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Thursday, January 28, 2016

LANTERNS IN THE KITCHEN {AGAIN}


Ok, so I've never claimed to be a "real" decorator or designer.  This blog is solely an outlet for me to share what I'm doing in my own home.  That being said, my home is totally my place to experiment with decor, and I change things often.  Many times things are done on a trial and error basis.  It helps that I do a lot of the work myself and when I get the itch to change I try to do it on a budget, and if I make a mistake not much more is lost than my time and effort. Sometimes I get it right, sometimes I don't... and I try again.  

I think that's the key for anyone making their home a place that they love.  If at first you don't succeed, keep trying.  Don't be afraid to admit that you might have made a decorating mistake, move on, and start over.


When we did a kitchen refresh about a year and a half ago, I replaced the large lanterns that we had installed over the island with brass lotus flower pendants.  With the lanterns I learned, only after the fact, that it's not a good idea to have a fixture with glass in it over the stove.  The glass will get greasy/dirty/grimy super fast and it's not fun or easy to clean.  See? Trial and error.  So, I replaced the lanterns with the new pendants.  Honestly, I knew all along that they were probably too small for the space, but I loved them and didn't care.  I knew they would be a place holder until something better came along, and at that time I would find a new spot for them in our home.


I continued to have a soft spot for the lanterns, though, and since looking at beautiful photos all day is part of my "job", I started noticing a trend.  I'm seeing more and more lantern type fixtures WITHOUT GLASS, and a lightbulb went off in my head.  Duh!!! Why didn't I just remove the glass from my fixtures?


Once the inspiration struck,  the wheels started spinning fast.  If I was putting the lanterns back, I wanted them to be a bit more playful, so I started entertaining the idea of painting them a bold glossy color (shocker, I know).  And although green has been my BFF for a while, I wanted to mix in something new.  I'm really starting to want to broaden my color palette to a point where anything goes.  Green, blue and white, black and white will always be there, but what if I want to throw in some yellow?  I want my house to say "Sure!"  Red?  "You bet!"  A splash of hot pink somewhere?  "Awesome!"  


I'm sure my neutral loving friends think I've gone cuckoo... It sounds crazy to just throw any color in, but some of my favorite designers and bloggers do just that, and it totally works.  So, my experiment is just beginning.

When deciding on a color for the lanterns, green was a possibility but I knew I wanted to branch out.  I considered just about every color, but really?  Red has always been one of my first color loves.  Almost every house we've lived in until this one has had a red color scheme, and even here I got my red fix in my daughter's room

I'm such a visual person, I had to see what they might look like, so I did a very crude mock up... and I kinda loved it!


My only hesitation was with so much kelly green around my house, I didn't want it to look like Christmas year round.  However, I think with all of the blue and white and other patterns and colors around, hopefully everything will live happily together without screaming Ho Ho Ho.


Once I decided on the color (one of my favorites, Sunrise Red by Rustoleum), we providentially had a day that was warm enough to spray them, and my sweet husband hung them the next day (I was a little nervous to tell him of my plan at first because this would be the THIRD time he's switched those lights out... ;)  It was actually a breeze, though.  Without those huge panes of glass, the lanterns were light as a feather (another bonus of removing the glass!).  



Although they're completely different styles, I also like how they relate to the vintage crystal chandelier that is in the breakfast nook.


If you've been around for a while, you might remember that I originally purchased the lights at the Habitat ReStore, and gave them a makeover from their original shiny brass finish.  And, we had to reconfigure the lighting in the ceiling because we originally didn't have any fixtures over the island.  If you happen to click on some of those older posts, I can't believe how much our kitchen has changed.  Here's a little progression over our 8 years here (and that first photo isn't even the original of when we bought the house with all of it's wallpapered and orangey oak cabinet goodness!).


Now, I have a feeling I'm going to need some new pillows in the living room.  If you give a mouse a cookie...


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Would you like to comment?

  1. What fun - and the color really works with the room and the rug you have in there. I agree with you about not having glass in lanterns in the kitchen. When we remodeled our kitchen, we bought 2 lanterns without glass to go above the island. I love not having to ever clean glass and I am so happy with the look!
    Shelley

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  2. With neutrals apparently being all the rage, I love seeing all the color at your house. Your lights are awesome - love, love them!! Maybe I need to take trip over to my Restore today....

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  3. Absolutely stunning! Love it Jennifer!Makes me wish I could put up huge ones on my island too!

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  4. that pop of red is so fun!!! love them!

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  5. Love, love, love them Jennifer! I'm all about neutrals, but I love throwing fun colors in the mix too!

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  6. So happy to see the lanterns back. Can't say I didn't love the lotus pendants but the lanterns just look like they belong...and the red. It puts them over the top. I love to see all the color in your house and that your not afraid to use it.

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  7. I love the lanterns! The red is so pretty. I just saw a couple of them on CL for a steal and now want to bring one home to try! I love your lotus pendants too and can't wait to see where you're going to use them. You have a great style and beautiful house :)

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  8. I love this so much! I love the style of the lanterns and the color! We have one similar to this on my front porch that I have been wanting to paint for a while, so I may have to take the plunge!

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  9. I love the red lanterns. They make the kitchen POP!!!

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  10. I love the lotus one but i'm really loving the pop of red too! Great color!

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  11. I love this look--what a great idea!

    xx Hannah // www.HomemadeBanana.com

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  12. Wowzers!! I love the new red look! It's starting to look like your laundry room color palette. Great idea

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  13. Looks great! Love the idea of removing the glass. You had your thinking cap on! 😊 Sheila

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  14. Red is a favorite color of mine so of course, I love the look! I have to have color and yes, they will all learn to live with each other. :)

    xo
    Pat

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  15. Jennifer, I couldn't love these more. The scale and color are so great for your house. I am a huge fan of lantern lighting and the red is so fun and does not scream HO HO HO with all your green at all! Amazing that those two lights haled from the Restore!

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  16. The red is fabulous, especially in combination with the pretty rug. So so good!

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  17. Beautiful and a great repurposing! It will be fun to see where the lotus fixtures end up. I loved those too!

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  18. ooh, I really like them with the navy in the island! when I saw that view, I was totally won over :)

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  19. Jennifer, I enjoy all your decorations and your bright colors. But I'll have to say, the lanterns do not flow with your décor (they take away.)

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  20. I love the uniqueness of the red lanterns... so pretty and fun. They look great!

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  21. The red is absolutely stunning! They have a very chinoiserie feel now, with the glass removed! I adore them!

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