Infographic

Love this drawing.  It shows how the trend in side table + lamp has changed over the decades, but also illustrates the key point that the total height of the combo remains about the same.

I found this inforgraphic through a google search, but I happen to know that Dina at Honey and Fitz has compiled a number of infographic design cheat sheets, here.

Affordable Find

Regina Andrew, $873

Capital Lighting, $398 (in store price was $369)

I will admit it: this is a case where you can see where the price difference comes from.  The Regina Andrew light is larger, and the finish is clearly more special.  That said, it is the trellis pattern that really gives you the impact here, and having seen them both in person, I'd say go for the bargain!

Visual Comfort Lighting at Home Goods

Friends.

If you are in need of lamps, get yourself to Home Goods!

Visual Comfort, probably my favorite lighting line, featuring designs from the likes of Thomas O'Brien and Alexa Hampton, suddenly has product popping up in local Home Goods stores.  At around $100 a piece, these are all at the top of the Home Goods price scale, but that's still around the wholesale price--or less.  While it's possible that these guys wound up in a discount center because of a quality issue, it is certainly not apparent.  My favorite thing might be the tapered shades--you can't pick those up at Target, and buying them at a proper lighting store will set you back nearly the cost of one of these entire lamps.

(I want the white ones, above, for myself.)

pretty glass lattice

GORGEOUS royal blue

These remind be of gilded balls of yarn or tumbleweeds.  In gold or silver, there were pairs of each.

Very simple, with beautiful marbles bases--again, a pair.

And two floor lamps.

Locals, these are mostly at the Eden Prairie location, though a few are in St Louis Park.

Go forth and shop!

Source Alert: Colored Cord Kits

There are so many great pendant options these days, including fun DIYs, that require a cord kit.

Loving these cords from colorcord.com, in just about every color under the sun.  At just $20, you could buy a couple and swap 'em out with the seasons (if you're handy with electrical work, that is.)

And just to get you inpired, here are some fun lighting DIYs from around the blogosphere.

Dodecahedron at View Along The Way

Copper Geometric Pendant fixture at Design-Milk

via Say Yes to Hoboken

Jute-wrapped, via Hand Made Home

Faceted pendant (that's folded paper!!) via the 3 Rs Blog

Wood veneer woven lamp on Poppy Talk

Lace Doily lamp on Dos Family (with colored cord kit!)

Um, I am feeling like the least creative person ever all of a sudden!

Have you created some whiz-bang amazing light fixture from scratch?

Do tell.

Surprise!

I love this room a surprising amount.  (Okay, I love nothing that is happening on the table top or in that back corner.)  But the table, rugs, chairs, lighting, and oh, those doors?

I'll take 'em.

Here's the thing: this image is from a pottery barn catalog.

Surprised?

I was.

I want those light fixtures bad. 

I really should live in California, style-wise.  And weather-wise, says the girl who chose to RETURN to Minnesota, the land of 7-month winters.

But it's spring now, and I love the summer feel of this dining room.

Lantern Love

I have a client presentation at the end of the day, and we are possibly using lantern pendant fixtures in the living room and foyer (the two spaces are technically one big room).  Because lanterns are more tall than wide, as a typical armed chandelier, the "rules" of scale don't seem quite accurate, and while sourcing the perfect fixtures, I turned to some inspiration shots.  Turns out, interesting lanterns work in all kinds of rooms in varying scales, shapes and finishes.

In addition to some tearsheets in my inspiration file and others found around the internet, I happened upon a whole roundup over at Cote De Texas, including these gems:

And in the blogger's own family room:

Also pulled a bunch from my favorite source, House Beautiful:

Of course, lots of these are antiques and totally fabulous, and we have neither the searching time nor the budget for such things.  I'm actually most liking the simplest ones (in my clients home, there is a high ceiling and a large clerestory window to be mindful of).

The natural preference for these fixtures seem to be in the dining room and kitchen, but I do think Cote de Texas makes a strong case for the living room.

What do you think?

Michael's Lamp Studio

Those of you local to the Twin Cities probably know all about the intersection of Xerxes and 50th street in Minneapolis, home to Hunt and Gather vintage, Bella Galleria consignment, Gallery 360 for art, and a number of other quirky little shops.  When I go poking around that corner for finds, I like to pop in to Michaels' Lamp Studio.

This locally owned shop is chock full of chandeliers, table lamps, and shades in every shape and color you can imagine.  Need some inspiration?  Here are my favorites from a recent peek.

Fabulous vintage chandeliers:

Love these italian tulips in a dining room with a rosewood and marble table and some 60s Italian leather chairs, white on a brass frame.

And this glass number in a foyer with metallic grasscloth walls and an orange leather console table.  Meow.

And how about that little lantern in a powder room with Chinoiserie paper--maybe this one from Thibault?  And gold fixtures (But of course.)  Not everyone's bag, but I love.

Speaking of Chinoiserie, check out the shelves and shelves full of ceramic lamps with Asian motifs

Want something a little more industrial?  How about a pair of brass candlesticks with brass shades?

Or a patined copper pendant?  Or--trend alert--a beautiful, naked bulb, like this one.

If you're thinking about Christmas (and I know plenty of bloggers are working on holiday features for magazines), how about some red plaid shades on your dining room chandy?

Now, the prices here are good, but nothing is exactly a steal.  If DIY is more your speed, take inspiration from this little crystal lamp and recover a shade by pleating a vintage silk scarf.  I love that you can see the writing from the scarf's edge on this one.

Want to get started? Try out my pleated lampshade tutorial, here.

And here's a challenge for you designer-types:  Lighting is so often overlooked as we put rooms together.  We need to invest in places to sit, and eat, and sleep, and the existing fixtures will do, functionally speaking.  But great lighting also has the potential to transform a space.  Go check out Olioboard, a software for building design boards, and create a room around a chandelier.

Have fun, and report back!  I'd love to feature your designs.

The jury is out on this one.

Seeds and pods pendant from Arteriors Home:

Yay or nay?

Discuss.