Welcome to week number three of our ‘Defending the Small House” series. Brenda and I thought we would chat about cozy lighting this week.
(Apologies to those of you who thought I published this post last night! I hit publish accidentally – with no text other than our logo. Yikes.)
Let me say, right at the top, I do not like most overhead lighting in a room. I’m not talking about chandeliers, necessarily. I’m really speaking about those fixtures that sit in the ceiling in the middle of a room. We all have them. Each bedroom in the house I grew up in had a ceiling fixture and even at a young age, I begged for a lamp instead. The light from those fixtures is harsh and doesn’t create a cozy, warm space.
Tip#1: Avoid relying on overhead fixtures. Create a warm look and feel with lamps scattered around the room. The only overhead lights I use are the 6 pot lights in the kitchen ceiling. And in the evening, I warm up the light in the kitchen by using this lamp.
I find myself turning it on even when the overhead lights are on. It somehow softens the light and adds warmth to the room. After I’m done in the kitchen for the night, off go the pot lights and this little lamp stays on. (By the way, I covered the shade with fabric from my stash. It has so much more personality now.)
The other overhead lights in this house are in the hallway and upstairs bathroom. Still haven’t found something for the bathroom (I’m looking) but in the hallway, which is also my studio, I use this lamp in the evening.
It sits on the bookcase and immediately adds warmth to the the hallway/studio. Be gone, overhead light!
I like the soft pools of light that lamps produce. Overhead lights, even the ever popular chandeliers, just don’t do that.
Tip #2: Reading lamps should be plentiful. They should provide good, strong light for you and your family and guests. I’ve been a guest at a few homes where there weren’t enough lamps available for reading. Sometimes there’s a lamp available but the lightbulb isn’t a high enough wattage to provide good light. If you’re worried about the wattage being too strong, get one of those 3-way bulbs. Or put the lamp on a dimmer. I’d rather have too many lamps than too few.
I don’t know about you, but I need reading glasses now and I need good light!
In our home we have reading lamps by all the main seating pieces.
There’s a floor lamp that you can’t see by the loveseat. You’ll see it later. It lights the reading area for both the loveseat and the chair. There’s another floor lamp between the piano and the yellow chair. It works nicely for reading or playing the piano. As you look through the french doors into the den, the lamp that is lit is by my blogging chair. We also have lamps on either side of the sofa.
By the way, I bought this lamp (in the den) when I was in my early twenties at Hudson’s warehouse sale. Hudson’s used to be the major department store in the Detroit area. Unfortunately it has been swallowed up by Macy’s. Just wanted to mention that it has had many shades and has been with me for, ahem, many years and it still works like a charm.
Is this the time for me to say I detest CFLs? I know they are supposedly good for the environment, although the fact that they need special clean-up and disposal because they have mercury in them is worrisome. But until the light is softer and warmer I will be staying with incandescent bulbs – even if I have to order them from some far-off place.
Tip #3: Add small lamps that are wonderfully quirky and bring warmth to a corner or two. I call these personality lamps. I have a few of them. I love placing them in a corner where they add to the evening ambiance.
This is my parakeet lamp. It provides a soft, subtle glow.
Don and I found this little lamp several years ago and fell in love with it. Eventually I found the perfect red shade. It sits on our spinet desk and softly lights the base of the staircase.
Tip#4: Take your standard issue lamps and add shades that make them stand out. We have a floor lamp that I bought many years ago from Pottery Barn. It’s had several shades over the years and frankly, I wasn’t happy with any of them. Two years ago, I was working in California and I found this shade at Christie Repasy’s shop. I fell in love with it.
Beautiful, vintage – it changes the whole room. (Don isn’t as crazy about it as I am, but it’s staying.)
Here’s what it looks like in the evening. (Still haven’t painted the base white. I will.)
Our other floor lamp was missing it’s original glass shade when we bought it. It came with a paper shade that just didn’t work. But the lamp itself had beautiful green glass in the stem and base. I carried the measurements with me for months until I found the right shade. The green (which is around the rim of the shade) perfectly matches the green glass on the base.
