Please help I have lost my sense of direction. Lighting finish??

16 years ago

We are building a Spanish revival/stucco house. Since reading posts on here I found that my sense of style is transitional. When we started to build the house my vision revolved around a Wallace Neff inspired homes. A touch of Frank Loyd Wright, Restoration Hardware, Crate & barrel, West Elm, PB, etc.

Now I need to pick out our final light fixtures in the great room and I am stuck. I was originally thinking an ORB finish for my chandelier and pendant lights but when I visited the house today all the recessed lights have chrome inside them. That is when all sense of direction flew out the window. I started looking for silver, nickel fixtures and I can't find a pendant I like that fits my original vision. All the ones I like are too modern.

So what should I do? Is Orb going to stick out like a sore thumb or be able to mix harmoniously with the chrome recessed lights? The link is a picture of the fan I put in the room that needs to blend. Please help I am in a panic and stuck.

Here is a link that might be useful: Fan in great room

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Comments (4)

les917
16 years ago
I am assuming the recessed lights won't be on most of the time, and when the are the glare from the bulb will essentially 'wash out' the inside of the light where the chrome is. What people are going to see is the fixtures that are totally visible, like your chandelier and pendants. Those are the ones that should matter. Go with your original instinct of the ORB or other darker finish.
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skypathway
16 years ago
If you can paint the silver part of the cans to match ORB you could stick with your original vision. I doubt most people would even notice such a small detail but if it's something that's going to bother you for a long time, then you'll find a solution to make it all work. I know it's frustrating but it will all be beautiful in the end.

Sky
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I'm happy you went with your instinct. Personally I don't like every finish to match and you'll find that you will never look at the rings around the can lights but you will either admire or hate your light fixtures depending on whether you go with what you like or with what you think it needs to be. I have different metal finishes in almost every room in my house and my kitchen actually has 3 different ones and I love it. The panic you are feeling is just the culmination of months and months of decisions -- you are literally worn out. It's also the anticipation of every single decision coming together for the final "reveal" that you'll have soon. Take deep breaths and keep saying "this too shall pass."
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skypathway
16 years ago
I have rethought my answer - after pushing the submit button. Oops. I just looked at our can lights LOL - I never look up at them, and I noticed they are all white and sort of blend into the ceiling. It also made me think if they were ORB then they will stick out like a sore thumb and not be attractive - you want them to blend into the background and I presume the silver will as much as the white.

Sky
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Valerie Noronha
16 years ago
I worry less about matching to the insides of your recessed lights than matching to other hardware around the home. What type of hardware do you have for your door knobs? Wht type of cabinet hardware did you choose? I have learned just because you have recessed lights, it looks nice to also put in a few table lamps for ambient or reading light as well as table decor. If you choose that, what type of finish do you see there? Personally, I mixed nickel and ORB/bronze in my house but was very careful--ORB/bronze was in the formal rooms (entry, living and dining), nickel is everywhere else. Just recently I put up a bronze drapery rod in my bedroom and I have nickel hardware. It goes better with the drapes and that is what it is closest to. Some people are sticklers for having all finishes matchy-matchy and others are OK mixing it up a bit. If your style is transitional, I think it's OK to mix it up a bit.
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Please help I have lost my sense of direction. Lighting finish??

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les917

skypathway

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