Category: Lighting

A Most Fetching Friday

This week’s Fetching Friday features decorative and delicious details, perfect pairings, decorating advice from one of the best, Paris, Canada and a classic fixture of kitchen and craft.

fetch·ing

/ˈfeCHiNG/

adjective

adjective: fetching

attractive.

synonyms: attractive, appealing, sweet, pretty, good-looking, lovely, delightful, charming, prepossessing, captivating, enchanting, irresistible

ff-hardware

Traditional Home

Never underestimate the power of decorative details, for they complete the look!  

ff-foyer Perfect pairings from foyer to ceiling. Cote de Texas via Pinterest

ff-Albert HadleyA wise man and stylish designer once said… Albert Hadley 

ff-Seeded-Whole-Grain-Breakfast-Bread-110September Mornings and Seeded Whole Grain Breakfast Bread from the culinary talent that is Half Baked Harvest.

travel+leisureTravel Often!  Travel + Leisure

Last month when our son traveled to Canada he and his girlfriend spent an afternoon at the Journey to Churchill exhibit at Assiniboine Park Zoo. May I introduce you to Hudson the Polar Bear.

fetching FridayJourney to Churchill – Assiniboine Park Zoo Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

494701_MASON JAR MEASURING SPOONS  Mason Jar Ceramic Measuring Spoons

I hope you have a most fetching Friday.

Love your style!

The Switch Is On: Decorating Ideas

Inspiration is the  framework of decorating ideas.

decorating ideas

We all glean “eye”deas from home decor and home furnishings seen on blogs, websites, in stores, showrooms and shelter magazines.

Isn’t that the idea?

Some of the ideas work and some don’t, but try we do.

Beauty and style only fail when inspiration ceases to exist.

Portfolio 5" x 5" Brown Chandelier Lamp Shade

Determination is a powerful force.

What does determination have to do with a chandelier shade you may wonder?

Simple math.

$5.97 each  X 12 shades = $71.64.

That’s $71.64

I could have put toward the cost of a new chandelier and did not, so you can bet I’m gonna make these work.

I’m wired like that.

French crystal chandelier

With the intent of introducing a French modern decor to the dining room, it makes total sense to move the crystal chandelier to the dining room and the Williamsburg to the foyer.

Let’s project!

chandelier installation

The Williamsburg chandelier is a lovely fixture, but my thinking has been it is in need of decorative lagniappe beyond the chandelier shades.

Remember my idea for converting craft finials into chandelier drops?

I will still be doing that for an all wood English chandelier, but once the Williamsburg found its new home in the foyer all was, and is, decoratively well.

foyer chandelier

The shade is not crooked, the angle of the shot was just right for this unwanted effect.

I do want to call your attention to the blue lining of the chandelier shades in the bottom left image in the collage above.

At night when the light fixture is turned on the color is so rich and the cast from the brown exterior and blue lining combination is phe-nom-e-nal!

We measured the height of the fixture pre-install for clearance assurance.

There are times when unforeseen issues arise.

Dave the Builder & Son informed me due to wiring safety and placement consideration the height would come in over the initial projected measurement.

There goes my idea for modifying the center ring with a finial.

Too many family members blessed with height guarantees an unfortunate introduction to the low hanging finial.

Adapt.

Proceed.

Project on!

light fixture removal

Onward and upward we go with a wiring modification, a coat of fresh ceiling paint and  install of the crystal chandelier in the dining room.

Stay tuned.

 

Focal Potential: A DIY Light Fixture Project

Necessity and sticker shock is the mother of all DIY projects.  If I search for an item and either can’t locate it or can’t bring myself to shell out $$$$ in order to make it mine a DIY light fixture project is in the making.  At times I succeed with the project, other times I exceed all expectations, and plenty of times it fails miserably. I’m rolling the dice on this one.

DIY light fixture project

Italian scroll chandeliers cause inspiration to tug at the creative part of my brain. The fixture style is lovely and wildly popular, but the sticker shock gives pause. Ouch!  Truth be told, the drops and the finial are the true eye catchers of the piece. A quick search landed me in a more affordable neighborhood. Gorgeous hand painted chandelier drops from Aidan Gray and a Tara Shaw Italian gilded tassel finial from Layla Grayce will be added to the shopping cart if this “eye”dea of mine falls flat. Here’s what I’m thinking~

Williamsburg chandelier

The crystal chandelier is pretty much pristine sans burned out bulb.  I found the fixture on eBay six years ago thinking it would be perfect for a client. When it arrived I immediately knew it was staying out of inventory.  It’s moving to the dining room.

foyer light fixture

The 12 light Williamsburg chandelier is an inherited left over from the original dining room design.  I added the shades last year with pleasing decorative success, but talk about further darkening the room. Personally I love it, but my camera and aging eyes hate the thing. I’ve studied and studied the fixture with a modifying intent. Paint it?  No. Lose the shades?  No.  Move it to the foyer?  Yes! That’s a start, but I want more for this chandelier.

decorative wood finial

We measured the clearance in the foyer noting the links would have to be removed to eliminate any head to fixture contact.  Hurdle #1 cleared. I’ve Googled till I can Google no more with very limited success in locating wooden carved chandelier drops. I asked Dave the Builder if he could channel his inner MacGyver to come up with an idea for the chandelier drops and decorative finial. How about…

chandelier parts

Dave found these craft finials at Lowe’s.  The mixed Oak craft finial (top left) is $2.98 and the Early American table leg (bottom right) is $1.48.

