Sunday, September 7, 2008

Enlighten me.

I have lived in my current house for three years. Late last fall, I removed several recessed lights from the dining room and added a box for a chandelier. I have been looking for a chandelier ever since.

I have plenty of photos of chandeliers I think are perfect:

from dining by design

Mary MacDonald's house

estate in Wilmington, DE; still for sale here, reduced to $6 million

So, at least I'm consistent; but I couldn't find anything like them. So I turned to eBay and in a drunken enthusiastic bidding frenzy ended up with this:

It turns out that my measurements weren't exactly accurate and it's too small. Also, the wiring is such that it hangs about 6 feet too high from the table. Instead of getting it rewired (because it would still be too small and it is much too old-fashioned and dreary), I decided to replace it. So...

I looked at this fixture from Currey & Co.:


I considered this beauty from Waterford:

But they seemed a little froofy. And since our house is 100 years old, thinking it needed a little modern glam, I finally decided on this light from Williams-Sonoma Home:

I ordered it with brown silk and also ivory silk shades (the walls are brown so I'm not sure which color will work) and it is gorge. Well, in theory it is gorge. It came yesterday and was all scratched up. It seems to have been previously installed and the glass tubes were not only scratched up but had some kind of moisture on the inside, so I am having another delivered and hopefully that one will work out.

I also ordered a matching sconce for the wall going up the stairs to the second floor (also with brown shades). It arrived and is beauteous:

Now I just need to replace the bare bulb hanging in the entryway (an eBay delivery disaster left me without a light as I had already removed the old lantern) and two lights for the upstairs hallway (one currently fake-Tiffany and one bare, newly installed bulb).

I find lighting the most difficult thing about decorating. And I have scoured every lighting source I can find on the internet. Because Delaware isn't exactly a home design mecca, but more on that later...

2 comments:

Decorina said...

The new one is absolutely (may I say it?) gorgeous. Hello?

I recently posted about the brain damage I incurred while trying to find the right fixture for my living room online...brain freeze set in, though I eventually found the fixure of my dreams.

hello gorgeous said...

Lighting is the thing I have the most difficulty with. I was watching Habitually Chic redecorate her friend's bachelor pad and I think she picked most of the lighting in one day! I don't know how that's possible.

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