Lights Please

We actually completed another item on the house recently and I am very excited about it!!  Now, I know already that the BFA (big, fancy architect) is going to hate the fact I defiled his steel beam by hanging pendent lights from it but the basic fact is, I could not see worth a crap on that side of the kitchen with no overhead lighting.  In the winter, when the sun comes in, it's no big deal, except at night.  But in the summer when there is no direct sunlight, I was having trouble.  Yes, my eyes are not what they used to be and I need a little more light.  So, we picked out a nice light fixture with very unobtrusive wiring and Allen did the rest.  The wiring runs along the upper side of the bottom flange of the beam, so it is completely concealed.

I know you can't tell crap from the first photo about what the globes look like, so here is a close up.  Personally, I think it looks really cool.  I had thought about repurposing wine bottles again to make the globes but just wanted something a little nicer and these were not that expensive.  The entire fixture was about $45 maybe.

This is just a view from the other direction and from here the wires the globes hang from basically disappear  because of the dark wall behind them.  Anyway, they add a wonderful light and clarity to the kitchen area. 

Which is better to highlight the glass and slate tile I picked out for the backsplashes and stuff!!  Yay!!  The small sheet tile will be the backsplash area along all the counter tops and behind the stove, up about 2 feet.  The large slate tiles will be from the range hood and up and completely cover the other side of that wall, around the gas fireplace.  Well, with a bit of mosaic thrown in.  I am very anxious to get started on this part but there are a number of things that must come first, such as pouring the actual countertops!

Just a little close-up of the glass and slate.  I really like these and the tan/ brown/ goldish colors will blend well with my kitchen cabinets. 
Now, you all know I always advice people to go to a specialty supplier when buying stuff like this and not assume Lowe's or some other big box place is going to be cheaper.  However, in this case Lowe's was actually the best deal by a long shot.  Still, it doesn't hurt to check the supply houses first.  I had seen these tiles at Lowe's a while back but went to look at a tile supplier in Birmingham just to see.  In fact, they were the same supplier I bought my shower tile from and, at the time, they beat Lowe's price quite well and had a better selection.  Well, sometimes things change I guess.  I really couldn't find anything at the supplier that I liked better than these and they wanted 3 times what Lowe's was asking per square foot.  Literally, 3 times.  Plus, I had a gift card from a while back that was a safety award from my construction days and that got me another $50 off, so....

Unfortunately, I am still working in Birmingham and then have to get back to my pottery for a big special order and some other stuff, so it may be a while before I actually get to start installing this stuff.  Well, and get over a terrible head cold that has left me not feeling like doing anything.  Hopefully it won't be much longer and I can really start getting this kitchen finished.  I think it's gonna look fabulous!

This Little Light Of Mine

Ok, here is the light fixtures that I'm thinking of. I took some wine bottles and cut the top and bottoms off so that I just have a cylinder. That was pretty cool; I had never cut glass bottles before. Fairly easy. A friend of mine is a fabulous glass artist and she said I could bring them over to her studio and sandblast them to give them a frosted look. That was fun also.
So then I wanted to add a little detail because I think the glass cylinder itself is a little plain. I took copper foil that you use to make stained glass windows with and ran it around in various designs. The copper is a peel and stick thing and then you go back and solder it to make it a little more substantial. I will then patina it a darker color; like a dark gunmetal color. Ok, so here is where you all come in. Which design do you like best? Going from left to right, far left being #1 etc. Of course, there is an infinite variety of things you could come up with but I'm trying to keep it simple. Keep in mind, I have to make 30 of these. So tell me what you think. Do I have preference? Yes, but I'm not saying.
This is just one I grabbed up and put in the fixture so to see it lit up. They look pretty good. the globe part is about 5 1/2" tall. The fixture itself is a cheap ($2.85) porch light fixture that I installed upside down. And yes, I am using the energy efficient, compact florescent bulbs; 60 watt.
Here it is a little further away so you can get a different feel. This has been taking most of my time yesterday and today so not much else going on at the house. I think I'm getting a little frustrated or burnt or something too. Needed something a little more creative than caulking and painting to concentrate on. This is a quick post today as we are going to Birmingham tonight to attend a gallery opening where some friends of ours exhibit their work.

Blinded By The Light

We got almost all the lighting wired for the living room/kitchen area. This is the lighting plan that the BFA came up with for me and I think it is SO cool. Due somewhat to the fact that the ceilings are so high and vaulted etc. he decided to put all of the lighting on the walls. The fixtures start approximately 2' out of the corners and then you have one every 4 feet and go all the way around the room. On the North and South walls these line up with every other rafter; this photo shows that. Now, they are wired in equal sections so that you can turn on part of them instead of just everone of them coming on at one time. If I want just the ones over the kitchen sink on, I can turn just those on or opposite sections in the living room etc. I think you probably get the idea. I know at first glance some of you are probably thinking that there is nothing green about this as they probably burn alot of electricity but it would be rare for me to actually turn them all on plus they will use about 40-60 watt bulbs and now they have those cool swirly ones that hardly use any power. Now, the BFA wants me to use plain, porcelain socket type fixture (very economical) but this would require using special light bulbs since they would be exposed and you don't want them glaring at you. I'm not very disposed to having to go someplace special to find some special light bulb that they are going to charge you some special price for. So.. I'm trying to find a very simple, affordable fixture ( I need 30).
Plus, with a porcelain fixture etc., the bulb sticks out straight and I just don't like that or the color blah, blah, blah so anyway, I am trying to come up with something maybe I could make. I'll keep you informed. The BFA is aggravated at me for this but he is usually aggravated at me about something so it's all fine. I am going to keep it simple though which I think is the main idea. These pictures really don't do it justice but of course, there is no drywall up or anything so it is sort of hard to imagine. We have some sockets on the boxes now just to be able to have light and the bulbs in them are 100 watt so they are much brighter than what I think they will be later.
This is just a silly shot of the bedroom ceiling with the light on. I'm still fascinated with the fact that you can go in the house and flip lights on. Oh!! My windows came in this morning so we will be installing those soon. YES! No more wind and rain blowing in! We have hung all the ceilings that get drywall and have hung the Durock in the shower and insulated some exterior walls. That means that I now have an attic too! Which needs insulating. I feel like I will be working the rest of my life on this house and I know in ways I will, but I will be glad to see even a glimpse of the light at the end of the tunnel.