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Home Decorating

Mix or Match Lighting in Foyer?

One Devoted Dame

6 years ago

I essentially have 2 foyers... A rectangular 8x11 foyer where the front entry is, and a 7' rotunda where the garage entry is. See below. :-)

The builder put a rather plain flush-mount light in the foyer and a bit nicer semi-flush light
in the rotunda, and I will be tossing both of them. I want to showcase the rotunda and give it the more awesome/fancier fixture. Can I do that, even though the space is significantly smaller? I also plan to use paint to further highlight it, both inside and out.

How do I coordinate the light fixtures so that it doesn't look like I tried to match but failed? I don't want to necessarily pick fixtures from the same line (or, if I do, I'm not opposed to spray painting something, say, copper, for example), because I don't want to be matchy. To add to the headache, I want a pendant above the kitchen sink, too, which I'd like to coordinate with the rotunda and foyer fixtures (all three are visible from the rest of the public spaces of the house).

The catch? I only like fixtures where the shades look like pillar candles. I dislike seeing bulbs -- any kind of bulbs, even the "candle flame" looking ones -- and therefore also dislike downlights. I am okay painting or adding texture (frosted?) to clear glass cylindrical shades (unless that is a phenomenally bad idea... please let me know if it is, lol).

Sorry for being a total pain. ;-)

Oh! The only light fixture I've purchased so far is for my master vanity, and it looks like this, to give y'all an idea of what I like:

I also really like a bit more swirly-ness, like the fixtures pictured here, but would need to paint/frost the clear glass, assuming these two types should even be in the same home, lol (pics are not of my house):

Hagerman Kitchen · More Info

La Cosa · More Info

PS - The Dining Room shown on the floor plan (first image) isn't our dining room; it's our Parlor, and has a ceiling fan, so I don't have to coordinate yet another chandelier, thank heavens. :-D

PPS - I have thick skin, so let me have it. If I need to hire a pro, say something, please! If I should just let my husband pick everything because he isn't as selective as I am, please tell me, lol. Thanks!

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Comments (3)

PRO
Kendall Lighting Center
6 years ago
What are the ceiling height in the space? Depending on how much room you have, it can determine what kind of fixture you can put in it. If you have a local lighting show room, I would suggest asking one of their consultants specifically about your project. They can help you with finding the right look in the right space. Fixture below will work on a 9ft ceiling.
One Devoted Dame thanked Kendall Lighting Center
One Devoted Dame
Original Author
6 years ago
10' ceilings... And it never occurred to me to ask at a showroom for design advice (I honestly thought they were sales experts, not design folks, lol). Thank you!
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Personally I think it's fine as long as you don't mix more than two finishes. Normally I'd suggest that you have more than one item in each finish, but in your case the dark cabinets might be enough to balance the ORB light fixture with the light finishes in the rest of the room (otherwise, make sure you have something else in ORB). If you weren't already doing a dark cabinet I'd suggest ORB cabinet pulls to tie things together.
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Are you buying from a "lighting" store or a large box outlet store. If it's a lighting store they should be able to tell you which ones go with which. If not, go to one and look to see if it's done there. I think you can mix and match as long as it is in the same manufacuturer line. You might want to check around to see if you can find a line that already has that in a similar style your interested in. Post a few pics and see what others might chime in for ideas : ) Hope that helps
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Which style pendant would YOU choose ... looking to mix and match!
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ok, in my humble opinion, you have a lot of varied texture and finishes going on. I think between the polished fixture over the nook and the rustic fixtures over the island, your eye will not know where to land if you add another fixture to this space. I would not put two different pendants over the sink area, either keep all the 'kitchen' pendants the same or put to recessed lights over the sink. If it gets too busy it will end up looking like a mish/mosh of lighting. since you seem to have simple clean soft lines through most of your space I would not get carried away with too many lights. also as a side note the fixtures you have now probably give great lighting, the one you are replacing them with will not. Long and short: if you go with the heavy fixture from progress lighting I would nix the ones over the sink all together. but if you go with something a bit softer you could potentially mix it up a bit, as it is now with the two sizes.
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The smaller pattern should be on the stairs. When you consider how much of the repeat will show on the stair, the Chateau will look better. Here's some examples of smaller pattern vs. larger pattern Here's the Damask on stairs. It actually gets kind of lost on the stairs as you can't see the pattern repeat well Here's the Chateau, it really pops. But maybe you want it to be more subtle. If so, pick the Damask.
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PRO
Kendall Lighting Center
6 years ago
Most of the consultants we have on staff have interior design degrees. We love the business of lighting homes, and helping make solutions! 10ft high ceilings give you loads of space to hang light fixtures from. A lot of our clients opt for coordinating groups of lights that aren’t necessarily matching pieces.
One Devoted Dame thanked Kendall Lighting Center

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