Plumen Light Bulbs

I loved the idea of Plumen CFL bulbs the moment I saw them.  And then I bought some for a great price on fab.com, even though I didn't yet have anywhere to put them.  Soon after the purchase, our ugly dining room track light (don't judge - it came with the house) broke and gave me a new opportunity.  I got to design our new dining room lighting around the light bulbs.  

I wanted to show off the bulbs, but I wanted something a little more finished than just the bare exposed bulbs.  The Industrial Glass Pendant from West Elm was just what I needed (at a great price too).

My handy husband relocated the wiring so we could hang the 2 pendants exactly where I wanted them.  My camera doesn't show them well when lit, but I love the sculptural look and the new dimension they add to our dining room.  This is the view when you first walk into our home (okay, in reality the dogs are usually jumping and barking and spinning in circles), so it was important to make a good first impression:

A Familiar Light Fixture

On March 10, Design Sponge featured a book called "Undecorate: The No-rules Approach to Interior Design" by Christine Lemieux (founder of Dwell Studio).  Yes, it started a little rant in my head about the difference between interior design and interior decorating and how I really wish the titles were not used interchangeably, as decorating is only one of the many aspects of interior design, and though I'm all about breaking the rules of interior DECORATING, there are rules in interior DESIGN that are detrimental to the health, safety, and well-being of people and therefore should NOT be broken.  Okay, I'm stepping off my soapbox now...

The reason I'm posting this is because the floor lamp in this photo from the book caught my attention:

Does it look familiar?  Have you seen it before, maybe in my home?  Hanging from the ceiling (on a still-frayed cord) in my kitchen?

Yes, it appears to be a floor-lamp version of the exact same fixture!  How cool is that!  I wish I knew who designed it...

Chandeliers in Kitchens

I'm loving the look of chandeliers in kitchens.  Not in the traditional way where the kitchen is so ornate and over-the-top that you expect to see an elaborate light fixture...

like this:

from blog.lightingcatalog.com

or this:

from Habersham

But in the untraditional unexpected way where a chandelier adds just a touch of elegance or personality or just plain fun, like the photos below:

via Design Manifest

via Anne Sage

source unknown

Gwyneth Paltrow's Kitchen

via 6thstreetdesignschool

via househomegarden

source unknown

via arhzine.com

DIY Light Fixtures

For a while we were considering making our own light fixture to hang over the eating area in our kitchen.  We did a lot of research online and I was amazed at how many cool DIY ideas are out there.  Here are some of my favorites (click links for instructions and more info): 

from Instructables
(If you haven't seen Instructables before, you should check it out right now.  There are some really smart people out there coming up with crazy ways to do things!)

from ReadyMade

another one from Instructables

from madetocreate

from lindseyadelman.com

(Also see The Brick House's version here)

designed by John Giacomazzi, via remodelista

We just acquired a couple great vintage fixtures so we may no longer need to make our own (depending on whether we can find a replacement for a missing glass globe), but I'm still intrigued by the idea.  Anyone else have any good DIY fixture ideas?  I'd love to hear about it!