Most designers have certain pet peeves. One of mine is recessed lighting... those unattractive round lights that often make ceilings look like Swiss cheese. Like our previous house in Santa Monica, our new house will be illuminated with sconces, chandeliers, and lamps. No recessed lighting allowed.
When selecting lights for our sink area in our Master Bathroom at Patina Farm, we were looking at several of our favorite lighting options...
Wall sconces are probably the most popular option. We often use sconces because they light your face from both sides and look lovely on either side of a mirror. Here are a few of my favorite bathroom sconce images that are very convincing...
This bathroom, designed by Suzanne Kasler is a wonderful example of how wall sconces create a beautifully balanced vignette when placed on either side of a vanity mirror.
design by Suzanne Kasler via Architectural Digest
image via elle decor
Another less obvious option... a table lamp.
We placed a table lamp on the sink base in our Powder Room.
image by Lisa Romerein
Lately we've been selecting pendant lights in our bathrooms. Because the glow from pendant lights comes from above rather than the sides, several Velvet and Linen readers expressed concern. Wouldn't this type of lighting be less flattering, creating ugly shadows from above? Unattractive shadows at my age? No thanks!
Although this is true of recessed lighting (which is why they are banned in our houses), it isn't the case with pendants. Recessed lightbulbs only light straight down, but pendant lights provide all around illumination, similar to a chandelier.
The complimentary glow provided by the pendant lights above our sinks in our Oxnard Master Bathroom was so convincing...
image by Lisa Romerein
we decided to use these Schoolhouse Electric pendants in our children's bathroom.
We have finally made our lighting decision for our Patina Farm Master Bathroom sink area. Because our bathroom will feel like a greenhouse, I wanted all of the pieces to be a little rustic...not too formal. I found some vintage pendant lights with twisted rope cords and simple milk glass shades. They look similar to this School House Electric version, except my pendants are finished in unlacquered brass.
We bought a French draper's table at Charme d'Antan to use as our sink base. It looks very similar to this one...
photography by Christopher Drake
One pendant will hang over each of our Kohler vessel sinks.
Because we don't want to hide the beauty of our Waterworks Etoile goose neck faucets...
only a small lip of the sink will be exposed, similar to this image that I shared before.
Well, another couple of decisions made! They are pouring the house slab on Monday, and then the framing begins. Yay!
Happy week!
xo
Brooke
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