The tassel sconces are here! I feel like they’re a love ’em or hate ’em kind of choice, and I don’t care because I happen to love ’em.
New pendants, too!
I had always intended to replace the pair of Victorian cranberry glass fixtures in the double parlor. They weren’t awful, but I prefer modern lighting to period in old homes. I let the lights fall on my priority list, but two years in, it was time for them to go.
I showed you some of the replacements I had been considering a few weeks ago. The library and living room are open to each other and I wanted their lighting to still match, but I think I was getting a little carried away with some of my options! I was looking at definite statement lights, but once I decided to order the tassel sconces it would have all been too much. The Modern Globe Pendant from Circa Lighting was still a contender, but pricey at $2100 — especially considering that I needed two. A reader recommended Restoration Hardware’s Circa 1900 Gaslight Pendant as an alternative, and I’d also been thinking about Rejuvenation’s Hood Classic Globe Pendant.
The Gaslight and Hood Pendants both come in several sizes and finishes, and depending on configuration, are only about 1/4 the cost of the Modern Globe. I was leaning toward a pair of Hood Pendants because I had seen and admired them in person at Yearbook. I knew Kim had one in her dining room too, so I asked her opinion about size since my space was similar in scale to hers. She said that her 14″ globe felt substantial, and also that she “read somewhere online once – a tip on a blog – that hanging a balloon in the right size can help you visualize. I always thought that was such a great idea!” And it is! After talking to her, adjusting my mockups, and yes, hanging something in the right size, I went with the 14″ opal globe shade and ordered a 42″ fixture in unlacquered polished brass.
I hung the new lights right away when they arrived.
Why did I wait so long? The size is great, the style complements everything without distracting, and they fit the home while still updating it. The brass will age naturally, though I like the shiny newness too.
Philips sent over a package with their new LED bulbs with a dimmable warm glow effect, so I was excited to try them out with the library’s new lights. The color temperature is similar to daylight when the lights are all the way on (which is my preference when I need bright lighting), but these are amazing because they get warmer as you dim them, looking more like traditional incandescent bulbs as the lights go down. So when we’re Eleanor’s doing her homework at the table or I’m doing an art project with the kids, we have brighter, cooler light to work by. Then when we have friends over and we’re relaxing, we can lower the lights to a warmer glow and the library feels more cozy.
The Hood Pendants are open at the top and I tried two different styles of Philips’ bulbs — same lumens and color temperature range, but one was clear and the other frosted. The clear one gave off a more crisp, defined light, but I preferred the softness of the frosted bulbs for general lighting. Clear bulbs are better suited to task lighting, and I put them in the floor lamp by the striped sofa.
I love, love, love the new lighting. Such an improvement!
30 comments
Alana
I *love* the pink tassel sconces. The way you’re adding your style to the Victorian is so pretty. It’s coming along so well. <3
lara jane
I really dig the tassels! They’re kinda like earrings… they just dress up the space so nicely! And every comment I make here has me begging for you to leave everything alone but these globes are fantastic (I just implore you to save the original fixtures in the basement or somewhere!) and the light from the frosted bulbs is truly lovely!
AmyR
When you first showed those tassel lights I wasn’t a fan of them (for me) – I knew you’d make them look fabulous and you did – they look perfect….and now I kind of want them too LOL! And I am loving those Philips bulbs – I have white-light LEDs in my studio but being able to dim them to a warmer light would be PERFECT b/c it’s been irritating to have white light in the room when I want to relax! 2 thumbs up for those bulbs as I’ll be looking into them! :)
Nicole
for some reason, your photos on this post didn’t load, in feedly. They just showed titles/descriptions where the photos would be. So, I had to click over here to see what the lighting looked like. Definitely great choices that suit your space, I’m glad I don’t have to dust any of them!
Karen @ year of serendipity
I swear every time I see this space I love it more and more!
alisa
LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE
Sorry, did I tell you I love it? If not, I do.
ESPECIALLY the pink tassels. Good job Nicole!!
Laura
This looks so fabulous. I love how these rooms are coming along! Really so beautiful and so far from the antiseptic white white white that is so pervasive. Well done!
Claudia
Such a great big cabinet! It looks very powerful and I like it!
judy
Nicole your home is looking so wonderfully complete as opposed to the raw look of a house in the process of becoming a home. Your design skills have finally emerged in all their splendor and I congratulate you on a job well done- all the while juggling a new born, two little ones, a husband having surgery and the Holidays.
You remind me of that commercial about the Lady who could do it all set to some sort of jazzy song. Memory fails but at the time everybody was humming or singing the tune…….Hope you and yours have a very Merry Christmas and a spectacular New Year!
Virginia Roberts
I love dimmable LED bulbs with a truly warm color temperature, but I’ve been having some flickering issues with the ones I put in my living room (vintage) chandelier. I’m thinking maybe the wall dimmer isn’t the right type, as my kitchen fixture handles a low dimness just fine. Any tips about which dimmer you used?
Making it Lovely
Yes, that’s a good point to bring up! I mentioned some flickering issues when I first hung the light. I suspected the (old, not very good) dimmer and once I switched it out, the flickering ceased to be an issue. Philips has a chart of compatible dimmer switches and the push button dimmer switch that I used worked.
Virginia Roberts
Nice! That chart is exactly what I didn’t know I needed. I’d forgotten you already called that out. Why must these fiddly new energy-saving technologies be so fiddly? :)
Megan
Swoon! Love the mix of lighting your home. Both lights look fantastic together!
Amy
Those pink tassels are “perfection” as Chandler would say.
Really nice.
Nichole
They look amazing! I happen to have the same lights over my kitchen island. Slightly different brass finish though. And my house is a different vintage than yours :)
Chelsea T
I LOVE that second-to-last shot into the library. It’s not an angle we’ve seen much, but it goes to show how all those carefully curated pinks, blacks, and wood tones carry through your whole space. Plus, your living room just looks so damn cozy.
Making it Lovely
Thanks. I’m mindful of everything working throughout the first floor — the spaces are separate but open to one another.
Kelly
Love the lights!
Is that a new rug in your living room?! It looks so nice- I’d love to know the source!
Making it Lovely
Yep! Found it on Craigslist.
Jess | Fashion By Committee
Those globe lights are gorgeous!! They totally suit your house. Is it wrong that I kinda wish the tassel lights were actual silk tassels? Impractical (dust, my cat would eat them, etc), but man that could be cool.
Staci
This is a really great option. Seeing the bulbs at work in your own home is a really great example of how they work in everyday life (as opposed to an overproduced magazine spread or TV spot). Thanks for sharing, and the lights you selected look perfect in your home.
Sarah
I love all the new lights! Are you going to change the dining room light, too?
Making it Lovely
Eventually, yes. And the entryway light too.
Kim // Yellow Brick Home
Oh, I am so happy you love the Hood lights! They look awesome – but man, those tassels. They STEAL THE SHOW.
Making it Lovely
Aren’t they awesome? And thank you for your help with sizing. The 18″ globes would have been huge!.
erin @ thh
LOVE them! The tassel lights too!
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