my kind of fan....

sometimes its hard to try and give your "designer" opinion on fans...because truth being said, they aren't really something "designers" tend to gravitate towards. however, i LOVE with all my heart and soul the industrial fan by RH. as much as fans are not suppose to be details/ accents in a room, i love what this says...old school, tons of character and just plain old cool.... i am trying to convince a client to use these in their home and i was happy to see it last night when i was flipping through an old Elle Decor (oct 05")...its in SJP's south hampton home.

charles edwards...

i recently found the company charles edwards (thanks domino) and boy, do they have some beautiful lights!! the company is based out of london and makes antique replicas of 19th and 20th century english and french lanterns. i emailed to company to find out more about their products because i think one of the lanterns would look fabulous on a job i am working on. the only thing that stinks is that the company is only based out of london and has no showroom representation in the states. have any of you designers out there used this company before?? i am in love with that polished nickel finish right now- can you tell??

there is something about good customer service....

i don't know about y'all but in my industry, customer service it key. if you want me to come back and use your product, showroom, etc. then show me some southern hospitality. yesterday, was a perfect example of how a good sales rep can totally make my job easier and left me with a pleasant smile on my face. i was working on exterior lighting and we were debating b/w two different lanterns in the showroom. well, the sales rep, chuck, couldn't have been nicer and said "here's what we are going to do shannon, let's take these lanterns and look at them at the house." and that's just want we did. he met me at the job site with all of the goods and we just sat there and held up different options. it was above and beyond the call of duty but made a lasting impression on me...it totally pays to be nice!

touring urban electric....

well i know that i have covered them in the past but i just can't say enough about urban electric. missy lappinen was nice enough to invite me to the showroom for a personal tour of the space and to get another look at the amazing lights. i must say, the showroom is awesome. the company fits right in one of the warehouses that belong to the old naval yard. the front is the where the offices and lights are displayed but then you look over and there is an entire glassed in wall and behind that are the craftsmen making the actual lights. it's really fascinating. there is nothing better then seeing a craftsmen at work locally. each craftsman has a set of lights that they specialize in so anytime they see it in a magazine or home, they have the honor of knowing they made it. the lights really do speak for themselves- i just can't stress how beautiful they are. the mirror accents, milk glass, and detailing in them are remarkable. another cool aspect with the company is that you can customize the lights with any ben moore color for little up charge. urban also makes a line for baker and i just would die to get my hands on tatiana light (is person it is unreal). thanks urban for the wonderful tour and lunch! and keep up the amazing work!

urban electric company

i love to find little jewels in my inbox and today i was greeted by the thomas light. urban electric is a local custom lighting company that i adore. they have so many fab designs and the look of the lighting is amazing. it is definitely a high-end company and they only sell to the trade. the thomas's roofline is inspired by the pagoda and i love pagodas so i give this two thumbs up...also the milk glass doesn't hurt the great look!

are we there yet??

i am currently working on a very nice spec (7,000 sq ft) home. and i am battling w/ the lighting....i want to know if the general public is there yet- are you ready for bronze/ antique brass to be back in your home? it is definitely coming back in a large way but are we ready for it? i think there is some great stuff out there right now and if i commit to putting it in this spec home is the general public going to know that it's making a big come back or are they going to view it as dated.....and then, say i do introduce it as the kitchen pendants and the DR chandelier am i commited to do every bathroom fixture in that finish...

belvedere lighting...

so on my quest to keep sharing my mag tear outs, i found this store also in my random pile...belvedere! then i just read my comments and this was a place that things that inspire said to visit in atl....i will definitely be checking this place out. i am in love with the lamps...ok, check out the birch bark lamp. i love how they describe the beautifully, handmade Peter Lane lamp: park avenue meets the farm- how fantastic! their vintage collection has so many cool things like the six- point art pottery gourd lamp and the pagoda lamp (that bronze shade is killing me). i am also a sucker for acrylic so if you put it on anything, i am bound to like it. the store does more then just feature lamps...the have a heavy emphasis on mid-20th century furnishings and accessories. they have an amazing inventory that i can't wait to see in person!

orche

i love it when i stumble across something that takes my breath away; orche does just that. this company offers a line of furniture, lighting, and accessories that are beautiful. the lines on the pieces are modern with elegant, classic propotions. the company is headed by british couple harriet maxwell macdonald and andrew corrie and you can go to their store in nyc (462 broome st. to be exact). i love the earth tones that are found in the upholstery and the sleek wood finishes. another thing they are famous for are their beautifully handcrafted lighting. i inquired about this company and immidately got a response back (thanks dana) to see if they worked with the trade. it seems like they are very designer friendly.

can i get a light...

