Favorite Lighting

Hi Everyone! While our favorite Haus Maus Holly gets settled in Germany, she has asked some of her blogger friends to fill in for her. I'm Becky, and there is a little more info about me here. My biggest problem when I blog is that I tend to use really lame puns and rhymes that I would NEVER say out loud - you've been warned! So, Onto Decor! For the past two years, I searched high and low for a light fixture to hang over my dining room table. First I lost countless Hollywood Regency faux bamboo chandelier auctions on eBay, then I was convinced I'd have a drum lamp made from the greatest non-existent lampshade ever, then I started scouring sales on ornate crystal chandeliers at Horchow and Ballard Designs. Finally, I looked beneath the dangling live wires at my dining room furniture and realized what I needed (I reveal my new lamp below so stay with me). I'm ridiculously fickle but I feel confident that I will be happy with this one for a long time. I finally learned to stop absorbing EVERY trend I see and just sticking to (a) what I like and (b) good design that will transcend trends.

Anyway, during my exhaustive search, I could not get over the selection that is out there. Just walking into Circa Lighting is overwhelming - so many great fixtures, so few ceilings in my house! What follows are some of my favorites that I came across during my search. The majority of these are available online and their prices range from very reasonable to more than my first car cost.

Paper or Plastic?:

(clockwise from top left) Nelson Ball Pendant, Design Within Reach; Filo Square Pendant Light, Target, $284.99 (made of Filo paper); Orb Pendant, Target, $54.99, KNAPPA Pendant, IKEA, $24.99

See the Trees for the Forest, Come and get your bois, real and faux:

(top to bottom) Nut Pendant, Design Within Reach, $310; Calvin Pendant, Pottery Barn, $179; Dane Pendant, Crate and Barrel, $64.95, and Pine Veneer Hanging Lamp, Victory Vintage, $165

Basket Weaving 101: These are great for a beach house, cottage, or a cabin as well as for upping the texture factor in any style of design:

(clockwise from top left) LERAN, IKEA, $39.99; Vine Basket Light, South of Market, $1250; Vine Ball Lamps, Pieces Atlanta, $1200; Large Seagrass Pendant, Ballard Designs, $59.

K.I.S.S. "Keep It Simple Stupid!" I often have to chant this to myself when my plans start to get too elaborate: These designs are just beautiful in their simplicity:

Extra Large Hicks Pendant, Circa Lighting, $630; KULLA, IKEA, $69.99; Modernist Pendant, Sundance Catalog, $125; Sol Pendant Lamp, CB2, $99. Glamour Puss: If you are confident in going beyond simple, this glitzy group will dazzle you with crystals, mirrors and metal. One of my all-time favorites is a fabulous retro chandies that fits into this category is The Meurice Chandelier from Jonathan Adler ($695):

(top to bottom from top left) Sputnik Pendant, Jayson Home and Garden, $299; Extra Large Hicks Pendant, Circa Lighting, $630; Grayson Drum Chandelier, Oly, price unknown; Savoy Chandelier Round, Zia Priven, price unknown; can be customized.

Titans of Industry - Perfect for a loft space or to add into the mix with most decorating styles:

(clockwise from top left) Flanders Double Pole, Circa Lighting, $462; Nash Pendant, Pottery Barn, $199; Industrial Pendant, Pieces Atlanta, $1395, Chrome Shade Pendant, Pieces Atlanta, $760

Rusted and Crusted: A Vintage Industrial Style:

(clockwise from top left) Metal Basket Light, South of Market, $1950; Genesis Pendant, Sundance Catalog, $78; Trumpet Flower Pendant, Ballard Designs, $199.95.

I'm also digging these vintage schoolhouse fixtures available at one of my favorite stores, Victory Vintage ($125 each). They are so much better than the fluorescents I had over my head in school!:

Next up is Swanky Modern - These are all very clean, spare, and elegant. These are good choices for Hollywood Regency fans who shy away from getting too ornate:

(clockwise from top left) Coco Pendant, Zia Priven, custom order; Cherise Pendant Lamp, Crate and Barrel, $349; Bryant Large Chandelier, Circa Lighting, $420.

I think Vanessa De Vargas and her site, Turquoise is the inspiration that hooked me on lanterns in fun colors and shapes. I keep thinking there must be some outdoor Home Cheapo lantern I can paint a cool color to emulate this look, but I have yet to find it; none of the shapes have the high style of these:

(clockwise from top left) Cirque Lantern, Urbanelectricco., $1400; Lillebette V2, Urbanelectricco, $1245; Pagoda Pendant Lantern, Horchow, $1985 Hanson Ribbon Pendant, Urbanelectricco, $740.

Trip the Light Fantastic: For those who want the light fixture to be the showstopper of the room and plan around it accordingly:

(clockwise from top left) Effervescent Chandelier, Anthropologie, $1998; Spectrum Chandelier, Urban Outfitters, $36; Capri Bottle Pendant, Jonathan Adler, $195; Meri Drum Chandelier, Oly, price unknown.

MoMA-Worthy: These fixtures use unexpected materials and forms in very clever ways, and I revere them as modern works of art:

(clockwise from top left) Patrick Townsend White Orbit Chandelier (Holly's all time favorite chandelier ever), Design Public, $459; Todd Boontje Garland Shade Light, Moma Store, $80, Patrick Townsend String Light 10, Moma Store, $99, Victor Juan's Geometrica, ylighting, $411.

I hope this post helped any of you who are searching for light fixtures, and P.S., I finally chose the Medium Goodman Lamp in antique nickel, available at Circa Lighting. Here is how it looks. If you are ever down south, do not pass up a trip to Circa Lighting! It is truly and illuminating experience!

- Submitted by Becky Harris (images linked to sources above)