Tip#5: Grab that glue gun and decorate your lampshade! Take a run-of-the-mill lampshade and add buttons or flowers or fabric or burlap or vintage hankies and change it out completely. That’s what I did with the kitchen lamp. The shade was old and stained and one day I grabbed some fabric from my stash and covered it. It made a huge difference.
Add some buttons or lace around the rim. What about some fringe? A bit of whimsey can completely change the look of a standard shade.
What’s on my wish list? Sconces for the sides of the cupboards on either side of the kitchen sink. A small light in the upstairs half bath. It would have to take up very little space and be hung on the wall because of the size restrictions in that room. That’s it. We can’t have a chandelier because this is an old house with low ceilings and my husband is 6’4″ – that would be disaster. Though I love the look of them, they really aren’t a good fit for this little cottage.
I just have to add: I’ve been watching a lot of House Hunters in the evenings. Don’s been working late. Am I the only one who’s sick of seeing young buyers look at a large walk-in closet and say it’s too small? Or complain, yet again, that the appliances aren’t stainless? They really haven’t a clue, have they?
I hope you’ve enjoyed this week’s edition of Defending the Small House. We love to hear your comments, ideas and suggestions. Make sure you visit Brenda and see her ideas on cozy lighting. See you next week!
Oh Claudia, you’ve brought back memories. I was raised in Flint & Fenton, just above Detroit. Every year my SIL and I would go shopping at the Hudson’s Mall in Detroit! Do you remember Cobo Hall and their Christmas displays?
My house is filled with small lights everywhere. Often I go to an antique shop and have to control myself and not buy another one as I have a surplus of them! Great post!
I’m really enjoying yours and Brenda’s posts on small spaces. I have always wanted a well lit room to be in at night. And, like you cannot stand those twisted bulbs that don’t half work. They are just one more sham we are being forced into.
Hubby shakes his head each time I bring a new lamp into the house…. he can keep on shaking cuz I adore lamps. Yours are sweet and each one is a good fit for your home.
I’m hoarding the real light bulbs in closets in every empty container I can find. They are starting to come out with more variety in the new fangled bulbs. I stopped watching House Hunter’s a while back too as I got tired of so many ‘needs’ that were really ‘wishes’. I like Property Virgins as Sandra brings people back to reality.
Your cottage is lovely. And I’m discovering a new love for lamps.
Claudia, what is that cute thing next to your lamp from Hudsons that seems to lean against the wall? I love it even though I don’t know what it is! Why is it I’ve never seen the gorgeous fabric on that kitchen shade? And how on earth have I missed that Christie Repasy shade? Tell Don that Okie Brenda said it’s a keeper! And you know how cranky she gets! Your rooms are wonderfully and cozily lit. I could visit if a witch would fly me on her broomstick. You know I don’t do airports…
Brenda
OH MY GOD!! I SAY THIS EVERY TIME I WATCH HOUSE HUNTERS TOO……THE YOUNG ONES ARE SO PICKY…..OR THEY SAY….. I WANTED GRANITE….HELLO…ME TOO….BUT SOMETIMES WHAT IS ALREADY IN THE KITCHEN IS BEAUTIFUL….MY MOM ALWAYS HAD A SMALL LAMP ON THE KITCHEN TABLE……I HAVE ONE ON MINE…….INTERESTING POST….RIZZI
I LOVE cozy lighting! Makes all the difference. I love the CR lamp too. Especially lit.
Great post! I love your lampshade with the fringe on it, the floor lamp one. I’ve been meaning to tell you how pretty and cozy your home looks…love it!
My husband and I always roll our eyes at the people on house hunters that say huge spaces are too small! It’s also so boring to see all the cookie cutter granite/cherry wood/ stainless kitchens in so many of the houses. No character!
Such a great idea, writing about Defending the Small House. Mine is a little big larger (but not much) and your ideas make such sense.
