If you’re not familiar, when you choose to build a home through a large builder in a neighborhood they will send you to their Design Center to select all your finishes. Everything from brick colors to paint, countertops, and flooring. So the options you are presented with are the only options you have until you’re in your home and you can change it on your own. I am sure that “builder grade” materials and selections have come a long way over the years, but I found there was still a few areas that felt rather limiting. One area being *sigh* lighting. In a future blog (or two), I’ll walk you through the Design Center process but right now let’s take a look at home lighting!
The Jewelry of Your Home
Lighting is one of my favorite ways to rather easily and instantly elevate the look of a space. If you’ve never just googled “pendant lights” or “flush mounts” I encourage you to give it a try. There are SO many possibilities out there that you’ll genuinely be surprised! Plus, NONE of the options you’ll like will ever consist of the infamous “boob” light. (See picture below) Yep, that’s a thing and for some reason they are everywhere. I’m not sure what builder’s guild gathered together and decided….”Yes, this is the light. It needs to be in every home in some form. It shall be mass produced. It will prevail!”
Honestly, I know why. It all comes down to money. It’s so cheap and I get it. But how can we not figure out a way to mass produce something that looks a little bit better??!! But I digress…
Lighting is like the jewelry of your home. It’s the finishing touch that makes your look pop and I prefer lighting that makes a bold statement. Think of it this way; you head out to run some errands and throughout your day you see ten different women wearing small gold studs. The gold studs are pretty and they do their job but they don’t stand out or come across as unique. There’s nothing wrong with gold studs and sometimes they’re the most appropriate choice, but I personally like a bolder and more unique look with jewelry. This is similar to when you enter several homes and see a “boob” light in every hallway or bedroom. It’s there, and it functions as a light, but no one is wondering “where did you get that?!”
Change All the Lights!
So when we were at the Design Center and given our choices for lighting, I was rather underwhelmed. First of all, you pick a “package” of lighting, not individual fixtures for each room. Second of all, the choices where pretty standard and nothing gave me the bold look I was going for. Therefore, I chose the cheapest and most standard package available and knew that I would be changing lights as soon as I got into our new home. I’ve already been on the hunt for some options, starting with our kitchen island pendants and a chandelier for our dining room. Here are some of my current choices for our kitchen island! I haven’t nailed down which ones yet, because frankly, the ones I like the most are the more than what I want to spend. When you start searching for lighting, you will find that some can be OUTRAGEOUSLY priced, but there are more affordable designer looks out there if you keep searching. Check out my top contenders below, which I grouped by price range, and please leave a comment. Tell me which ones you would choose!
Crystal Martin Style 
I love 6. I’m a sucker for beaded lighting. My favorites are Ro-Sham-Beaux, Regina Andrew, Bliss, and Currey! 😍
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I love #1! All of your choices are beautiful, of course. If #1 wouldn’t fit the budget, I personally would choose #3. Looking at 4,6 and 7, I would worry about keeping them clean. They look to me like they would collect dust and be hard to clean. (I’m weird like that!) Glad to see there won’t be any boob lights! Haha! Love your blog!
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