Rejuvenation Lighting

It's funny how timing works. Or scary.

Last week, I received a catalog in the mail from Rejuvenation Lighting. I've been looking for a new light fixture for my dining room since I got the dining room suite last spring. I just can't find what I like for under $500.

Anyway, why did this lighting and hardware boutique store in Portland send me a catalog? Was it the cookies on my computer? That's scary, considering the order I just placed at drugstore dot com... I digress.

If you have a period house (unlike me) or if you like a period of architecture (like me) this seems like a pretty good source. Still a little pricey, but I liked how their catalog, and website is organized by period. It makes it really easy if you're not totally sure what you're after.

I wish they had more to choose from in their Mid-Century Modern Collection, but I'm seeing what styles would work in my dining room, and maybe I can look for something similiar at cheaper retailers. This style looks a lot like the light I bought for my entryway from Ikea.

The price ain't bad at $215, but you could pick up the FADO model at Ikea for $39.99, like I did. Let me take a moment to caution about lighting from Ikea. I'm no electrician, but having owned a house for 3 plus years, I've changed okay, supervised the changing of several light fixtures. This light fixture has FOUR wires. The hubs and I were dumbfounded with what to do with the extra wire. Ikea's directions are mostly pictures with very little text, to accommodate the multiple countries Ikea has retail locations in. We took a guess what to do with the extra wire and we were wrong. I'll just leave it at that, saying that we have a different light fixture in the entryway now.

But, if you had a craftsman bungalow like my girlie here, look at all the goodies Rejuvenation Lighting has. When I redo my master bathroom, which I want to do in hollywood regency style, I'll definitely remember this source with it's extensive Deco Collection.

What's better is that the company has a mind toward sustainability. They started using a low-VOC clear coat, and even replaced individually-wrapped salt and pepper packets in the employee lunch room with salt and pepper shakers. Every little bit helps.

Dropping the ball in more ways than one.

It's been an embarrassingly long time since I've posted. I've been busy doing this and this.

Since my last post, I hosted Thanksgiving Dinner at my house, decorated for Christmas, had our first family gathering for Christmas Eve at our house (by default--Mom's electric was off for 8 days straight over Christmas), watched the ball drop on 2009, undecorated for Christmas, weathered a couple good dumps of snow (one of the pitfalls of being a homeowner is shovelling your own driveway), and went on a road trip to Cincinnati, where I bought some stuff at it's fairly-new Ikea.

Here's a pic of the fab vintage tree I put up this year. You see, I have a store here in Charleston that I LOVE. I wish my whole house looked like the inside of this place. It's like a mid-century museum or something. When Mom and I did the Charleston Art Walk in November, I spotted this lil' jewel of a 3-foot vintage aluminum tree for $50. I've admired aluminum trees of all shapes and sizes in the Purple Moon's windows for the past couple years at Christmas time. Chuck, the owner told me they search estate sales and flea markets for them all year and sell better than 25 trees a year. I bought some plain lime-green bulbs at Wal-Mart (I hate to admit it), which is all I put on the tree. I really didn't need a lot since it's so pretty and sparkly by itself. I didn't want to over do it.

Because of my work, there're no home improvement projects in the hopper for the next couple months. But, I'm about to pay off my 12-months-same-as-cash balance at Home Depot, and it's about time to load it up again. Here's one thing I'm definitely going to buy:

Mirror closet doors for the master bedroom for $102. Also, we've been talking about what we're going to do to the family room. We affectionately call it the "red room." Yikes. The seller was nice enough to throw in a couch and matching chairs in our negotiations... Thanks. No, really. They've served their purpose. We have a lot of seating, which makes entertaining easier. Also, they matched the red walls, which is more than I can say for my other furniture.

I got an idea  while back for the new family room from a picture I saw once (and can't seem to find now). Frank Sinatra was standing in front of a jet with an orange stripe on it. The caption said something about how orange was his favorite color. I'd love to have a family room that looks like a swanky lounge in Palm Springs, circa 1966, with a pumpkin/chocolate/cream color scheme. But, this room is where we spend 75% of our time and where we entertain, so it can't be too over the top. I'd love to paint the walls pumpkin and put a white leather sectional in the corner. On my road trip to the Cincinnati Ikea, this is what I bought:

Pretty flexible no matter what direction this room takes. It's going to be a major overhaul, regardless.