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ontariomom

Please let me know if these lighting fixtures work together? (par

ontariomom
9 years ago

HI everyone,

After a previous post last week on lighting my kitchen, I have made my first selections on kitchen lighting fixtures so I have posted the highlights of my remaining question as the old thread was getting long. One key bit of advice that came out of the guidance I received from thread one was the need to balance the lighting over the island as we have to factor in the visual clutter of an overhead island hood with a large size pendant (not say 3 small ones and a big hood). Our island hood will likely be powder coat painted a grey blue and will have stainless banding on the end. The fan looks something like the below inspiration.

Craftsman Kitchen by Seattle Design-Build Firms RW Anderson Homes

Next, is our first crack at a lighting plan. Our house has 8 foot ceilings which is standard in Canada. The pot lights are to be 4 inch ones. I do think we will end up removing a few pot lights (probably pot #4 and #6). I have yet to calculate the lumens as per the advice davidtay gives on the lighting forum so don't know if we have too much light or not enough. At the bottom of this thread, I will explain why we don't want too many pot lights.

Here is our kitchen plan elevation picture. However, there is only a half wall behind the clean-up sink. The dining room is on the other side of the clean-up sink.

Now here are the lighting fixtures. First up is the large pendant light to balance the island fan for down lighting task light for over the 10 foot island (light is 19 inch wide with three lights) Made by Minka Lavery

Kitchen semi-flush for general ambient light (gives up lighting to kitchen). We would use 2 in the kitchen. Made by Maxim from their Finesse collection.

Possible sconce on wall with decorator plates (goes with the semi-flush above). Made by Maxim from the same Finesse collection.

Possible small pendants -- 2 over sink peninsula. Made by Maxim from the same Finesse collection.

What do you think of these lights for over the 2 windows? Will it be a mistake to introduce chrome for these lights only?

Here is what we are thinking for our dining room which is on the other side of the half wall from the clean-up peninsula.

Just for a laugh, here is why I don't want so many pot lights in the kitchen. The below passage was written by a lighting designer named Randall Whitehead in the book:Residential Lighting: A Practical Guide to Beautiful and Sustainable Design "When recessed down lighting is the only type of lighting that exists, rooms appear smaller and people look older than they are. A room filled with only recessed down lights casts harsh shadows onto people's faces, placing their features in deep shadow and making their features unattractive"

On the other hand, says the same author listed above "if you layer the light properly, it can have all the benefits of Botox without the pesky injections".

Please let me know your opinion on the light fixtures and/or the lighting plan. Thanks in advance for your help.

Carol

Comments (16)

  • joaniepoanie
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I like all your choices, except the chandy for the DR. It seems run of the mill to me and I think you can find something more interesting. I think I'd also get different sconces as well...just so you don't have 3 lights from the same collection...maybe something in chrome like the pendants.

  • ontariomom
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    @ Joaniepoanie.

    Thanks for your comments. Something else in chrome is indeed a good idea. I will look at chrome for the sconces as suggested. Not sure about what else I would choose for the dining room chandy. I was initially planning on using my old one (tiffany style with decorative glass, but unfortunately, the old builder's gold brass which just seemed wrong with the rest).

    Carol

  • joaniepoanie
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    If you post a pic of your DR, maybe all will weigh in with ideas .....I was thinking maybe a drum light to echo what is going over the island...I think a drum light can look both modern and traditional.

  • ontariomom
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I can't post a picture of our dining room as we are completely under construction. Our old dining room furniture is golden oak with matching high glass china cabinet. We may at some point, once this construction is over, using chalk paint to paint over the cabinet, DR chairs and table as the golden oak is not going to look great with our hardwood.

    I will look at some drum lights. That is a good thought. Thanks.

    Carol

  • ontariomom
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I found this drum light that might work in the dining room. Not sure if DH will like it though. Is this better than the first DR choice I posted? This one is in polished nickel, so quite like chrome (almost mirror like).

    Carol

  • tibbrix
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    I really like all the lights except the DR chandy (the first one), but I also don't' think you should introduce chrome. I'd either go completely different or stay with the brushed nickel. For instance, I think you could go with wrought iron or glass.

    Definitely like the second chandy better.

  • ontariomom
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    @ Tibbrix: Thanks for your input. Okay, so no to the chrome (but cute) small hanging lantern lights over the windows. I will try to find another small chain hanging light for the windows in brushed nickel (or something very different perhaps glass).