while there are so many things that make me happy, the andrew reflector is up at the top. i was lucky enough to use them in the downtown house i featured two days ago. they looked amazing against the old charleston brick. urban electric is a to-the-trade lighting company that started here in charleston. the showroom use to be located on historic King Street and i loved going in there and being captivated by the creative window displays and beautifully designed lighting. i just received their new catalog and as i was flipping through it, i saw that Tom Scheerer was one of the lighting designers....as you can see to your right, he is one of my new design heroes. chloe warner told me about him on monday when we were exchanging emails. if you haven't taken a look at urban electric, i think its time. the lights speak for themselves... they are gorgeous, current, and classic in their appearances. here are some others to drool over if you have a second: gunston, hightower, paraply, the quarter, and sheridan...as always, beauty does not come without a stiff price tag but these are really worth it.

simon pearce

i love this light from simon pearce. it's so simple but elegant and could work in numerous spaces, traditional or contemporary. for those of you that aren't married yet, than you may not be familiar with this company. i was introduced to it three years ago when my husband and i got married. they offer beautiful hand blown glass products and pottery. our "everyday china" is simon pearce's belmont dinnerware. after viewing the website, i saw that they also offer a beautiful restaurant, glassblower cafe, that reminded me of the one in "Sweet Home Alabama"....you know, the one that the hottie owned....might be a great place to visit if you are ever in vermont.

Thanks Melissa for the following comment!

Hello Shannon,Thank you for a great post! The reason our restaurant reminds you of the one in Sweet Home Alabama is because the "Deep South Glass" store/cafe in that movie was based on our Quechee, Vermont, facility. We actually created many of the glass pieces in the movie, including the lightning sculpture that resembles a tree.We're glad that you appreciate our product as much as we do. Thanks again!

Warm Regards,Melissa Dickerson

Webmaster, Simon Pearce

library light reinvented....

where most people would look at this light and see something that needs to be used when reading, i see this fixture with a whole new outlook. i love taking this traditional light and throwing it in a nontraditional setting. place two of these above your kitchen window and it would make great task lighting. you could also use this as a bathroom fixture over your mirror....who says you have to use the same old sconce with frosted glass? or it would look great on the wall next to your window seat (and i guess this would be slightly taking it back to its original purpose but we'll let it slide). spacing these around a room (like at eye-level) or mounted them on the tops of bookshelves also make a dandy use for this extremely functional light. but in order to achieve these nontraditional looks, you need to make sure you remember to review this with your electrician. they will have to install electrical wires in these not-so-typical places. this is something that you definitely want to think about when you are building a house and make sure to point out during your electrical walk through...another great reason why working with a designer can be a real plus...

Pagoda Chandelier

do y'all watch "Flipping Out"?? the last show was last night, but it was about this neurotic LA guy who flipped houses and the people that worked for him. i could not have dealt with jeff as my boss but he did immaculate flips and has great taste....

one of the scenes last night inspired my blog for the day...it was at ryan's house. in the dining room he had three pagoda chandeliers hanging over his table. it looked so amazing. so i googled pagoda chandeliers and found this one on ebay...it has great potential. i would paint it chocolate brown or black or red...i would love to have three small pagoda's over a long, rectangular raw/ drift wood table. so cool.....or if you couldn't find a couple of these, you could just get this vintage one and use it over your table, or in the foyer, or in a powder room.

another take on the grouping idea that i love are the copper pendants that design w/in reach has....hanging two of those over a table would be a show stopper! or doing a group of lights/ lanterns at different heights would be neat....

#8. Retro Fans

its hard for me to believe that i am writing a blog on fans and i am a designer....if you ever watch those design shows on tv this is the first thing they eliminate in the rooms!! but i know that we live in SC and since august has been unbearable, a fan really is needed in a home. with that said, there are some stipulations!

i was in columbia this weekend and the restaurant we ate in looked as if it use to be an old factory. it had great exposed brick walls and wooden beams crossing the ceiling and hanging from these old beams were really "cool" fans. retro fans are the way to go...you can find them in restoration hardware or at specialty lighting stores. they add an element to the design of your room without screaming "i am a white ceiling fan from 1980 when this house was built". i am not saying that you have to use these in every room in your house b/c i know they can be expensive...but it would be cool in your family room, kitchen, or sunroom as an accent. and i can even say that your friendly lowes has an industrial stainless steel fan for around $70 that can work for all budgets.

#5. Cool lighting

big smile...i love schoolhouse lighting or just any lighting that is outside the norm. and by norm, i mean, your basic lighting found at the nearest Lowes. you can always find cool lighting, you just have to look outside of the big orange store that ALL builders use. lighting can add so much character to your home. if you are on a budget, make sure to save a little dough to put fantastic lights in these places: kitchen- either ceiling or pendant lights, dining room, foyer, and if you still have some cash, the powder room. flea markets, antique stores, or your local interior designer :), is a great place to start looking. just b/c you live in a cookie-cutter neighborhood doesn't mean you have to have the same lights as your next door neighbor.