Shopping for Pendant Lighting

There are so many little projects going on in my house right now that sometimes my head spins when I start to think about everything on our to do list.  Just to name a few -  we are in the process of picking out things for the nursery, installing base boards and trim, reconfiguring a wall of cabinets in our kitchen and designing a buffet/credenza with coordinating cabinets in our dining room, we are desperately in need of rugs in every room of our house since we removed all the carpets, we are picking out throw pillows, choosing curtains for the dining room, designing a moving island for our kitchen...and the list goes on.  Of course the nesting mother-to-be in me would like all of it to be done before the baby arrives but that is neither financially feasible or realistic.  Plus Mike will kill me if I add one more thing to his summer-to-do-list.   

One of the items on my list is to pick out a dining room light fixture.  Our dining room has a flat roof with no attic space above so the possibility of can lights is out and we currently have this horrible 70's style, stained glass, dome light/fan thing going on now, reminiscent of something you would find over a pool table in a badly designed pub and it just has to go.  Here's the thing, I am baaaaad at making decisions - and so is Mike.  Once we do finally decide on something, we often change our mind about it once we have it.  I think it's the downfall of being passionate about interior design and having so much access to great design blogs and sites like Pinterest.  I am constantly seeing things I like and thinking to myself - would that look better than what I have now?!

Here are the three options I am currently contemplating:

Industrial style pendants.  I definitely like the idea of hanging two together like in this arrangement, with some kind of rope cord, similar to this.  These are simple (and cheap) and add a lot to the room without being a focal point.  I love how simple the decor is but what a huge style impact the overall room has.  Green folding chairs with just the right amount of wear and tear, paired with a wooden dining table and funky vintage accessories against shiny white floors gives the room tons of personality and a sense of playfulness.

Source: In my House via Pinterest

Linen Drum Pendants.  I have always loved the simplicity of a linen drum pendant.  It's really such a timeless lighting choice.  West Elm has some great options.  In the past they've had more colors to choose from but I really do love this natural linen look.  We are considering going with a dark grayish blue or navy color in the dining room and I love the contrast of the natural linen against the dark colors - very dramatic...

Source: West Elm

Oversized and unique pendants. I love this light fixture.  It would be super easy to make - it looks like it's a giant Japanese paper lantern paired with a cord light and mounted to the wall - easy and inexpensive.  This room has some amazing architectural elements like the medallion on the ceiling and the crown molding which is a great contrast to the more modern paper lantern.  This room is a great mix of high end and low end pieces.  The paper lantern light fixture and Ikea lamp are inexpensive but look great paired with the vintage chairs and antique wooden cabinet, and that white couch looks sooo cozy!

Source: Amber Interior Design via Pinterest



Bon jour!

Bon jour! We've been back from France for a few weeks, still getting settled in to the house after all the changes that were made while we were away - more on that later.

The trip was amazing. It was just what I needed to de-stress from all the house renovations. Here are some shots we snapped via Instagram (@ thedesignboards if you want to follow me). We spent a few hours in London on route to France and just happened upon the changing of the guards - very cool to see!  We took the ferry from England to France and spent several days driving through Normandy and Brittany, eating too many crepes and galettes and enjoying the beaches and beautiful villages. We even happened to find a brocante in one of the towns we were staying in. I picked up some vintage French linens and a vintage absinthe saucer.

I'm glad to be home but there is still so much to be done here.  We are only partially unpacked from the floor install.  Mike has been installing baseboards and we've been getting the nursery painted and ready for furniture and decor.  There will be a lot to share with you over the next few weeks so stay tuned - only 5 weeks and counting until my due date.