First off, mixing metals is the height of fashion. So if you want silver drawer pulls and copper lights, you're very trendy.

I think a 20" shade is perfect for a 42" table. You could even go a little smaller. I also like the combo you've picked. Similar without being matchy.

If it helps any, there's a lot of overlap between websites. Those fixtures might be sold on several dozen sites. Just Google the name when something catches your interest.

My favorite site is Lamps Plus Open Box. I actually don't know if I've ever ordered from them, but I love looking through the returned and discontinued discount lights. There's also the main Lamps Plus site.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lamps Plus Open Box

aimless- cheap or builder's grade will run from about $10 for flushmount plain closet lights to $200 for the dining room fixture. There are a wide range of less expensive lights in that price range; many are very nice and I have several. Mid-range lights are going to run $60 for flush or semi-flush to about $800 for a fancy dining room fixture. I am not counting island pendants here, which range about $300- $600 for a very striking, good quality fixture. Then, expensive lights will start anywhere from $300 for a tiny Strass mini-flush fixture to a full blown large Austrian Crystal chandelier for 25K or more.
The good news is that there are many beautiful and stylish fixtures at the lower end of the range. You just have to like to shop. Best wishes

This post was edited by musicgal on Tue, Jul 22, 14 at 19:42

Check the splurge and save thread in this forum...someone discusses their lighting.

I can't be of too much help because nearly everything I like is guaranteed over budget! However, I did let that help me guide my search for something similar that was within budget. Did the less expensive knock off always do the trick? No but some of them came pretty darn close. Then there are areas that I really didn't care too much which made it easier to look and choose.

I bought all if our lights from lighting direct. They have timely shipping and stand behind their products if there is damage.

I am with amber-mix metals if you like. :). We have a bit of chrome, mostly satin and a we bit of iron/orb.

Try to have fun!

Do you have lighting stores/showrooms in your area? If so, consider taking a look. It seems most folks want to shop on the internet these days, and it is helpful for browsing, but generally I'd want to see the quality of fixtures before buying (for example, some lights from Restoration Hardware looked nice online but felt like plastic in the store).

We purchased through a local shop that would match internet pricing (and in many cases they were lower because they could buy direct from manufacturer). They were helpful in recommending fixtures in budget, that complied with state requirements, and esp. for undercabinet lighting options. I printed out copies of fixtures I liked from various websites, took those into the brick and mortar store, and let them see what they could get for me.

I have no eye for colors or finishes, but a relative who is a design professional suggests sticking with either cool metals (silver tone) or warm metals (gold/brass/bronze tone), OR go matte or go shiny.

Good luck!

Agree with Oaktown about checking local lighting stores. I have a local store that always beats internet pricing, even with California's 9% sales tax. I don't even have to ask for a better price, they keep up with the online sites and price lower than those. They must have realized that a smaller profit on more volume is better than no sales. Great personal service too.

We too are in the process of selecting lighting. Here's what we've done:

We started, like all our other selections, by looking at sites like Houzz and Pinterest and tagging photos with things we liked. That gave us a general idea for the type/style of fixtures we wanted.

Next we found a very large local lighting specialty store with a comprehensive website. Their entire inventory is online and searchable. We went thru their website, and for each category identified 3 or 4 fixtures similar to our inspiration photos. Tried to pick high/mid/low priced fixtures.

Then it was a matter of figuring out what would fit in our budget and where to allocate what percentages. We figure public display places (dining/entry chandeliers, kitchen pendants) we could go mid-high, and in other non-public places (laundry/pantry, kids bedrooms, kids bath) we could go mid-cheap.

Finally what we're now doing is asking the local stores for quotes. I prefer giving business to a local shop over the internet, for having a physical person/place to deal with if/when things go wrong.

Regarding companies, most of our fixtures in what we think of as mid-range are coming from Nuvo. Couple from Vaxcel. Singles from Seagull, Murray Feiss (splurge for master bath) and Minka (splurge for stair hall). Not sure on quality of any of those. Our next step before ordering is to try to find some of those fixtures in showrooms and give the touch & feel test.

Also, regarding your Q about what's cheap versus high end. That depends on your budget of course. But keep in mind that light fixtures are easily swapped out later on. It's a couple screws and a couple wires. Our inspiration hall lighting fixtures are about $200/ea. But to keep the budget in check we've found a look alike in the $50-$75 range and may (or may not) swap out in the future.

