Country Decor Blog

Even the professionals have a hard time finding “just the right thing” for their home. For me, the holy grail for my home has been the light fixture that hangs over my dining room table.  I have a typical Victorian home (maybe typical for midtown Toronto, after all, my house is only 14 feet wide), and it is decorated in a style that is classic Home & Country: a mix of vintage with modern. I usually lean to more contemporary style, but my home has a classic Victorian structure, and, as most of you know about me, I love all things with patina. The results are a quirky (some could even say eccentric) decor style. As many of you know, I have been working on a redesign of my house. But it has been this one light fixture that has caused me grief. I’ve tried EVERYTHING! In fact, I recently took down the latest pendant light, which was a simple fabric barrel light that seemed, well, lifeless in my dining room. I visualized a number of different things: an old glittery Swedish chandelier that had tons of presence, or a simple frosted glass pendant that hung like a teardrop from the ceiling. Or how about the old faithful hurricane lantern? Sure it’s been “done to death,” but its simple classic shape is timeless. Maybe a bit boring, but the hurricane lantern will always work where nothing else does.  I even thought about getting another silk Fortuny light fixture (I have one that hangs in my attached dining room), but that simple solution seemed like cheating somehow. I KNEW there had to be the right light for me out there! I could imagine it: a modern clear glass orb with a simple light bulb. Minimalist but strong. Elegant but eclectic. And then I found it…

Niche Modern is a company in New York that designs the most attractive hand-blown glass light fixtures that I’ve ever seen. Better still, they’ve combined the artistry of glass-blowing with simple contemporary shapes. And THEN (now I’m excited), they use lightbulbs that look completely antique - the final look is the perfect juxtaposition between old and new. So here, unveiled, is the Terra light which was recently delivered to my home. Let me know what you think!

Tags: chandelier, Fortuny, hurricane lantern., light fixture, narrow Victorian house, Victorian, Victorian house