We’ve been working on our new home for what feels like a lifetime, but we’re SO CLOSE to the finishing line I can smell it. 🙂 We’re just wrapping up selections and it’s time to look at lighting. Yippee! Lighting can make or break a space and there are just so many good things out there nowadays. So how do you choose lighting throughout a home? Let’s walk through the process together!
*If you’re just joining us, this is another installment of a series documenting the building of our personal dream home. So far we’ve tackled:
Inspiration | Floorplan | Location | Breaking Ground | Roofing | Windows | Insulation | Sheetrock & Plaster | Selecting Paint | Selecting Flooring | Selecting Bathtubs
A Starting Point
When it’s time to make selections, I like to start by looking back at any inspirational images I’ve collected. This has been my go-to board and although it doesn’t show lighting in particular, it shows the overall theme and look for the home. It’s always nice to remind yourself, so you don’t get off track.
Next, look at the interiors you love or have pinned on Pinterest, then notice more of the lighting fixtures that have been used, to start narrowing down what you do and don’t like. There’s some sort of consistent theme, I would bet.
You can dive into my blackhole of Pins for this house here.
Then, dive in little further and start noticing actual fixtures you like. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE all things Hudson Valley, so I immediately went to their Pinterest boards to see what they had. The had a board that seemed like it was made just for me! East Coast Inspo? Yes, please.
So from these inspirational images I have previously saved, I narrowed down the following points:
•I love simplistic and uncomplicated fixtures, but not boring
•I like a mix of finishes. One finish throughout can look flat and I like to mix it up. Think layers!
•Nothing too glitzy or sparkly
•A feature pendant above the bathtub is a must
•I love how wall lanterns look against cedar shakes
How to Choose
Selecting a whole houseful of lighting at once can seem overwhelming. You don’t want to get a “set” that all matches…I mean we’re better than that, right? But, you also don’t want it to look like a mess of things that has no correlation. There’s a fine line and I like to walk it!
•Start with something you LOVE…something that gets you all fired up
•Then, complement that showstopper in the other spaces of the home
•Keep layers in mind…think of the whole home as a balance of different layers running throughout
•Mixing finishes is more than OK, it’s encouraged
•I keep it to a max of 3 lighting finishes throughout the home
•Keep your doorknob, plumbing and cabinet hardware finishes in mind to make sure everything plays well together
Selections
So here’s a round up of the light fixtures I’ve chosen for each key room. I can’t wait to see them in the actual space!
Kitchen Lighting
This was my feature. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this classic polished nickel pendant. It looks good everywhere, every time!
Here’s a reminder of the overall floor plan, with the living room.
I wanted to make a feature of the lighting above the island, whilst making it practical and providing a good amount of task lighting for food preparation.
Master Bed & Bath
As I’ve mentioned before, a feature chandelier above the bathtub in the master bathroom is an absolute must!! This fixture actually differs in finish from the vanity wall lights because I wanted to emphasize that this is a feature. I also absolutely love it, so why not? Following my own advice, I started here then worked to support it.
Daughter's Room
My daughter loved this from the start, so we worked off of it.
For her bathroom, I have gone with a similar design to the bedroom light to keep it consistent throughout these two spaces.
Office
I wanted something “snazzy” here, as I work from my home office and open a lot of time here.
Powder Bath
This bath is going to be all dark navy blue and very “moody”. I wanted something bold, but clean to compliment the look I have in mind. I love this
Pool Bath
We decided on a flush mount ceiling fixture for the Pool Bath. This bath will have some crazy busy wallpaper and I didn’t want to fight it. This is clean, simple and rich looking…a perfect complement.
Exterior Lighting
From the inspirational images I have gathered over the years leading up to this project, I settled on using these two lanterns from Hudson Valley Lighting…
The Final Selections
So here it is! The final selection of decorative lighting for the new house below! I am so in love with how they all look and work well together!
What do you think? Do you love these as much as I do? Let me know in the comments, I’d love to hear from you.
*This post was sponsored by Hudson Valley Lighting, but all opinions are mine, I promise. 🙂