Here is a link that might be useful: Our lighting idea book.

We used Lightingdirect.com as well... highly recommend and good customer service if any issues. We made a spreadsheet and included all lights per room (e.g., recessed light, ceiling lights, fans, under cabinet etc). We probably overdid the recessed can lights (about 35-40 in a 4000 sq ft home) and in addition have a main ceiling light in every room minus the bathrooms where we also have wall lights, the pantry and the kids walk ins.
Lighting is one of the toughest parts of building we found - but the end result is amazing!

We went to our local lighting store, and since we were buying so much, their store owner/lighting designer came to our house and helped us select lighting for the entire place. While the fixtures were more expensive, if I had to hire a lighting consultant, it would've been even more.

I can't emphasize enough the importance of good lighting...it can really make or break a room.

We are using Ferguson for our plumbing and lighting and the sales guy gave us catalogs for Capital Lighting and Quorum Lighting. Of course I found things that caught my eye, checked the prices, and realized that the drum pendant that I liked was $800-$900 or that the little pendants that I want for my island are $150 EACH. What??? The chandelier price seems really high to me especially for a formal dining space that we don't use all that often and the pendant prices seem so high for such a tiny thing.

Both the pieces that I posted were Feiss fixtures. The pendants, "Urban Renewal" are$86 each and the "Taylor" drum fixture is almost $400. We would get builder's prices on that so they would be less than the online price posted.

And I like the Feiss "Clayton" lighting for our master bath. But they are in brushed stainless steel and we are choosing shiny chrome plumbing and I wonder if that would look weird. The 4 light vanity is $236 and the 3 light is $192.

THank you so much everyone for your feedback. I am glad to know I am not the only one who feels overwhelmed by all the options out there!

I sense from your posting that you are really seeking names of manufacturers of lighting fixtures. Since there as so many different types of lighting and lighting fixtures, much less manufacturers, it's rather difficult to point to one or two manufacturers as "best", since their respective line of fixtures may be strong in one type of fixture, but weak in some other type of fixture.

Thus, when it comes to lighting, the first step is to figure out where one wants or needs lighting, and secondly, the type of lighting (ambient, task-oriented or accent/decorative) in each location.

This requires a close analysis of your floor plans and a confirming walk-through of your house under construction. The analysis should be to identify where your furniture will be located, circulation paths, and the type of activity taking place in each room--work, recreation, relaxing, etc. Your lighting plan and fixture selections should be based on this analysis.

In many cases, well illuminated spaces may have some or all of the major categories of lighting--ambient, task-oriented and/or accent/decorative.

When you have all of this worked out on your floor plans, you are ready to start looking for lighting fixtures that fit your needs. Until you have done this, looking at lighting fixtures may be a waste of time.

I'm ignoring the subject area of line-voltage vs. low-voltage lamps, etc., and lamp types, as being over-kill to this conversation.

While I'm at it, I'll suggest you consider lighting control types and locations. Where do you want to control your lighting fixtures and how much variety in lighting levels do you want? As a minimum, I'd suggest all of your major fixed, hard-wired lighting fixtures be controlled with rheostats (or dimmers if you prefer the term), to give you as much flexibility for lighting intensity and mood-setting as possible.

Finally, design and budget are highly personal, so it's hard to recommend something specific without knowing you and your house. For me, and my house, I'd always keep the finishes and colors of lighting fixtures, hardware and other miscellaneous metals the same--at least in each room, if not the entire house. I believe the overall aesthetic--harmony and unity--is much more important than every item with its own disparate finish and a feeling of busy diversity everywhere. I've always believed that the purpose of lighting is to illuminate spaces, and not to be attention getting objects in the interiors, unless there is a need for a specific accent/decorative fixture, based on the design of the house. Just my personal taste and preference--other's milage may vary!

Good luck on your project.

That was a very useful post, virgil. I wish you had commented on low-voltage vs line voltage. The lighting design books I have read (not 2014 publications mind you) often talk about using low voltage down lights to accent paintings among other good uses for low voltage. Our electrician could not see the point of using any low voltage and has been advocating for using LED bulbs in line voltage down light housing.

