Well, of course with this master bedroom refresh that I’ve been playing around with, I had to go and put in a beautiful new pendant light fixture. Today I’ll be showing you a lot more photos of the room and sharing my tips for how I pick the perfect lights to instantly update all the really really outdated rooms in my home.
If you’re wondering where in the world I found an awesomely unique light fixture like the one in the photo above, you’ll need to click over the Everything Primitives as well (a new window will open for you). Just make sure you have a little extra time on your hands for browsing through all their jaw-dropping lighting options before you do!
So how do you get it right and pick the right one? I’m a big fan of installing new light fixtures in rooms, regardless of whether they’re “ready” for them and fully renovated or not. A new light fixture can completely change the feel of the room in a matter of minutes and give your room’s sense of style a big boost. They can be moved, reused and enjoyed over and over again so they make a great style investment. Since my house is in that “not so renovated” stage right now, I’ve gotten pretty good at narrowing down how to pick the right light fixture so that I love it and the style lasts for years until we’re done with those renovations.
Pick a Style
You know how when you’re planning out a room’s style, there’s a certain way it’s worded in your head? It’s never just “I want my room to be a modern room.” It’s usually something like “It will be modern, but with a touch of vintage and a hint of coastal.” Well, all those parts are important to the overall design, but your main light fixture is the place where you should get in your main style statement. The light fixture sets the main tone for the room.
So if it’s a modern style room with blah blah blah, the light fixture should give off a strong modern statement, for example.
Make a Statement
Think about things like your ability to walk under a light, or to place items on a table under a light, but throw out all the other “rules” that you’ve heard about choosing the right sized fixture.
The size is really up to you. I just use what I call the “in your face” rule. As in, how “in your face” do I want this light to be? Do I want it to subtly influence the way people feel about the style of a room without them noticing it or do I want people to literally say “Wow! Look at that light fixture!” There’s absolutely a place for both in every house. 🙂
Up Lights vs. Down lights and the number of bulbs
The direction that the light shines out of a light fixture can really change the way a room feels. If you currently have a chandelier, for example, that shines downward on a table, switching to a lantern style light that bounces light off of the ceiling can really change everything. It can give you a feeling of a fresh new perspective, and it can also make you notice imperfections in your room that you never noticed were there before. 🙂 So just something to think about.
In general, lights that shine upward give a room a brighter, higher energy feel and lights that shine downward create an instant intimate and cozy mood.
Obviously, the number of bulbs in a fixture will greatly impact its brightness as well. Three bulbs in a chandelier in a small hallway will feel extra bright, while the same light fixture in a large kitchen will create a medium light brightness and you may require extra lighting in the room for work spaces. In a bedroom or living room where a cozy feel is the way to go and extra lamps are available around the room, a single bulbpendant light can be just perfect.
Consider Your Source and Quality
In the world of lighting, there are definitely places for both standard quality light fixtures that you may find in a big box store, and higher quality investment type light fixtures that you will get from a specialty retailer.
It can be fun to play around with bargain priced lights in some areas of your home, but consider spending a little more time and enjoying the process a little more when choosing something like an over-the-bed light that you’ll be waking up to and staring at every single day.
Needless to say, I love light fixtures and I’ve put a lot of thought into them. I’ll probably still pick mine up from the big box stores every now and then, but I haven’t regretted spending a little more to get the great quality finishes and bold styles on lights from specialty retailers likes the ones I’ve shown you today.
Aaaand if you want to see how that master bedroom turned out, you can see the full before and after here!
Courtenay Hartford is the author of creeklinehouse.com, a blog based on her adventures renovating a 120-year-old farmhouse in rural Ontario, Canada. On her blog, Courtenay shares interior design tips based on her own farmhouse and her work as founder and stylist of the interior photography firm Art & Spaces. She also writes about her farmhouse garden, plant-based recipes, family travel, and homekeeping best practices. Courtenay is the author of the book The Cleaning Ninja and has been featured in numerous magazines including Country Sampler Farmhouse Style, Better Homes and Gardens, Parents Magazine, Real Simple, and Our Homes.