So I hate pot lights.
Much like my hatred of fingerless gloves there's really no explanation for it. I just do.
It should therefore not surprise you that I am getting pot lights.
I have to. The kitchen is incredibly dark and the only light in it is supplied from a single light hanging over my countertop. A crystal chandelier.
Because of the diminutive size of my kitchen, I don't feel like I can have pendant lights hanging everywhere which leaves me with ceiling huggers or pot lights.
I went with fingerless gloves. I mean pot lights.
I love my old chandelier, but if I'm redoing my kitchen I want to redo my kitchen. So the chandelier is coming down and will be relocated somewhere else. Also, a crystal chandelier isn't the most appropriate lighting choice for a kitchen that's constantly being cooked in. I bet if I scraped my chandelier at this very moment I'd have enough grease on it to whip up a batch of corn fritters. At the very least I could keep a small McDonalds franchise running for about for a week and a half.
Which means I get to pick out one single pendant light to replace the chandelier that's coming down. I, of course, have a budget. But since I'm only getting one light and am not deducting the cost of pot lights from my budget because I don't really want them and they aren't considered satisfying ... I can splurge a tiny little bit on my pendant light.
I started off my search on the Home Depot website because I figured it would be the cheapest. Shockingly it had a lot of great options. Sorry Home Depot ... don't mean to be insulting. But this is the era of Pottery Barn and Restoration Hardware. Sometimes it takes a bit of reminding that you can get similar looks from big box stores.
Granted, I also found some great stuff from places like West Elm, Crate & Barrel and School House Electric.
Behold my favourites ...
4. Polished brass and White Glass globe
9. Oil Rubbed Bronze with gold interior
Last night I ordered one of those lights. If you guessed choice # 8, you're wrong.
I ordered the Hammered Brass Pendant from Crate & Barrel. The round one.
If I could have afforded it I would have ordered this entire cluster. But I couldn't. The cost of the single pendant lamp to be shipped from Crate & Barrel in the States was $300. That includes something called "Border Free" shipping, which means there aren't any surprises. The duty, taxes, shipping etc. are all included in the cost. So you aren't sitting in your little Canadian house wondering how badly you're going to get randomly screwed when what you ordered shows up. I'm talking to you "Broker Fees".
I love this light. And clearly if I ever lose interest in it in the kitchen, it also looks good in a living room. A Crate & Barrel living room anyway.
Part of the reason I went with this particular light is because, (even though I haven't told you this yet) the look I'm going for in my kitchen is a sort of modern Scandinavian Farmhouse. I may have made that term up. Basically a lot of white and natural wood. There will be a mix of clean, modern pieces and rustic pine. The rustic I have covered. So for my lighting I knew even thought I love the barn lights, I needed something more clean and modern to create the look I was going for.
That's my first little design lesson by the way. Being open to options is important but so is staying true to your original vision. So if you can't decide on what to buy when you love a few different things, ask yourself what works best with your original vision.
Unless your original vision involves pot lights and fingerless gloves. Then it's time to rethink your vision.
jenny
Nice lighting! Off topic, the green social media tab on the mobile site is very annoying. It does not go away, follows you down the whole post and is currently covering a portion of the combox. Excuse typos I can't see them!
Amie Mason
Ha! I though your would pick that one. Nice choice. I can't wait to see the 'Scandi-farmhouse' look.
Grammy
Excellent choice! I was vacillating between #7 and #3. It's fun getting to watch you build your beautiful kitchen.
rktrixy
Um... Out of his way that is. I would say out of his hair, but poor dad had none!
rktrixy
Back to the ceiling acne, I mean pot lights. Some are better than others. Placement is the key - where the light washes is more important than whether the light is centered on the ceiling or what have you. And when you are looking what is lit, you are not looking at the lights.
The fixture is gorgeous! Were you able to find any fixtures that went up and down like old style pendant lights did? I always loved that feature as a kid. Mom loved it if she was working on a project, she could raise the light to get it out of my much taller dad.
Karen
I had one in this kitchen for a long time actually! ~ karen
shuckclod
I thought of 3 for you, good guess. I would love #6. Lucky you to not have to consult with another on your choices. My DH does not care, whatever I want :) .