Sorry, OP if this comment has gone off topic. I too am struggling with doing a lighting plan and choosing my light fixtures. I have read a few good books (The Lighting Bible and Perfect lighting) which offer advice that often differs from what my interior designer and electrician have told me. We don't have any lighting designers in our area, but would consider one if we did.

Carol

I asked a couple of local stores about lighting design. They told me to bring in my electrical plan and they'd help me pick fixtures. Huh? Shouldn't "lighting design" help me figure out what kind of lights I need, how many, etc? "Oh, your electrician does that. We select the lights for you to meet that plan." Um, no thanks.

I've thought about finding someone online to look at my plans and help me decide what kind of lights I need.

Actual fixtures, I'm fairly comfortable choosing myself. I actually find a LACK of fixtures out there. Chandeliers and pendants have lots of choices. But flush mounts and bathroom fixtures are all slight variations on the same thing over and over.

OntarioMom, I'm in Canada, too. Local shops don't even try to compete with online prices. They figure nobody will order from US sites.

amberm, flush mounts are often called "boob" lights for obvious reasons. I really don't like them and tried to avoid them as much as possible. I find semi-flush mounts more attractive and used them where I could. While some disparage them, I find can lights far more attractive than flush mounts and have installed them as well.

Perhaps what I did in the library, where I used the most lighting, will help you think about what you need for task, accent and general lighting. And to think about layers of lighting coming from different levels in the room.

In this room, I wanted it cozy, but wanted to add enough lighting so it didn't feel dark. Especially with all the stained woodwork and the north facing window, it could be very dark in there. I avoided any center ceiling fixtures for general lighting as it can be too harsh, and instead spread enough light around at higher and lower levels to cover general lighting as well as accent and task.

I wanted mantel lights over the fireplace, which act as general and accent lighting. Then I added a spot in the ceiling to highlight the art over the fp (accent). I also added a spot to hit the boat which I knew was going above the bookcases on the right. I knew the book cases would be dark, so I added lighting inside the bookcases to light them.

I then added cans to help graze the fronts of the draperies and the fronts of the bookcases on the right so they wouldn't be so dark in the room. Those are both accent and general lighting. I knew there'd be some kind of lamp in the window so that gives me a lower level of lighting which can be used as task and general.

And because of the book case design with the sofa nestled in between, I knew there'd be no room for end tables with lamps, so we mounted the swing arms to the bookcases themselves. These are great task lights, but with the light lamp shades, they also act as general lighting. I also added a spot to accent the art work over the sofa.

And a big bugaboo for me is bedrooms without a ceiling fixture...you can't see into the dresser drawers without them...

And you want as many lights as possible on dimmers so you can add or subtract as much light as you wish depending on how you are using the room.

A great illustration of layering light, Annie. I believe you used low-voltage pot lights not line voltage ones. Is this correct?

I know they're called boob lights. But nobody offers anything else for 8' ceilings. I can't use semi flush because they end up just a couple inches above DH's head, and he feels like he's going to smack it.

I don't find pot lights to be any nicer, so I try to use those sparingly.

op, we used Ferguson's as well, and found their pricing (with our whole house discount) same/slightly lower than most online sites. I used them for all of our fixtures, except for our recessed lighting, and our exterior sconces/post lights (which I bought on clearance from lightingdirect.com).

The (talented) lighting specialist at Ferguson's drew our lighting plan. I found the showroom to be overwhelming, and used their website to find fixtures. Like another poster, I'm fairly "matchy" as well, and most of our "main" fixtures are Kichler (Hendrik). In our bathrooms, lighting is from Kichler, Minka and Sea Gull; our "boob lights" are Minka Overland Park, and I think look nice.

amberm145,

What area are you in? We just found a lighting designer in Toronto that we plan to meet with. Are you in the GTA area?

We will also have 8 foot ceilings, and that is challenging to incorporate up lighting and ambient lighting. You can use semi-flush (or mini chandeliers) if it is going over a coffee table, end table, bed,etc so your DH does not need to travel under it. There are some semi-flush that are only 8 or so inches high. How tall is your DH?

Up light sconce lighting and cove lighting over wall units etc are two other great way to add ambient lighting. Torch style standing lamps (offers up lighting) add to ambient light too. We are trying to add some of these light sources as we don't want all down lighting that is offered by pot lights or most pendants and flush mounts. Apparently, pot lights over a person's head creates shadows and makes people look older than they are (yikes). Pot lights are best angled to accent art, or angled to walls to reflect light back to a room.

