As we move past the demo phase of our renovation, it’s time to pick out fixtures. Here are some small light fixture ideas we are considering (including ones we’re ready to buy!)
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Making Light Decisions
Numerous times throughout the renovation process Thomas will announce it’s time to choose a design element. Whether that is paint colors, flooring stain, trim, tile, or light fixture choices. I ask him what he thinks and his reply is “I’m not an interior designer; I’m just a builder” to which I reply “I’m not an interior designer; I’m just the client!”
We laugh, but for real, we laugh nervously because what are we doing!? Sure we probably should have used a designer to help us piece together the finishes in this house, but we spent all of our design budget on architect drawings. So we are winging it and using Pinterest and blogs to guide us. (I have a few friends who are designers in some shape or form who I have had casual convos with though!)
Going with our coastal farmhouse decor vision, a lot of the fixtures we are considering are in a matte black finish.
Deciding the perfect height for our mirror and fixture. Math is hard!
Lighting is next on our list
Adding light fixtures in the right places can dramatically change the ambiance in the room. Natural light is always king (thank you dormer!!!) but in the evening and on gloomy days, layers of light can change your mood. Wall sconces, floor lamps, task lighting, pentants, ceiling fixtures – they all add up to a beautiful, artful display of light that can become the focal point of a room.
Luckily lighting is relatively easy to change in and out. Some of you may remember when I was in my bright colors era I DIYed a lime green drum shade in my dining room. If I can hook one of these up myself, you can too! Even switching out your table lamps can brighten up a room (get it! haha).
Small light fixtures are an inexpensive way to change the look of a room and tailor to your style. (I’m looking at you boob lights!) There are so many different styles and sizes of small light fixtures to choose from, but if you’re like me you can narrow down the list rather quickly.
Here is a round-up of small light fixtures we are considering that may inspire some lighting ideas for you as well.
24 Small Light Fixtures Ideas
There is a lot of Pottery Barn here because 1) I love their style 2) We have a store card to earn rewards 3) I feel that when you shop consistently from a brand you get a more cohesive look!
Pendant Lights: Over Island
The current vote is for the City Glass Pendant by Pottery Barn. We’ll have two of them spaced evenly. I love the shape, the black wiring, and that the glass is clear. (I do worry about children throwing things and breaking them!)
Example in a kitchen:
Other pendant lights we like:
Kitchen Lights: Recessed
In addition to the pendants, the main lighting in the kitchen will come from recessed lights in the ceiling. Our current lighting plan has 8 recessed lights plus one task light over the kitchen sink. Under cabinet lights will provide accent light too.
Dining Room Light Fixture
I really wanted a lantern-style fixture somewhere in the house (I’ve had these PB Malta lanterns for 16 years!) but we decided they were a bit too much for our kitchen. We are adding a chandelier to the dining room where we previously had no ceiling light at all, and it has to be something see-through so as not to block our view!
Enter the Remington Iron Linear Lantern Chandelier. It’s simple, a good size, and a classic lantern style. Very see-through for the view! I love the brass finish too, but we’re going with bronze to keep the consistent color scheme.
Other chandeliers we like:
Living Room Lights = Fan
We don’t have a small living room yet there were zero overhead lights in there! We had three lamps on alexa voice activated switches that light the room, and the new dining room light will do double duty for living room light too. However, we are not adding any overhead lights here – just a fan! We don’t love fans with lights in them, so we’re choosing a simple MinkaAire Roto 52″ Indoor Ceiling Fan. This is the indoor version of the fans we have on our screened-in porch.
Bathroom Light Fixtures
The choice here is the Rhodes Triple Tube Sconce! Similar to the pendant lights in the kitchen, I like the straighter (not tapered) glass and prefer tubes to globes. We debated doing sconces on the sides, but since we have a window between our mirrors, we thought that might be too many things in a row. So above the mirror was the vote.
In a bathroom with a similar wooden vanity. We also chose black faucets:
Other sconces we considered:
Flush Mount Fixtures
We have a few places that will need a flush mount. Flush mounts are great for small spaces where you want to infuse some character. This is my favorite (although admittedly we haven’t decided on one).
More Flush Mount Ideas
Small Outdoor Light Fixtures
For our new side porch, we’ll need one small outdoor light fixture. We’re trying to figure out the best way to get it motion activated too! Our electrician can attached a motion sensor to any sconce and hide it in the eaves of the porch. Or you can buy one with motion built in.