Christy
Modern Scandinavian farmhouse, yep, I understand you completely. The My Scandinavian Home blog is quite nice that someone already mentioned. There are kitchens showcased in the blog that fit your creative vision, although I think your finished design will have more rustic charm injected into it. Those are the exciting bits that make a room sing. Oh and smart choice on the accent light if you ask me.
Barbie
Yeah, every once in a while I get the e-mail that you've posted and I get to read it at night...puts me ahead of the game in the morning! Your on my list of first things I do each morning with my coffee.... :)
Barbie
Funny! My first guess was #7!! Can't wait to see how it all turns out!
Karen
You're commenting at a very strange time for you Barbie! LOL. ~ karen
Pat Kichinko
I am sooooooooooooo happy you did NOT go with #6! I've seen it in every horror/Concentration Camp/creepy serial killer lair-movie. EEK!
Debbie
You had me pegged - I picked #8. It looked turquoise/teal to me and I am all things turquoise/teal! I also thought the pop of color would be fun. However, your choice fits well with modern Scandinavian Farmhouse look.
My initial thought was also, hmm, how would it be to clean each of these. I have a cousin who has a #5 in her kitchen and every time we visit, I surreptitiously clean it as I can't take the dust and grease. Shh, don't tell her. I don't think she notices.
I love your chandelier. In our family, we play pass the chandeliers. Our bedroom has the dining room chandelier from one sister-in-law's new house. The kitchen chandelier from our new house is in the dining room of the other sister-in-law's house. (Yeah, two of us moved at about the same time.)
I enjoy following the kitchen renovation!
Sandy
Love the fixture,can't wait to see the end result. Not that my opinion really mayter, but I hate the new green link thing on the mobile site. Sits right in the middle of the screen, hard to see the photos.
Karen
Thanks for the input Sandy. I'm not really sure what you're talking about but I"ll have a look. I did install a couple of new plugins but haven't seen how they work on mobile. I'll go look now. ~karen
Karen
O.K. I see it. It only shows up when my site is in "Mobile" theme mode. Not in regular mode. So if you go down to the bottom of the page and click where it says Mobile theme to off, it won't show up. In the meantime I'll see if there's anything I can do on my end to make it less weird. ~ karen!
Shirley
It's in the middle left of my iPad page too and there's no way I can see to get rid of it. Almost as annoying as those occasional pop-up ads at the bottom of the page that have no X in the corner so I can delete them. Sorry to be a grump so early in the morning! :)
Kat
#7 was my pick love the strange cage thing!
Cookie
My choice exactly. Easiest to clean are numbers 3, 5 and 9 for my practical side, and I like white. I redid my kitchen in all white. But I would have choked ion the price! I too, tried to avoid can lights but ended up with a ceiling full of them, with daylight CFL bulbs, for maximum light. From outside the blue glow looks like the Martians have landed in here.
Karen
You (and I) have to sort of pick and choose what you spend and save money on. My floor ... obviously a huge money saver what with the entire thing costing less than than the pendant lamp, LOL. ~ karen!
Chris
Kitchen is going to look great. There is person on Pinterest called My Scandinavian Home Blog. She has a page for kitchen, and it has your style written all over it! You should check it out.
Shauna
I love your choice. If "the devil's in the details," the designers got them right: the texture, shine, and glimpse of brass are beautiful!
Laura
Oh that was one of my favorites from your selection!
Susan Dulley
Love the fixture....I was honestly leaning toward #2, but considering the fixture was being hung in the kitchen, cleaning the fixture is a huge consideration, especially considering your chandelier...I like the shape and design of #2, only because it looks contemporary and has clean lines. Your choice is the best and should prove to be a wonderful addition to your new kitchen. Such decision are difficult and should be carefully considered and you have done a great job...You will be very pleased...I love the shape and it looks strangely Scandinavianish...I am still excited to see the new sink...can't wait....have a great day and enjoy the progress you are making on your new kitchen....
Karen
Thanks Susan! ~ karen
Marti
Fingerless gloves? What is the point of those anyway? I could never figure that out until last weekend when the weekend job blasted me with AC. (November. Air conditioning? WHY?)
Excellent choice. I figured you'd go for the bronzed globe thing because it looked a bit "Fifty Shades of Kitchen-y" but the hammered white is a good look to.
This kitchen renovation is starting to be almost as exciting as nascar isn't it? Ok, not.
Jamie Lynn
that was my first choice when i saw your options! love it and i know it will look awesome in your kitchen! :)