Let There Be Light!

I feel that lighting choices are just as important as the perfect pair of earrings to a killer outfit. I’ve had some fun looking through the 1000s of choices out there for the replacement lighting in the foyer and hallway.  Having 1000s of choices is only good until you have you make a decision.  I narrowed down my search parameters by first deciding on a finish.  I drew my inspiration from this little gem. I picked it up off of the Valentine’s Day clearance shelf at Target for $4.97 two years ago. I was dating the Hubs at the time and we had just celebrated our first Valentine’s Day together.  Cloud 9 was 8,991 cloud levels too low to accurately describe my lofty state.  

However, when I stumbled across this heart, I had had a really rough week.  A culmination of saying a temporary goodbye to the then Boyfriend, now Hubs, finishing midterms during grad school, taking care of my then 1 and 3 year olds and still trying to get my feet fully underneath me after nearly two years of upheaval.  It was a Saturday and the boys and I had a lazy morning, but now needed to get outside.    Too cold to play outside – even in Savannah, GA – so the Chik-fil-a playground and lunch followed by Target it was.  Can I get a hallelujah from the other mamas out there that love this winning combination?  It was nearing nap time, I had to act quick to avoid turning Target-aisle-roaming-joy into why-did-I-ever-leave-the-house-stress. I picked up the few things I needed and a few that the Target gods told me I needed.

This little battery powered gold heart marquee that fit so nicely in my grad school budget was so frivolous and so not needed.  Yet at the end of that aisle, I had a little epiphany; my feet were a little more firmly planted than I realized.  My two boys, so healthy, so perfect, so excited over the glowing heart that would be hung in our little two bedroom cottage.  It would glow softly while they were warm in their beds and I studied for my master’s degree, a long desired goal that I was so close to finishing.  Across the country and half way across the Pacific was a man that I was, and still am, head over heels for and that loved me and those sweet, perfect boys.  Not everything was figured out then and there, but I felt for the first time, in a long time, stable.

The Target gods were right, I did need this little light.

Its plastic antique gold frame and warm lights always make me smile. Its simple ubiquitous shape reminds me of the real important stuff.  I hung it in the foyer after the trim was done and easily decided on my finish for the lighting choices: yes, antique gold with a playful, vintage leaning tendency.  I love the way the muted gold adds warmth to the crisp white trim and wainscotting and adds a level of sophistication to the ‘greige.’

Now if only I could find all the lighting for $4.97.

Sounds the horns for the hunt!  I need one larger light for the foyer (2 or 3 bulbs) and two for the upstairs hallway.  I searched and searched my favorite online home shops: Amazon, Joss & Main and Overstock.  It wasn’t until I laid my eyes on these beauties as I perused pages of gold toned, semi-flush mounts that I felt I found the one…or four…that I thought would be perfect!

 

 

 

I’d love to hear your thoughts on which combination I should go with for the foyer and hallway.  The Sutton and the Minka Lavery 4177?  Or the Stratford and the Minka Lavery 4365?  Or any combination you can think up really.  I think I know which way I’m leaning, but would love some encouragement or possible redirection!  And a few end notes:

1. Total Cost: $4.97, but with free unlimited inspiration and smiles.
2. Biggest Lesson Learned: Happiness always exists at the inside end of a Target aisle.
3. Best Tip: Ask the Hubs for advice, he’s very candid. When asked what he thought about the Minka Lavery 4177, his response was “I don’t know, it looks like something from an old train station…” Stop, you had me at old train station. Looks like I nailed the fun, vintage leaning tendency!
4.  Most Favorite Part: Decorating with something that makes me smile as one of the first things I see when I enter my home.

Cheers!

-A.A.