Let There Be Light! How to Select Interior Lighting

"It is better to light a candle than curse the darkness."

Eleanor Roosevelt

Selecting lighting for a new construction build...wow.  Who knew there were so many lights around your house?   When our designer, Betsy Judd, texted me and said "Okay, picking out lighting is next on our plate", my eyes got wide.  How the heck do you even EAT that elephant?  The answer?  One bite at a time...

Here is how we tackled the lighting beast, both outlining our strategy and describing our selection options/selections.  Oh yeah, and there might be some lessons learned sprinkled in there along the way.  Per usual, J.S. Robinson delivered when they sent us to Wilson Lighting.  I would highly recommend Wilson to help you with any lighting project.  I was under the false impression that I could find lights cheaper online...not so!!!  

Organizing Your Lighting Needs

For me, I needed to have a complete list of lighting needs before I could start tracking selections.  Your lighting specialist may help you with this activity, so you may consider checking before completing this endeavor (as it was very time consuming).  However, I would have likely done it regardless because I am very thorough (my husband may have another word for it, but I digress...).

When creating this document, my initial thought was to list the various rooms vertically, then keep a tally of what type of lights were needed, how large they should be, and how many per room.  So let's talk about that:

Chandelier

Brick House

Most people consider these the large fixtures that hang from the ceiling.  No moving parts, like a ceiling fan would have.  Just a large fixture (for a large room).

To size a chandelier, lighting designers typically suggest that you add the room's dimensions (in feet), then the chandelier's diameter (in inches) equal that number.

For example:  a room that is 16 ft x 18 ft, add 16+18 = 34.  A chandelier for this room should be approximately 34 inches in diameter.

Pendant

Studio McGee

Think chandelier, but smaller.  Picture lights that hang from the ceiling but hang over a kitchen island.

To size an island pendant, there were not many hard and fast rules that I could find.  One website talked about using a similar measurement technique as the chandelier sizing.  So we measured the length/width of our island (in feet), then each pendant's diameter (in inches) equal that number.

For example:  my island is 9.5 ft x 5 ft.  To calculate the diameter of each of my two pendants, I added 9.5 ft + 5 ft = 14.5.  So each pendant should be approximately 14.5 inches in diameter.

Flush mounted or Semi-flush mounted

Source

These are the lights that hang from the ceiling but hang very close to the ceiling.  I always used to picture the old "boob" lights but there are so many cool versions now.

Ceiling fan

Blesser House

Ceiling fans involve a lot more nuance with their selections/options.  The first thing to consider is whether you need a light or not (lighting packages are expensive).  I was very impressed when our lighting specialist mentioned that if you have can lights in a room, there really is not a need for a fan with a light!  Bingo!

Now for the difficult part - what size ceiling fan to you need for each room?  To figure this out, you first need to determine the square footage of each room that needs a ceiling fan (multiply the length by the width of the room).  From there, most lighting experts will recommend the following:

But of course, this is not the end of the story.  You also need to know what length downrod, if any, you would need for a ceiling fan.  The rule of thumb is if your ceiling is 9 ft tall or higher, you will generally want a downrod to lower the ceiling fan.  The length of the downrod is generally determined based on the following:

Organization of Information

For those of you keeping track, you need to break your house into rooms, list what type of light fixture you need for each room, list each room's ceiling height, length/width (in feet), and square footage.  Phew!  

The other item I didn't consider until later was that I needed to track what finish I selected on plumbing fixtures in the various rooms to make sure the lighting did not clash with the plumbing.  In case you want a glimpse into what my tracking spreadsheeet looked like, here is the information just for one side of the house (and not the outside):  

While this was a ton of work in advance, I will say that having this spreadsheet printed off during the lighting appointment made everything awesome.  We were able to quickly make selections and I was able to answer questions quickly without trying to read architectural plans and running calculations during the lighting appointment.

Drum Roll Please...OUR SELECTIONS!!!

