This Little Light of Mine...
Don't you think light fixtures can make or break a space? I do. They are not something that I immediately focus on when walking into a space but they are one of those details that can enhance the whole picture. Light fixtures are the jewelry for your home. Pick the right piece, and you can really make a statement.
I love looking at light fixtures. There are so many options at all different prices and none of them have to be the dreaded boob lights. You know the ones I'm talking about. The cookie cutter builders of the 90's (and maybe even today?) offer them standard because they are cheap and they don't care that they look like....well, a boob. It took me years to rid my Medina house of all the boob lights. I'm here to tell you that you do not need to settle for that type of ceiling light fixture if you are looking for affordability! Your options are limitless! Exciting, right?
When looking for ceiling light fixtures for this house, I knew I wanted a casual & simple style, which the ever popular Farmhouse style fits right into. I also knew that I was looking for black or oil rubbed bronze fixtures. I'd much prefer black but unfortunately, I did not find those options as plentiful. Luckily, oil rubbed bronze and black mesh well so I focused on picking fixtures I liked best in either of these finishes. I also added some pieces with wood finishes just to give it that casual, lake house vibe.
With the exception of the four ceiling fans in the house, every fixture was under $100. And almost every one of them came from Wayfair or Joss and Main. Those two websites are my go-to for affordable light fixtures (and almost everything else). After all was said and done, I came in almost $700 under what I budgeted for lighting. I'm an expert at bargain shopping!
This is the very first light fixture I chose for the cottage. In fact, I chose this fixture before the builder even broke ground and it served as the inspiration for the whole design style of the house. It feels casual, yet elegant to me and gives me a hint of that nautical style I am going for. I purchased these for the first and second floor hallways.
Hall Lights
The rest of the light fixtures were chosen to compliment the style of the hall lights I fell in love with.
The Laundry room. Honestly, this fixture is a little smaller than I would like for the space but it fits in nicely with the style of the hall lights right next to it so it's staying for the time being.
The Kitchen/Dining. We went with recessed lighting for the main area of the kitchen so we could be sure to have some good task lighting. The four lights make the space nice and bright.
Above the kitchen sink
For the dining area, I found this light at a thrift store for $11. It was the shape I wanted but definitely not the style. I knew that removing the candelabra and some spray paint would go a long way. As of today, the finished product is waiting to be hung but I'm happy with how it turned out. Even if I don't love it once it's up and in the space, I can scrap it and not feel bad about being out the $11.
Original
Refinished
Bathrooms
1st Floor Bathroom. Both bathrooms have their respective vanity lights as well as recessed lighting in the shower & shower/tub(not pictured).
2nd floor bathroom. Eventually I might spray paint this fixture. The 2nd floor bathroom is being designed around the kids bedroom. Their accent colors are aqua and coral. It's possible that this fixture will be spray painted aqua to go with the theme.
Bedrooms
The first of the ceiling fans. I had no intention of having ceiling fans in this house because I just don't like how they look. It's very hard to find good looking fans at a decent price point. In the end, the comfort of my family and my guests, while they slept, won out. All the bedrooms and the family room have ceiling fans. It took forever but I managed to find a few fans that I could live with and fit the style of the rest of the lighting.
Master Bedroom
Guest Bedroom
Guest bedroom dormer
Kids Bedroom
Kids bedroom dormer
The Family room
Foyer
Stairwell. The stair well is open and very tall. It calls for a fixture that is large and eye catching. I found this large round globe pendant with wood and black iron accents on Wayfair and I knew it would be perfect for the space.
Outdoor lights. Every lake cottage needs goose neck barn lights on the exterior, am I right?
please disregard the construction dust
Let's talk about light bulbs for a minute. As you can see, most of these fixtures are open and a pretty bulb adds to the effect. We used clear filament bulbs in Edison, candle, and round style bulbs. All of them are LED. The LED bulbs come in different light shades such as Daylight, Soft White, and Bright White. I made the mistake of buying the Daylight bulbs for the foyer light and Stairwell light. The Daylight style emits a very bright blueish light and it just was not right for those rooms. I had to switch them to Soft White which is in the other fixtures. The Daylight is perfect for the bathrooms though so we left them in there. Who knew the light bulbs would be the most complicated to choose.
The lighting is all finished and now this cottage is bright and illuminated. It makes it much easier to work now that the sun sets earlier and earlier and we are into the dreary, gray days of Fall. Currently, we are working on installing all the flooring. Stay tuned, because the floors will be showcased next and I think they are FAB!
