Ceiling Pendant Fixtures: The Good, the Bad, the Misplaced

How to be Smart Choosing Decorating Trends that Work for You

Sometimes I see decorating trends in the media that look dramatic, but are a disaster when transferred to the average home.

A trend I am seeing a frequently is a dramatic ceiling fixture in the middle of a living room such as this:

This sculptural lighting fixture adds softness to this angular and spare interior.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

2 Problems with this Decorating Trend:

1. Most of the light in the photo is provided by the photographer’s flood lights. The pendant lamp, as beautiful as it is gives only a little light in the center of the room, near the ceiling; leaving anyone sitting on the sofa literally in the dark. (The recessed ceiling lights only illuminate the artwork on the wall, and the floor lamp illuminates the corner.)

2. You need a 12-16 foot ceiling to accommodate the fixture.

In this photo the ceiling fixture takes up the center of the room. It is so low you must walk around the low-hanging lamp. The pendant lamp in this living room hinders the sight-line between people sitting in the chairs in the foreground and anyone sitting on the sofa in the background.
 

This room already has a wonderful focal point in the mantelpiece. The ceiling lamp only distracts from this.

Not all decorating trends work in all spaces, no matter how appealing.

How to Make Smart Choices

A cell phone camera and a measuring tape are your friends.
– Take a photo of your space, print it out and sketch-in what you are thinking of adding or changing
– Measure the item you want to add and then measure the space it will take-up in the room. You want to be able to move around in and use a space not squeeze furniture and decor into it. Be ruthless.

You want to make your home beautiful. Get help creating a home that is beautiful, functional and fun with Linda Varone. Contact me today.

What decorating trends would you like to see reviewed? Make suggestions in the comments box below. I will be happy to write about them.

After-Plus: Sometimes the Best Improvement to Your Home is the Easiest: Room Arrangement.

These proud After photos shows an older home with freshly painted walls, floors refinished and gleaming, woodwork stripped of old paint and varnish, a large mirror above the mantelpiece and personal treasures and artwork on display. This After photo shows a room that is amazingly light and airy for an older house. The owners are rightfully proud of their work. But….some simple tweaks to the room arrangement makes a huge improvement.

After-Plus Challenges

These After photos shows a room with several doorways and openings. There is no solid wall to anchor a sofa. The sofa is placed under the window, but the several plants in the window suggests there is a unattractive view or privacy issue here.

Looking though the doorway in the back, there is a leather sofa suggesting this room is the family/TV room. The glass doors reveal the table and chairs of a dining room. With all the doorways and other gathering spaces this room may end-up being a pass-through space that is rarely used.

This room may be intended for quieter activities such as reading or intimate conversation, but the current layout works against that. Let’s use room arrangement to create some intimate spaces within this larger room.

This room is lucky to have a fireplace. Even though it’s not a working fireplace it is the the focus of the room and gives it soul. Fireplaces are natural gathering places. Take advantage of them.

After-Plus Solutions

There is a gap of about ten feet between the sofa and the fireplace. Too big for an intimate arrangement. The solution, as you have already guessed, is room arrangement: move the sofa closer to the fireplace. This will create a cozy sitting area for reading and quiet conversation. To complete the arrangement and anchor the sofa, add a console table behind the sofa. This will also provide additional display space for plants and personal treasures. Lighting is very important – a trick is to run the electrical cord from the outlet below photo to the right of the fireplace, along the baseboard and under the area rug. Now this would not work in a high traffic area, but I think it will work here.

Furniture does Not Need to be Placed Against a Wall.

“Floating” a sofa in the middle of the room can successfully create a cozier room if anchored with the right-sized area rug and a console table or short bookcase.

An optional touch for this room would be to place a small round table in front of the window with a chair or two for crafts or a romantic dinner a deux.

Your Own After-Plus

If you are challenged by a room that is not working for you contact me today for a collaborative consultation. Sometimes a fresh set of experienced eyes will see the solution that has been eluding you. You deserve to love and enjoy your home.

See More Furniture Arrangement Ideas:

“Furniture Arrangement for Conversation is the Secret to Happiness”
“How to Avoid Furniture Sprawl”