More Pendant Lights

Although I might be going in a different direction, I found a few more alternatives to the Bocci 28 Series Pendant Light (shown below). At left is the Bubbles Globe Pendant by Sonneman. It comes in 3 sizes - 8", 10" or 12" diameter - and ranges in price from $130-$190. It doesn't have any of the organic qualities of the 28, but as a simple glass sphere it's pretty nice.

28 Series Pendant

West Elm makes a similar fixture called the Globe Pendant (above) that is 11" in diameter. It's only $99, or you can buy them in sets of two or three as well.

The Jasper Pendant from LBL Lighting (left) is new, and has the the malleable looking form of the 28 Pendant. I think the 28 is cooler, but this one is 12" in diameter, as opposed the the 28 which is 6" round. It costs $412-$452, so isn't really cheaper than the 28, but you would probably use less of these as they are larger. Oh, and it also comes in colors!

Pendant Lights, Omer Arbel & Cool Canadian Lighting

I've been looking for pendant lights to hang over the bar area of my kitchen. At first I was thinking of doing something like the Cypree large pendant by LBL Lighting (shown at left). I was inspired by a project we did at Bohl Architects that was featured in Annapolis Home Magazine. You can see the pendant lights they chose hanging over the kitchen table on the last page of the article. The entire house is very cool and worth a look - you can see more photos here.











I also love the Capri 1 pendant by Jonathan Adler shown below.








But then I saw the 23.2 House designed by architect Omer Arbel (below) featured in Dwell Magazine. The house has a lot of innovative features (you can see more photos by clicking the link above), but I really loved the clusters of pendant lights grouped throughout the rooms.

Arbel designed these 28 Series pendant lights for his own Vancouver based company, Bocci Lighting. They are elegantly simple and eclectic all at the same time, but a little out of my price range at $460 apiece ($495 for the LED version - which I would definitely recommend if you are going to spring for these).

He has a very cool smaller pendant also, the 14 Series pendant (shown at left), but it's still $320.















Anyway, after much web searching for a similar fixture I did manage to find an alternative - the Crescent Pendant by Alico Lighting (shown below) - another Canadian company. It has some of the same qualities that I love about Arbel's fixture - an undulating round outer glass shade with an inner opal shade that shields the light bulb - and the best thing is that it's $236. I'm not positively sold yet - I need 5 pendants - so I'll be doing some more searching in the next few days.

Renovation Gallery - Screened Porch

This week our contractor started the screened porch. As the mosquitoes usually chase us inside at dusk during the summer, this is one of the parts of our addition we're really looking forward to using.

There will be a sliding door connecting the porch to the house. Also, there will be a see through gas fireplace on the porch (you can see this on the floor plan), which will hopefully add a little heat on cold spring and fall evenings.

Renovation Gallery - 2nd Week of Framing

Wednesday....
























Friday...

Now you can see how the dormer window in the kitchen is shaping up.




















































Above, Eric & Tim are standing in our new master bathroom. The bay window will bring in plenty of light and because our backyard is wooded, privacy isn't an issue. I plan to build in a window seat with storage underneath.

Renovation Gallery - 2nd Week of Framing

Tuesday brought a roof above the new second floor and the beginning of a bay window that will be in the second floor master bathroom.

Looking through the opening for the sliding doors (below), you can see the beginning of the dormer window in the kitchen.

Renovation Gallery - 2nd Week of Framing

Monday April 25th - the second floor and roof above the kitchen get started....

Looking at the new extension of the kitchen (below) - a dormer window will let in light above the kitchen cabinets that will be on the solid wall.

Ella is standing in front of what will be a large double casement window (below) in the kitchen. Hmmm- that would make a nice transom window above it (I did have a window planned here, but then took it out because of cost.) There will be a sloped "cathedral" ceiling in this part of the kitchen.