Okay, the upfront cost is minimal.

The plan is to create drops out of the table legs by removing the screws with vise-grip pliers, replacing with cup holder hooks, and staining with an umber or antique bronze to create the desired finish.  A distressed effect is also under consideration.  The craft finial will replace the center ring.  We will retrofit it with a new screw to match the opening size of the chandelier, screw it in, and hope it fulfills my decorative dreams.

It’s well worth the try.

It’s Time For A New Dining Room Paint Color

A tedious decor project I’ve been working on collided head on with my consulting duties last week.

My schedule got crazy busy and caused a delay in my posting.

Taking a break from the monotony of term sheets and contracts, I shifted my attention to an at home project long overdue.

It’s time to choose a new dining room paint color.

It’s no secret how much I love Sherwin-Williams Fired Brick, but with the lack of natural light in the dining room it is proving to be on the dark side.

The lighting of a space (or lack thereof) is a crucial factor to consider in the selection of paint colors.

Sherwin Williams Fired Brick

I’m heading in the direction of a barely there classic color palette that will:

  •  frame the flow of  bookend color from foyer to butler pantry
  • bring the French inspired ooh la la factor to the space
  •  allow a better showcase for the existing light fixtures

Valspar Mesa Sand

The color choice needs to complement the new kitchen paint color, Curio Gray.

Considering the foyer wallpaper, drapes, and dark finish of the living room suite (not my fav, but it keeps the peace), I’m leaning towards the pink/red family of colors- one with a whisper, a scant hint of pink with a café au lait base.

When done right, pink defies the connotation of  frill and femininity so closely associated with the color.

Achieving light, tone, and shade synergy is the trick.

First up is Valspar Mesa Sand.

dining room paint color

Paint color samples can fool the eye.

I highly suggest purchasing a sample container of the color(s) you are considering and trying it out on the wall.

Paint a large enough area of the wall and let the paint completely dry in order to get a good and proper color read.

Mesa Sand sample

Well that’s a big no go on the Mesa Sand!

What a paint color sample looks like on a chart or in a can is very different from what it will actually look like on the wall.

Mesa Sand looks to be the perfect shade of  brownish pink in the first image, a peachy salmon with a brown base in the paint sample image, and a flat beige on the wall.

On to the next choice.

Farrow and Ball Setting Plaster

Farrow & Ball Setting Plaster is working for me.

The sample is en route and my fingers are crossed.

crystal chandelier

What project Dave the Builder will be tackling on his summer vacation is no longer a mystery.

I’ll show you what else I have in mind later in the week.

Think light fixture.

 

 

18 Easy & Elegant DIY Chandelier Ideas

I received the nicest email late last week. They’re the best kind, don’t you think?  My bird feeder chandelier project recently posted on Hometalk opened the door to me being asked if I would like to curate a  DIY Chandelier Ideas clipboard on Hometalk’s Facebook page.  Being a person who loves any opportunity to show, tell, and talk all things house that make a home, I could not hit the send button fast enough to the gracious folks at Hometalk with my answer- a  huge home talking yes!  Hometalk is a community for those who love to create, share, and help with everything home and garden. Ideas and inspiration abound within this wonderful community!

DIY chandelier ideas

DIY talent runs deep throughout the blogosphere. I am constantly amazed and impressed by DIY projects born out of ideas, eyedeas, and the spark of inspiration that fuels the desire to create and replicate.

Dixie Delights via DIY Chandelier Ideas Board on Hometalk

From repurposed beauties to reinterpreted garden genius, these and countless other inspiring  DIY Chandelier Ideas are hanging around Hometalk for your viewing pleasure.

Anythingology via  DIY Chandelier Ideas Board on Hometalk

These are just a select few of the range of tastes, styles, and examples of DIY chandelier ideas to inspire. Want to see more? Click on any image in this post to view my entire Hometalk DIY Chandelier Ideas clipboard. It’s full of good ideas, great looks, step-by-step DIY how-to tutorials, and talent galore!  Inspiration awaits.

Deja Vue Designs via  DIY Chandelier Ideas Board on Hometalk