I found lightingdirect.com a great source of lighting ideas and they give key info such as light size and light direction which helps me find fixtures that offers up light or ambient light.

Carol

We used Ferguson's as well for the most part. We mixed a lot of different brands. We have crystals from Schonbek, ET2, Elegant Lighting, and Feiss. And we also have industrial ones from Troy. And some bathroom sconces from Hudson Valley. When we had our consultation, we already had preliminary choices picked out on our own. Then the lighting consultant let us know if it would work in the particular area (too little light, too small etc). I don't remember any issue with matching finishes, maybe also because a lot of what we picked out are crystals (love them!). I would say though that I wouldn't personally mix oil-rubbed bronze with chrome or brushed nickel. But I have no problem using chrome and brushed nickel, if the overall aesthetic is the same.

Here is one that I am excited to see installed in the home:

Take a look at Progress Lighting's lineup. They have a huge selection, and I am here to say that the quality is top-notch. Very high value fixtures.
We have pieces from their Riverside, Archie, Alexa, Equinox, and Adorn collections. Very nice stuff, widely available online, competitive pricing.

Yes, OntarioMom, we did use low voltage lighting in some places.

The kitchen is another place where we used some cans for general lighting, island pendant lights for task and general lighting, under cabinet lighting for task lighting and we have glass fronted cabinets above our uppers that we lit for accent and we put a spot over the range hood to light up the decor there as an accent.

we are having a mixed metal house lighting, hardware, knobs, you name it, it's mixed
also we liive in a suburb of Houston (plenty of places to purchase lighting at any price
we went shopping several times, picked out items we liked and
wrote down their manufacture's model numbers which then "googled" and looked for the least expensive location to purchase them (including shipping) we also did plumbing and fans the same way even including shipping we save a bunch.....

okokok, which shops in Houston did you look at? We are in the area and have looked at a few shops on Richmond, do you have some favorite shops?

General thoughts:

I agree with the poster who commented that lights ought to blend into your overall design -- they should enhance your overall look rather than jumping out at you. I vote for "standout fixtures" in the places where they'll really show (probably the dining room table and the kitchen island) and moderate fixtures where other things will distract from them anyway (like bedrooms and hallways).

I personally would match metals. Right now the trend is eclectic, but that won't always be true. I think matching is especially important in a small room -- like a bathroom -- but less important in a great room.

If you want to go with something trendy -- like the birdcages or industrial-looking light fixtures that seem to be popping up everywhere -- they are something that can easily be changed out in the future. But if I were buying something trendy, I'd look for an inexpensive knock-off, knowing that it's going to look dated sooner rather than later.

I wouldn't worry too much about lights in hallways, etc. -- those are small details that seem important at the moment, but really aren't going to be noticed in daily use.

I absolutely want low, background lighting in a number of places: I want a rope light above the crown molding in my dining area ceiling. I want rope lighting under the edge of the bathroom vanity so we don't have to turn on lights in the middle of the night. And I like dimmer switches for the major light fixtures.

This is a small thing, but it's a goal of mine: I'm trying to avoid specialty light bulbs. In my house right now -- in addition to plain light bulbs, of course -- I have big, fat bulbs over my breakfast table and bar, candle-looking light bulbs over my dining room table, small round bulbs in the overheads in my office, and "Hollywood" bulbs over my sink. The upshot is that I have to keep a variety of sizes of bulbs on hand! Admittedly, with the new, long-lasting bulbs, this isn't the headache that it was a few years ago, but I figure that if I choose better for our next house, I can have only ONE TYPE of bulb that'll work everywhere. Yes, I've already bought the dining room chandelier, and it has "upturned" globes that hold . . . standard bulbs!

Another of my goals: Though every room needs an overhead light, I want to minimize the number. For example, I am putting a wall sconce at the top and bottom of the staircase instead of an overhead pendant that I can't reach -- even with a ladder. As people go higher and higher with ceilings, it's important to think about how you're going to change those light bulbs! Admittedly, I'm not quite 5' tall, so this is maybe more important to me than it is to other people.

@ Ambern - thanks for the lamps plus referral. I ordered a light fixture from them at a great price!