-Joy
Love the look of all these pretty lamps in your home, Claudia.
Would you belive we only have one table lamp in our cottage? It was a gift from our daughter, and it sits on the farmtable in the kitchen. All our other lights are wall-mount sconces, which remind me of the 1930’s cottage I rented in Saratoga, CA when I was 20. Hubby modified all our lights to 12volt, which saves on the off-grid electricity, and as tiny as our cottage is, not having cords on the floor to trip over is a plus. :)
Love seeing the pics of your little cottage. It’s charming!
Hugs,
Zuzu
Claudia,
I am really enjoying this series you and Brenda are hosting. I love my small house so very much and I have throughly enjoyed seeing all the wonderful spaces you both have created in your homes. I would not trade my small house for anything. In a small house you are forced to find space, create character and purge what is not needed in the end creating a place that only holds what we love. I too prefer lamps to overhead lighting but in some places they are needed such as the entryway to the house or in the bathroom…yes I need those reading glasses too but dimmers have given me a lot choice of how much light. I can turn them up in the bathroom when needed or lower them to a soft glow in the evening. The front entry overhead has a wonderful dimmer that I turn on low when we go out for the eveing and it glow throught the window in the door welcoming us home and giving us enough light to get in safely.
Keep those great posts coming…Margie
You said about the young ones looking at those houses and griping all about the same things. Granite countertops, stainless appliances, hardwood floors, huge master suites and closets. How boring to have a space that looks just like your neighbor and everyone else! They really are clueless.
No, they don’t have a clue. When I started out, I was thrilled to have A closet….the total sq footage was probably about 400 and I thought my little place was a mansion!
I love lamps also…yours are beautiful.
My mom and I used to love to go to Hudsons and have lunch at the resturant. They had the best cobb salad pita sandwiches. I still remember them! That is 30 years ago now!
I agree on everything esp the incandescent bulbs. I am so afraid that my favorite 15 and 25 watt bulbs will disappear that I am stocking up on them.. I even have a small pretty lamp atop the fridge in the garage so my poor old girl Justice can see her way to the doggie door all night long.
xx
z
I also watch House Hunters and get a kick at the things folks focus on. Many never have a vision of what can be! Too funny!
I am enjoying your small house series. Your lamps of beautiful – o.k., a few are down right quirky -I like that. On to House Hunters – I watch that show in amazement. A couple is going to spend a quarter to a half mil on their first place and she’s upset because one of the powder rooms is ‘not the right shade of blue’ or he doesn’t think they should buy because the countertop isn’t granite…? Who are these people? I know, someone’s baby, but honestly, they have no clue. They are wanting to spend big money on a house with NO soul. (My personal fav was the one where they were about to have their first child and the 1,800 sf of house they owned would be too small. How big did they think this baby was going to be?…)
Claudia,
I enjoyed seeing all of your lovely lamps. The one in the kitchen is just great, so friendly looking!
-Karen
I really enjoyed this post, Claudia, you’ve given me a lot to think about. I have the hardest time buying lamps. But you’ve shown me that there are so many options and they don’t have to “go” with a certain decor. In fact, the ones that are more whimsical and stand on their own, are actually more fun. I think I could start collecting lamps after reading this post.
And, yes, I’m with you on those picky young couples on House Hunters. I do love watching those shows — gives me a chance to peep into lots of houses. But it just bugs me that these young couples have so many “needs.” Whatever happened to just starting out with something and making it your own?
Love the lighting tips. I do have ceiling fans overhead in every room due to the heat we suffered through this past Summer.
I bought all white so they aren’t so noticable and we rarely use the lights on them unless we are looking for something. I love lamps in the evening. The soft glow is so warm. I love them on porches in the evening too. I also like how you and Brenda have different ones..the matching ones always throw me off. I plan to redo a few of mine to make them fit in better with certain rooms.
Thanks for the tips!
((Yes the house hunters show always make me cringe too..my hubby and I always wonder where the heck these kids get their grandiose ideas.))
