Allow me to illuminate…

Let me shed some light on the situation…

I’m already out of witty puns. (Which is probably a good thing.)

Anyway, you might remember that a few weeks ago, I was cooking in the shadows. Some of you were so supportive, I feel like I owe it to you not to leave you in the dark. (Okay, I had one more.) For any readers just joining- our kitchen light, the ugly fluorescent thing it was, burned out. I’m actually glad it did, because I wanted to replace it from the moment we moved in. But you know how it goes, it worked- and there were other projects… So there it stayed. Then as luck would have it, the thing stopped doing its’ job and forced me to replace it. Sounds easy when I type it out… but it was so much more complicated than that! First of all, obviously, I love being in the kitchen. It’s where I spend the majority of my awake time. One of my favorite things about my house is that I can be with my family when they’re doing homework, watching TV, playing games, etc., while I am in the kitchen. (Another thing is that I have enough cupboards to accommodate my bundt pan collection, not that this has anything to do with picking out a light…) The point is, the kitchen is important to me. I enjoy cooking and baking… and I just wanted the light to be perfect.

The fluorescent monstrosity after the burned-out bulbs were removed.

I have, what I believe to be, an unusually difficult time making decisions. I don’t know, maybe everybody does? (Some people, not to mention names – Joanna Gaines- make it look so easy.) I surveyed these popular farmhouse industrial lights, that are really great. But my kitchen was built in the early 2000’s when Tuscan kitchens were the thing. Which is fine, because I like warm woods and I’m pretty traditional… but all of the new kitchens that look great with the “Fixer Upper” farm style lights are white on white (white cabinets with white counter tops). They’re beautiful, just not what I’ve got (and a kitchen remodel is not happening right now). So, it was hard for me to picture, because I’m one who needs to see it. When I would search for pictures of kitchens of my era, a lot of the lighting already looked outdated. Next, although my house has many traditional elements, the previous owners did some very nice contemporary upgrades. I actually like those too, because I like everything (which plays a part in my decision making problems). Since there is such an open concept in my home, I don’t want to clash elements with a fixture too old school. Then, there is the added consideration of the adjacent light over the kitchen table; they have to match, or at least get along. (Blah blah blah… it’s all very boring, I know.)

Original kitchen table light, moved to dining room

Originally, the light over the kitchen table was a long line of what looks like wax candles (that are actually not). It’s a pretty light… that looked better over my dining room table. After several texts and scouring the internet, my mom helped me pick out a new light (pictured below). I loved that it had a traditional feel- that was still up-to-date with the urban industrial farmhouse trend. The oiled bronze finish complimented the coppery tones in my countertops, and didn’t fight the black iron railings of the nearby modern stairway. However, the length was not adjustable and I did not like how the directness of the light was limited to only what lied underneath. Meaning, it was like a spot light for the table… or if we replaced the table with a chair, we could have done interrogations.

First attempt, spot light

The matching island light was three lights, identical to the pendant light over the table. In theory, it was perfect. In reality, it was not happening. The real issue wasn’t that when the old rectangular box above the stovetop was removed, there wasn’t an electrical box. And it wasn’t that the ceiling would now need patching and paint. It was that the length of the light this fixture was also not adjustable, and wouldn’t work over my gas range. (Sad face and sigh.)

So we sent it back.

The silver lining was that for as long as my husband has known me, I have wanted a pot rack. (I’m an old soul type, who would dream about babies, fireplaces, pot racks, and sculpted bakeware… I love what I love.) But I was concerned about a couple things… One, undoubtedly being, that even with a 10 foot ceiling, I needed to make sure that after the length of a mounted rack and hanging pans, I had room to stir in my biggest pot. Clearly, I need to cook! Second, I was concerned about the amount of light that would actually shine through. After cooking for weeks by lamplight, I wondered about how much glow would be obstructed by hanging pots and pans. I want to see what I’m doing!

My pot rack! Now for more hangable pots…

The solutions were easy with a little more thought. (And the fallback that they too could be returned.) I liked the look of the pendant over the kitchen table, so I found a wider style with an open top (less like a spotlight) on a chain (adjustable). For the island, I found a pot rack (also adjustable in length) with lights open to viewing, positioned above the pots, and with the pot hooks spread farther out than the lights- as to not block them. (I also intend to get the popular Edison bulbs, in the near future.) Overall, the fixture gives the space a kind of old world feel, and the credibility of a real working kitchen that I find charming without rivaling the contemporary aspects of my home. The styles of the two lights were not identical but complementary… they work… I can see in the morning and at night… I’m happy.

The light fixtures

I’d like to thank my husband and father-in-law who spent much of their recent weekends hanging lights, and taking them down, (and taking them to UPS), and installing electrical boxes and weight bearing structures… Thank you.