#1 is not my style and way more formal, so I like #2. With that said you certianly do not need to match the finish of the hardware to the lights if you don't want. I'm going to have a mix of ORB and black and a dark pewter.

Thanks craftlady - I like the first just wasn't sure if it was too much bling for a kitchen!

I really like both fixtures but as craftlady said they are two totally different fixtures.- one very formal and the other not so formal. IMO it really depends on which way you want to go. I think both will great with your choices but the 2nd doesn't has as much umph as the first. I am a very plane jane kind of girl (or at least I used to be my tastes have been changing as I get older) but I really do like the first one.
And as craftlady also mentioned, the fixtures don't have to match the hardware. My hardware is brushed nickel, my light fixtures are black..

Sorry not much help but I don't think you can go wrong with either!

I know some people feel that everything has to be matchy-matchy in terms of finishes on fixtures and hardware, but I disagree. If it's different, it can still work together, like wearing gold and silver jewelry together. When done right it looks fabulous. When all things are part of the same suite or grouping, sometimes it looks flat, contrived.

I've been scouring design magazines and the like and I've found that more often than not, high end designers mix it up. I've seen antique brass light fixtures with polished nickel hardware. Or ultra mondern cabinets in an old space. Europeans do this a lot, not worried about it looking "authentic". Take those gorgeous french ranges, La Canche. They pair brushed stainless finishes with brass accents.

It's up to you. BTW, I LOVE that crystal fixture. If it's in a prominent spot, than yes, the other quieter fixture would pair well, as all eyes will be on the crystal. If you settle on a fixture just because it "matches", you may regret it in the end.

This one's a bit far way, but the light fixture is oil rubbed bronze and it looks like the hardware is nickel, or chrome.

I thought of this company right away because of your range.They have Many styles available, which can be ordered in various shade colors.

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Here is a link that might be useful: Barn Light Electric

Thanks so much for the comments.

I like the crystal one because it was kind of unexpected. My kitchen or home is not formal in the least but I thought the bronze finish brought it down a cpl notches.

limpsest - that is so funny! I was on their site this morning! The reason I picked the 2nd fixture was exactly because it goes more with the big blue elephant. This is actually the fixture that is in there now. There used to be an island under it but no longer.

While I still love the look of it, and variations of the barn lights, I don't like the way the light is diffused. Straight down basically. The metal doesn't let it get very far.

You like the crystal one, so do it. I love seeing something a little unexpected, a little fun.

The crystal one is fun in a funky sort of way, but I would think it would take a lot more time to clean and could look dingy if you don't do it often enough.
The second one is cute, but not working as a focal point. If your focal points are elsewhere, then it would be perfect. If you are wanting the light fixture in that spot to be a "star", it is too understated.

I like the first one! I think the darker metal picks up the darker tones in the granite...but the crystal will bounce around the light and keep it feeling bright and airy. Perfect combination :)

The metal would look good on hardware, with the cabinets, too!

Here's a slightly less blingy but similar version of your 1st option that I was considering for our master bath before deciding on an antique crystal.

Here is a link that might be useful: Lucia chandelier

Thinking that a light over the sink is task lighting as well as something nice looking, I was going to complicate things further by noting that your ceiling seems pretty high and you might want to consider a fixture less close to the ceiling. Then I saw that you even have your nautical fixture at ceiling level, so that might what you are most comfortable with.

I am going with something very like your current fixture, but with a Hanging Garden of Babylon look. The only thing that is missing from the complicated ceilingscape of my small unfinished kitchen is great festoons of flexible ducts, like in the movie Brazil. Still, I have nine foot ceilings; the kitchen sink is going in below the back window, and I will need the light at this height to see what I am doing.

By the way, I think that light fixtures are the easiest thing to change when you want a different look for your kitchen. If you have a scale, an installation point, and however idiosyncratic a fixture you really like, go for it.

That second fixture comes in ORB too.... (Maybe not from the site you got it from, but I've looked at it before. Try Schoolhouse Electric: http://schoolhouseelectric.com/fixtures-type.asp?type=SurfaceMount ...they have that look, but you can customize it)

With that said, you shouldn't let the finish lead you to which fixture you want.... :) You can get both in ORB.

What overall look are you going for in your home? You said it wasn't very formal. If that is the case, I would not go with the crystal one. However, if you have eccentric/whimsical taste/decorations at all, perhaps it could match.

My second thought is... what type of light do you want/need in that space? Is this light purely an accessory or is it functional also? You mentioned not liking the light cast from down-lighting. (Then, the second light isn't your type! It will cast shadows...)

Final comment... I am the type (apparently in the minority here) that likes the "matchy-matchy" finishes. I understand that design doesn't necessitate it and there are really well done kitchens with different finishes. However, it bothers ME when they don't match.... If it bothers you, then match them. If it doesn't, do whatever makes you happiest when you see that fixture! :)

I like the crystal one because it's funky, but this is for over the sink, right?

Two things to consider: A light with crystals and wires is going to make patterned light, especially close to it.

A single light over a sink casts a lot of shadows.

Two plain light sources, spaced between shoulders and armspans apart, will make for a much more even wash of light, and eliminate a lot of shadowing.

I love the first one. It's different and elegant and fun at the same time. Go for it!

Q for Plllog or anyone else who got it:

Can you paraphrase this for me -- I'm wondering what this means:

Two plain light sources, "spaced between shoulders and armspans apart,"

I have two lights but am not sure how this spacing (between and apart) should work.

Sorry, Mary, sleep deprivation. I meant that the best distance to separate the two lights over the sink was between the measure of shoulders (15"-18"?) and armspan (72"). 72" is probably too much unless you're using big fixtures like Inspired's chandeliers.

It also depends on the size of the sink. Unless you're widening the spacing to accomodate fixtures, it's best to have the lights directly over the sink. If you have a 20" wide sink, that might not work. If you have a 30" sink, it shouldn't be a problem.

Mine are halogens mounted inside a cabinet with flush glass diffusers, approx. 24" center to center. IOW, all light and no (visible) fixture.

Thanks for the additional comments!

My ceilings are actually very low - only 8 ft so I think that a flush mount/semi flush mount would be best this way I am not looking into my light. : P

I am not necessarily a matchy matchy person. If I go with the ORB that is a big jump from my nickel trimmed range. But it would bring out the glazing of the cabs.

hmmm. decisions decisions!

ok... so I am back again and hoping to get some opinions.

I found 2 more light fixtures that I am obsessing over. The mercury glass hobnail one in the middle or the cage pendant that looks like an upside down flower...

Again, these would be placed over the sink which has a 40x40 picture window and there would be recessed lighting throughout. These would provide additional light but I really just want something great to look at.

Thanks!

Oouuuuuuuhhhh...I like the mercury glass!

breezygirl - isn't it?!? I think the mercury glass would be like jewelry all sparkly and pretty. My issue is that it a plug in though... Wonder what I would do with that?

Change the plug to directly wired. Easy to do.

Have you seen the HGTV show Sarah's House? She renovated an old farmhouse & used a couple of antique brass pendants over the kitchen sink that remind me of what you're looking at.

Sorry I don't know how to paste the link. Just go to Sarah's house, season three, Get Ready for the Farm.

Good luck with your light choice!

Hello,

Can anyone tell me the brand and colour name of the paint of the cupboards of the aqua kitchen?

Thank you,