Well, as you can see, this was a long process.  My husband would always laugh because whenever he woke up in the middle of the night and I was on my computer/phone, he asked "Looking at lighting again?"  There are just so many cool options for lighting, which can make the selection process overwhelming.  

Enter the dream team, Chalese  Bierle with Wilson Lighting and Betsy Judd, our design guru.  This team together guided us through the complicated process of lighting selections.  Chalese took this a step further...she was able to remember what lighting vendor's catalogue had lighting that was similar to a picture I showed her.  IT. WAS. INCREDIBLE.  We would walk around Wilson, which already had a huge selection lit up and shown, but if something did not strike your fancy, Chalese was able to look at a picture (likely from Pinterest) and immediately remember where that item was in a catalog or something super similar.  Chalese and Betsy were also pros at pointing us in the direction of less expensive alternatives that gave similar bang for your buck.  

I would highly recommend Wilson lighting for any lighting project, big or small.  Their prices beat online retailers and it was so helpful to see the lights in person.  Plus, experts like Chalese can help you narrow down options in a cost effective way.  

And without further ado, here are our selections!

Chandeliers

The piece de resistance, the cherry on the top, the cat's meow...all descriptions for this totally awesome chandelier.  I saw it a couple months back on Wilson Lighting's instagram and fell in love.  

Wilson Lighting instagram

 It is the Moorsgate Multipendant from Currey and Company.  It is even more beautiful in person.  This will be the chandelier that drips down the center of the stair tower.  

Currey and Company 

This dreamy geometric chandelier is both modern and industrial.  It carries the brushed gold finish on my parents' side and will grace their entry in the clerestory. 

Starlight Hollywood Regency Gold Cage

While this is not technically a chandelier, I had to include it in this category due to its general AWESOME-NESS.  I struggled with whether to have a ceiling fan in my great room or not.  I love ceiling fans, but man do they tend to look rather boring.  I thought the great room needed a BANG! and so I assumed I would just get a chandelier.  But then, one day, I strolled into Wilson Lighting and saw this amazing showstopper:

Wilson Lighting - Windmill

This ceiling fan is a modern farmhouse dream.  It is big, bold, and just a total conversation piece.  Love it!

Over my dining room table, I was looking for something with clean lines and not super expensive.  Chalese pointed me to this beautiful chandelier, which I immediately said yes to!

Trans Globe 10267

Last, but not least, my closet ceiling was raised and could now have a fun chandelier.  I was struggling with selecting a chandelier or even really narrowing it down.  But then I walked by this beauty and fell in love...

Starburst 9 light

Pendants

To try to be somewhat reasonable on lighting, I asked Chalese to point me to kitchen island pendants that were cool but not super pricey.  I also mentioned that I don't mind seeing a bulb.  Chalese stood up and confidently led me to this light, which I loved!

TGI Eight Light

My Mom wanted kitchen island pendants that had the brushed gold finish and where you couldn't see the light bulb.  AND if they could have that cool modern farmhouse style, that would be a bonus.  Chalese went to the large volumes of product manuals, started flipping through, and then showed us this winner:

Chadwick ELK lighting

Sconces

As I discussed in the blog post on electrical selections, we have a slight sconce obsession in this house.  Ever so slight...

Okay, so they are everywhere.  Over our floating shelves in the kitchen, pantry, and laundry room, we went with this farmhouse sconce but got an extended neck (longer than the one pictured below):

Millennium Lighting Gooseneck Sconce

As we discussed in the electrical blog post, we decided to have two hardwired sconces next to our master bedroom beds to try to save nightstand space.  So, in my bedroom, we selected the following:

Moorland Sconce

Moorland Sconce - Gold

For the long central hall, these industrial sconces will guide the way for our guests:

Loras

Flush-mounted Lights

We tried, I mean, we really tried, to pick out some low-cost flush mounted lights.  And we succeeded ... occasionally!  Here are some great farmhouse flush-mounted lights that were not a flat LED disk light:

Perryton pendant

In my laundry room, I wanted something inexpensive but very cheerful.  Chalese found this awesome light...so fun!!!

