Thursday, April 7, 2016

light overload

sigh, has anyone ever looked at a wall sconce and not hated it? honest question here, have any of you even seen a wall sconce and thought, "that's nice?" well i haven't and i feel like i've seen about a billion in the last few days.

We are picking out lighting for the house, we have to know what kind of fixtures we want for updating the electrical.  There is one tricky spot at the top of the stairs where we have to do a sconce on the wall to light the stairway, instead of an overhead fixture. I'm having major analysis paralysis on this one.  I want to find something that doesn't stick out from the wall too much, it's a tight stairway anyway.  but it also has to look good and provide decent light.  Oh, and i also don't want to pay more than $50 or so for a fixture i'm going to bang into weekly until it finally falls off the wall and breaks in 18 months.

you'd think i was looking for a unicorn.

unfortunately, i don't ever seem to be indifferent to light fixtures in general. i either love something or i hate it and for sconces i 99% hate them all.  i wish i could just deal with something bland, just go with whatever, builder basic piece of shit is de rigueur and never notice it again but that's not my personality.

Here are some options i am maybe thinking about possibly considering, but really i don't like any of them for this space.

Objectively i like this one a lot - so much that it's going in the bathroom :) but i'm not entirely sure it is narrow enough for the stairway AND i don't know that i think a black fixture is a good idea.
This one seems pretty cute too, but it's a little utilitarian for the hall.  this would be amazing in a studio or workroom, big pantry or whatever.  i think we need something 20 - 40% decorative and 60- 80% functional, this guy is at best 15% decorative and at least 90% functional.

Jon suggested this one, which is probably the direction we need to go in, in terms of size and shape, but i just can't get excited about it.

Maybe i'm asking too much that EVERYTHING that goes into our home be a deliberate choice that we are both happy with and that fulfills our vision for a happy, comfortable and good looking home.  Perhaps because this is one of our first decorating decisions it's getting more attention than it deserves.  I know if it's all like this i won't have energy to mull over decisions like paint and blinds and throw pillows (who am i kidding, i could debate the merits of a given throw pillow for days without breaks for food or water).

In short, any suggestions on a great sconce?

4 comments:

  1. OMG we must be sisters. I hate lamps! To the point where it's a running joke between me and Collin and if I ever say I like a lamp, he makes a big deal out of it.

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    1. no! not lamps. i LOVE lamps. I can always find virtue in a table lamp. Also, Target has been KILLING IT with their lamp offerings for the past year. if you need some stylish ones, check there - seriously, i am sad to be stocked with lamps because i want to buy all their inventory.

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  2. I like some sconces but they are all a million dollars and/or do not provide much light. :/ If I see anything I'll let you know. I just saw this blog today and it's so fun!

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    1. yes! let me know. we may have to make a decision soon, but we can always upgrade to something cuter later too! so glad you are stopping in to help with some decision making!

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