    Glad you like the second chandy better. It is in polished nickel. Given that polished nickel is a lot like chrome, do you seen any issues with the metal finish of the second chandy?

    Carol

  • tibbrix
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Yes, I think the problem with the chrome and polished nickel is that they're close enough to the nickel to actually clash. Does that make sense?

    Why not also put the Maxim Finesses pendants over the two windows as well as the sink peninsula?

    Then, maybe something completely different for the dining chandy.

  • tibbrix
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    This one is really fun, IMO.

    Here is a link that might be useful: Unique chandy

  • tibbrix
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    This is interesting! Also comes in white

    This post was edited by Tibbrix on Sun, Jul 13, 14 at 21:40

  • ontariomom
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    So, given the second posted DR chandy is chrome, that is a no go due to the brush/satin nickel fixtures in the kitchen that is open to kitchen?

    I don't think I could do either of the two unique chandy's you posted. Fun yes, but not me I am afraid. I do appreciate you finding them for us to consider though.

    I did want the pendants hanging over windows to be different from the ones over the clean-up run. I was wanting the ones over the window to hang from chains rather than rods. As it seems from my extensive searching on Lightingdirect.com there are not very many small pendants that look like the chrome ones I posted in my original post. Here is what I am looking for over the windows:

    Probably a metal shade
    definitely hanging from a chain
    down lighting
    brushed/satin nickel finish or maybe oil rubbed bronze
    Not overly priced
    A bit blingy looking (pretty)
    Small (maybe 6-8 inches diameter)
    Not too modern looking (I prefer transitional leaning towards traditional)

    Here is one more chain hanging pendant that meets most but not all of above (it is rather expensive and not as pretty as I was hoping for). What do you think of this light for over the windows?

  • romy718
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    What about the globe pendant in your most recent post in a larger size above the island, to balance the hood? You posted this picture in your previous thread. This globe pendant was too blingy (disco ball) for you.
    I like the plan for sconces & pendants above the peninsula. I think semi-flush lighting is too much & will detract from your other lighting. I'd replace those lights with pot/recessed lighting.

  • Jessica Frost-Ballas
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Hi Carol! I like your light choices but my one word of caution would be to double-check that the pendant light and semi flush-mount lights match in the white tone of the glass. That's mostly why we ended up using the same collection throughout the house...the whites in various lights were SO different and it really bothered me. Probably wouldn't bother everyone but you might want to see them in person side-by-side first! :)

  • ontariomom
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    @sparkler: Thanks, you make a good point! So far the ceiling fixtures, pendants over sink and the sconces are all from the same line of lights so hopefully that translates into the same shade of white. One poster suggested changing the sconces to a different line for variety. If we do that we will avoid doing a sconce with a white shade to avoid the different white problem. We were planning to order them from LightingDirect.com, but if we don't like them together we can return them I assume.

    @ romy718 Thanks, that is a very good idea to work though. I do like those lights I posted for in front of the window and it does come in a bigger size. That sphere shape one is 3 times the price as the drum shaped one I posted in my opening post. The sphere shaped one is 14.5 inches and the drum shaped one is 19 inches in diameter. The sphere shaped one has one 150 watt bulb and the drum shaped one holds 3- 60 (180 total) watt bulbs.

    All,

    What is the best way to float in the pictures of these light fixtures into a picture of my kitchen? DH has done a Sketch-up picture of the kitchen. If we could figure out how to cut and paste pictures of the lights into this Sketch-up photo we would have a better idea of what the visual clutter would look like and if the 3D shapes looked good together.

    I would like to keep the two ceiling lights and sconces as they are the only source of ambient or up lighting. The rest of the lights (pots and pendants) are all down lights.

    As per the dining room chandy, I am thinking we will start off using our old dining room chandy and change it out later when we have extra funds. Below you will see a picture of our dining room before the house rebuild. New DR will be much more spacious. You can see the old DR chandy I was hoping to reuse for now. Is it a disaster to re-use with the other light fixtures I have chosen for the kitchen that is nearby?


    Carol

    This post was edited by OntarioMom on Mon, Jul 14, 14 at 19:03

  • bbtrix
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Regarding your question about mock-up, you can copy/paste your images into a word processor. I pasted a photo of my kitchen into Pages on my iPad several times, then added cropped pix of the lighting I'm considering and resize and move into position. Then I have several to compare.

  • ontariomom
    Original Author
    9 years ago
    last modified: 9 years ago

    Thanks bbtrix for your advice on the visual mock up. I think that will be more than worthwhile.

    Carol

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