I love my lamps too. I almost never use the overhead ceiling light. Table and floor lamps cast a much more cozier glow. You have some pretty ones too.
Danielle
Oh wow, I can’t agree more on the House Hunters! Are these people for real? They will go on and on because they don’t like the PAINT color on the walls. Seriously??????
What the heck is a walk-in closet? My old farmhouse doesn’t have ANY closets and I’m doing just fine thank you!
I am getting tired of the House Hunters too . They show far to many of them . I much prefer the renovation shows , especially done on a budget . The new Junk Gypsies was good . I am addicted to HGTV.
I think all of your little lamps are so sweet and have such personality! Please don’t get me started on some of the spoiled young adults on “House Hunters”! UGH! I love that show but some of these people just act bratty! My first house was so tiny…the detached garage was bigger than our house…but it made us so happy to be in our “own” home! I just don’t get it. I also do not like these new lightbulbs! Yuck! They give off a cold looking lighting! Ok…I am done ranting now….lol Have a great day, Claudia!~Hugs, Patti
Just popped over from Brenda’s house. Love that vintage fabric shade. That would go perfectly on one of my old floor lamps. I agree on House Hunters. I hate when the people start picking on the home owner’s decorating style too. You can paint it any color you want when you buy it people!
I am enjoying your series with Brenda. You both have such COZY houses. The lighting does make a difference. Great tips.
There are so many episodes of House Hunting. There are some really good news ones that I wish they would show more often. What gets me is that they always say, “needs updating”. Just how often do you need to do that. They are so spoiled. Thanks for sharing.
I really enjoy your blog with Brenda, and both of your blogs individually. And I complete agree with House Hunters! It’s one of the reasons I stopped watching it. The things the buyers complained about seemed silly to me. I’d much rather use a little creativity and live in a house with personality.
Count me in as another one enjoying this series on living in a small space. Found you through Brenda and love your cozy, full of personality home. Your pups are pretty darn cute too!
I prefer House Hunters International because I like seeing the different types of homes worldwide. Sometimes they want it all too but I find the show more interesting.
Have a wonderful day!
I’ve been watching a lot of House Hunters as well and would like to know where these “kids” get their budgets!!!
Love the small personality lamps and I do the same thing around here with lamps and candles which just make my house seem like a home. And relaxing. Love this series. Ann
Claudia, I just wrote a long comment and I could not get it to go through. I’ll try again. I was saying that I have ten lamps in my living room. I have some on top of my armoire, my bookcases, decorator table, side tables, and secretaire. I can’t stand dim rooms. They drive me up the wall. I face the north here and it’s very dim in the day and it’s worse when the sky is gray. So, I turn my lights on as soon as I get up. Otherwise, I would lose all my energy. I mean this literally. I love, love, love your lamp with the roses and the fringe. It reminds me of a lamp my Grandmother had except that hers had an old fashioned country scene on it.
I love lots of lamps and candles that turn on automatically! Makes each room look so inviting! ♥
Claudia, I like this series defending the small house. I love the look of a lamp on the kitchen counter. It makes the kitchen look so warm and inviting. The shade you made is beautiful. I’ve been visiting your site off and on for awhile and I really enjoy looking at all of the photos of your lovely home. Your space is very charming. My favorite is your kithchen and the kitchen sideboard that you made into an island. Soft lighting and plenty of lamps do warm up a space.
I enjoy your style of writing and can relate to the things that you share. I love hearing about Scout and Riley too.
~Sandy
Claudia,
Oops I forgot to mention that I live in Michigan and have fond memories of shopping at Hudsons. When I was much younger I used to visit the gorgeous Detroit store. It’s a shame that it was torn down! Hudson’s carried some really nice merchandise. It was the place where I got my first charge card and I bought a television set that clunked through the channels (early edition of remote control). Macy’s just isn’t the same and it seems as though it’s gone downhill. Your lamp from Hudsons is definitely a keeper!
~Sandy