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Last night, I went into the living room with an armful of fabrics to make some decisions about the pillows for my sofa. I headed over to the light switch to switch on all of the lights. For a split second, I was confused when I flipped that last switch and nothing happened. It took a second for me to remember that I no longer have a light there! 😀
Until a few weeks ago, I had this this Horchow capiz shell chandelier in the living room…
I love that chandelier, but the more I looked at pictures of this evolving room (which is still not finished — I still need to reupholster chairs, make pillows, etc.), the more the chandelier and the artwork above the fireplace being together in the same view bothered me.
The chandelier is round and made of hundreds of pieces of capiz shell in the same shape, and the artwork is round and made of hundreds of wood tasting spoons in the same shape. It was just too much. Sometimes repeating elements in a room is a very good thing. But this wasn’t a situation like that. These two items had the same general idea, but at the same time they were very different and (to my eye) competed with each other.
So I decided that the living room needs something much more simple in design, and the capiz shell chandelier is perfect for the music room.
Now I need to find something to take its place in the living room. I want something that is pretty but also simple in design. I’ve found a few that seem to fit the bill.
I don’t know why, but I’m always drawn to drum shades. I think I just like the simplicity of them. I also like that this has a chain rather than a solid rod, because with the rods, it’s often difficult to get the chandelier to the exact height that is needed in the room.
Sputnik lights are really hit or miss with me. I almost always dislike them because there’s just so much going on, and they almost always have either clear shades or no shades at all. And one thing I’ve learned about myself after many years of trial and error with lighting is that I almost never like bare bulbs or visible bulbs. But I love that this one is not only simple in design, but also comes with the option of having white shades so that the bulbs aren’t visible and the light is diffused. There are also example pictures of this light installed pretty close to the ceiling, so it would work well with my eight-foot ceiling.
This is another sputnik style that I like. I don’t like this one as much as the one above, but since it’s an actual semi-flush mount light, it would be so much easier to install.
This is my absolute favorite. I love that slight taper on the shade. I also love the subtle traditional style, and the fact that it has five lights. But this one has the rigid rod instead of a chain. And while I love the clean look of a rigid rod, they just so often create a problem when trying to shorten a chandelier enough so that it fits an 8-foot ceiling. But it’s definitely my favorite, so it might be worth it to get it and figure out the rod issue later. There’s always a solution!
This is the fifth and final light that I narrowed down my selections to, and since it’s also an actual semi-flush light, it would be very easy to install, and would work great with my 8-foot ceiling. I really like the simple style of the light with the brass details.
So, those are the options that I’ve narrowed down for my living room. I just hate that my absolute favorite light has that rigid rod. While I feel certain that I can find a solution to any problem I have installing it, I just hate the idea of paying for a brand new light only to have to potentially purchase new additional parts to make it work in my room. But sometimes that’s what it takes to get what you want.
I’m a bit surprised that the first sputnik light is actually my second favorite, and since I’ve seen pictures of it installed close to the ceiling, I think it might be easy to work with.
I’ll think on it a bit more, and perhaps do a few mock ups with my photo editing software to see what these might look like in my living room. Hopefully I can get one of these ordered this week and installed soon!
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
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