Lights, Camera, Action!

There were so many things to decide on when we bought this house. As a brand new build, we actually weren’t involved in much of the finish choices as we bought fairly late in the process and just before the construction was complete. However, we were able to make a few decisions such as how the staircase would be stained and in choosing light fixtures. Choosing light fixtures is something I find really hard because I/we are really picky. I tend to not like the standard fare and this means lots of research and lots of thought. Therefore, there were a few areas of the house where we just had bulbs put in until I found fixtures that I like. I figure that, if you are going to pay that much money, you may as well take your time and find something you are really happy with.

First up was the choice in island lights. We had purchased a pair close to when the house was finished but, and I take total responsibility for this, they looked terrible. In fact, our builder and the electrician had a “what was she thinking?” conversation when they opened up the delivery boxes. We were not on site that day so they were installed and subsequently uninstalled as I could not bear to look at such a huge mistake on my part day after day.

After much research, including DH’s calculating eye each time he went to Europe (which continues to be often), I settled on a pair that I thought would work well and got really excited. Unfortunately, my taste runs a bit on the expensive side and I was not going to make the same mistake twice. I got the exact measurements for two sizes of the new fixtures and went to work.

Before lights:

The mock up lights, both sizes:

The final product:

They are exactly as fun as I wanted, make the kitchen island stand out (something else that was a necessity for these fixtures) and even have some features I did not count on but now cannot live without (three options for lighting: down, ambient and both at the same time).

Over the next few months I have to choose a bedroom fan/light combination and a fixture for the staircase. Both involve cathedral height ceilings. It should be interesting to do mock ups for those locations for a person who is terrified of heights!