I did them in my kitchen (white quartz countertops, dark grey stained cabinetry, stainless accents), in a rustic-industrial style. Base bulbs, clear glass shades, plus a matching 3-light "chandalier" over the peninsula. Personally, I LOVE them. People can't stop commenting on them, and they're not harsh at all. As Feisty says, they're actually a very "candle"-like lighting and definitely not for working. Think the highest watt is 60, and that's not much. Keep in mind the bulbs are a bit more pricey ($10 each), but I can't imagine not having them. I have 7 in my home and have no complaints.

Go with LEDs. They now have a range of color and can be ordered as warm white, similar to an incandescent. The incandescent bulbs will have limited availability and then disappear. From a Fox New article of 12/13/2013, incandescents are limited to stock on hand after 1/1/2014 "It’s lights out for the light bulb. On Jan. 1 [2014] it will become illegal to manufacture or import traditional 60-watt and 40-watt incandescent bulbs, thanks to a 2007 bill that set strict minimum efficiency standards – and effectively outlawed the ordinary bulb." A caveat: LED bulbs have short lives in totally enclosed fixtures. Heat greatly shortens the life of the LED. You may know LEDs work on 1.5 to 3V, so it needs circuitry to drop the house 120V to that voltage. LED bulbs styled to replace incandescents have the circuitry concealed in the base of the bulb. Both the circuit and the LED create heat. That 10 or 20 watts in a totally enclosed fixture can really raise the temp. LED dies in less than a year. This does NOT happen in table lamps with open shades because there is free air flow. It happens less in open cup fixtures that face either up or down. It does not happen in enclosed fixtures designed with integral LEDs because the circuitry is outside the glass enclosure.

We just got LED Edison bulbs this weekend. DH wanted them for our retro-modern lights outside the garage. They are 60W equivalent. These particular bulbs cast a decidedly yellow light. They provide light that's ambient but not exactly bright. DH likes them, so I'm good. I love the look for indoors too, but I'd pay close attention to the lumens and the color temp of the bulb while shopping around. I'd definitely go with LED; I can't justify the energy usage of incandescent lights anymore. I love LEDs!

A decent amount of work light is about 800 lumens minium. The Edison incandescent averages less than 350 lumens. The Edison LED isn't much better at 450 lumens. Great for lanterns or exposed bulb application. The Edison Vintage LED temperature is 2200 which is slightly above candle light. A typical A19 LED 60 W emits 800 lumens and it's dimmable. The A19 LED temperature is 2700. You're probably going to have to sacrifice "light" for "looks", or "looks" for "light".