Panton chairs and their colour too.
The lines running up and down the bubble lamp mimic the lines in the shutters and lines of the bookcases. Plus it gives the light texture. When you decorate with white you have to pay a LOT of attention to bringing in texture. That's why the white brick wall works so well. It adds a texture to the wall that wouldn't be there if it were just plain drywall.
The light is also the perfect contrast to the ornately framed oil panting. You know ... Margaret. Margaret commands attention so the light had to be able to play nice with her. Maggie can be a bit bossy.
The other thing I love about this light is the fact that there are no exposed bulbs. Exposed bulbs glare. They can never produce a soft light. So a chandelier, like the one I have in my foyer, will add sparkle and a lot of light, but it will never create a delicate glow. The bubble lamp, even when the dimmer is turned right up, is never harsh. It just bathes the room in light.
Very much the same way Idris Elba would. Although I suspect turning Idris on every time I walked into the room would be more involved. And of course his exposed bulbs wouldn't be problematic.
As it turns out, I probably should have just bought this light a decade ago. The lesson in this for me, and for you, is if you love something just let yourself love it. Just because a lot of other people love it too doesn't diminish how nice it is. Don't shy away from something just because it's popular. Or just because it isn't popular. It's your house, your life and you should fill it with things that make you happy.
Just maybe not things that could lead to kidnapping charges.
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Marna
Looks great in your room!
Karen
Thx! I'm pretty darn happy with it. ~ karen!
Kelli
Panton chairs? Nelson bubble lamp? White laquer sideboard? Chunky acrylic coffee table? Silver side table?
Jealous? Who, me?
Oh nooo. Nah. Uh uh. Nope, nope nope. Not me. No sirree Bob. Not one little whit.
OK...well... 🙄
Maybe ONE whit. One really BIG whit. But that's all. Really. I'm fine. You just go on with your bad self, all fancified and everythang, you darn talented DIYer, you. You'll have to excuse me while I try to go scrub this green film off my skin... 💚💚💚
*have wanted one of those bubble lamps for like, decades, it seems*
Karen
I'm guessing you should get a bubble lamp. ;) ~ karen!
Janet
The light, it’s most definately you. As far as waiting a decade, well, better late than never. Thank you for the inspiration. It’s so good to hear someone say, if you love it, love it. Surround yourself with what makes you happy....I think I will.
Mary
Well done, George and Margaret are a great couple.
Loreen
I spy with my little eye, something that is green. A Lee Valley Gardeners Journal, have looked at that for 10 years and wondered if it would work for me. Your light purchase is inspiring me.
Ritz
Bulbs do be that way sometimes.
SusanR
Perfect.
Brenna
I made do with that ubiquitous artichoke lamp knockoff from IKEA for a few years until the dust drove me nuts (they’re impossible to keep clean) and then finally settled on the propeller Nelson lamp for something a little different. I’ve been super happy with my purchase. Great soft light. Adds a touch of class to any room. If anyone is on the fence, find the right size for your room and do it! Very simple to install also.
Brenna
Oops! Forget the photo...
Karen
Nice! And I had that Ikea lamp too. In fact, I still do, lol. I just keep moving it around the house. It went from the foyer to the dining room and now it's in my stairwell. It's cheap and a knockoff, but still pretty great. ~ karen!
Eileen
Beautiful choice.
Roxanne Scott
Love it, I'm so glad it is the one you chose.... The others are just not right!
Mia
Yes it is rather sculptural in daylight, but what about an evening picture? Please?
Alena
Probably not what I would have picked but it looks good there. I am glad you went for it. After all, life is too short to live with what we don't like.
Although I have always like Lindsey Edelman's creation, I can't live with bulbs in clear glass. Just too jarring for my eyes.
As soon as I win the lottery (and buy new digs with 10 or 11 ft ceilings, I will spring for either the Grande Vertigo or the Serge Mouille's light that looks like an insect on steroids. Or maybe both - why not?
I am feeling somewhat accomplished too, although on a much smaller scale. I decided to keep a painting (read: a HomeSense reproduction) that is HUGE and bold and the potential that I will tire of it quickly. It measures precisely 3' x 4' feet and I found out the only place where I can actually hang is my foyer (1.5 storey in a raised bungalow) because all the rooms have low ceilings and it just does not look right there. And I hung it on my own despite the fact that I have only a two-step stepstool and it had to be hung at almost 3 meters off the floor.
I also created my first kokedama yesterday - it was a very messy job and I ended up with moss behind my ears (I made the discovery that it would have gone much easier if I had multiple sets of arms like an Indian deity).
Jackie
I love your light. It goes perfect in your room. Sometimes you just have to give in & get what you know is right for you & what you love.
j
LOVE that light! LOVE!!
Trish
I too covet the bubble light, and well, Idris Alba.
Curious to know where you got the light from?
jaine kunst
I went back to your previous post on the different fixtures you were considering and you did choose the perfect one! Everything else just seemed a bit too busy and this one just puts the finishing touch on the room. Karen, seriously you need to work on the "waiting for 10 years" thing. Listen to your gut.
TONI
YOU KNOW, THINGS HAPPEN FOR A REASON. YOU DIDN'T GET THE LIGHT BECAUSE IN THE END IT WOULD HAVE LOOKED DIFFERENT WITH ALL THE "BEFORE" STUFF IN THE DINING ROOM ! RIGHT NOW, RIGHT HERE, IN THIS TIME & PLACE ..... PERFECTION !
Laura
Just think how many people love Idris Elba.
Genevieve Letkeman
Right on. I like the message. The internet is a great place for inspiration, but its good to still have our own sense of style. And on the other hand if we happen to like something that a dozen other people have in their living rooms too, well who cares?!
susan
Love the light- and your explanation of the shielding of the glare (gotta be scientific and all that) but still can't love the chairs.