Freemont

I am using the similar light (but with a more subtle color) in my pantry.

Freemont

Ceiling Fans

Well, I already spilled the beans on the most awesome ceiling fan selected, specifically the windmill ceiling fan.  But, we actually have some other cool options (check the pun on the word cool...)

We fully expect our favorite hangout spot to be the screened-in lanai.  Therefore we wanted a big a$$ fan to make this area as comfortable as possible.  And so, here is the big a$$ fan we picked (80" with no light since there are can lights):

SZEPLO

My parents selected a similar-looking ceiling fan for their great room (with no light since there are can lights):

Slipstream 65"

For our master bedrooms, we were still thinking about that awesome lanai fan.  So we mirrored it, but in the smaller 60" size (without a light since there are can lights in the masters).  Also, this is the same ceiling fan that is on our covered deck (so it matches the lanai).

SZEPLO 60"

For the majority of our bedrooms, including the girls' bedrooms, guest bedrooms, and playroom/loft, we selected an inexpensive white ceiling fan with a light:

Minka Aire

Bathroom Sconces

The master bathrooms have two sconces that flank each bathroom mirror.  We wanted inexpensive fixtures that would provide soft lighting for makeup application.  So we went for these beauties:

Wall Sconce

For the other bathrooms, we opted for an inexpensive bathroom sconce that was still beautiful.

Tilbury

Kitchen Cabinet Design - Just when you thought a design could not be improved upon

"The kitchen really is the castle itself.  This is where we spend our happiest moments
 and where we find the joy of being a family."

- Mario Batali - 

Like many modern household designs, we really wanted an open-concept design to maximize usable living space.  We find ourselves hanging out in the kitchen a lot, like most families (don't be confused, I'm not a great cook, but we all love to eat).  For this reason, my Mom and I were very focused on the kitchen layout from the outset.

For starters, I did not realize that typical architectural plans do not do specific layouts (vertically) of cabinets.  While an architectural plan would lay out the dimensions of the cabinets from a top view, you would not typically expect to see drawers or other features called out in the plans.  

From the beginning

Just to remind you of the original layout of my parents' side of the house (Bar = kitchen, gaming = dining room) from our incredible architect, Tom McDonough:

And now from our side of the fence:

We were smitten with these designs.  Our nightly activities involved unrolling the plans, imagining what we would be doing in those areas and how we would use, and dreaming about decorating them...

In all honesty, I imagined our kitchen cabinet meeting going pretty quickly...basically something like "See these plans?  Please put all drawers on the bottom, cabinets on the top.  Thanks!"  Boy was I wrong...in a good way!

Enter Harris Wood Products

Our interior decorator guru, home construction sherpa, and all-in-all super star Betsy Judd guided us through the cabinet design process in a fun, collaborative, and non-stressful way.  She sets up the right meetings with the right subcontractors in the right order, then gives great guidance and takes meticulous notes to make sure any selections are accurate.  Love her!

Betsy set up our first cabinet meeting with Bart Harris, owner of Harris Wood Products.  While I expected Bart to install cabinets just like the plans suggested, I was blown away by the innovative ideas he had to make the kitchen function so much better.

Layout Changes

As for my Mom's side, Bart's suggestions and ideas did not drastically change the footprint of the cabinet plans/layout.  However, sometimes a little change can have a huge impact.  Bart's suggestion was simple:  let's eliminate this vertical accent soffit in the corner, extend the cabinets to the 18" and the island 18", and just move the dining room table more toward the windows.

This little change had a HUGE impact on my Mom's usable space in the kitchen.  She had been worried that she didn't have that much counter space on either side of the gas cooktop.  The island went from a little over 7 feet long to almost 9 feet long.  The cabinets against the wall where the cooktop sits went from about 7.5 feet long to over 9 feet long.  

I can't tell you how many times we looked at these plans and wished that my Mom could find a bit more countertop space.  Then BOOM!  Just like that!

Now hold on to your hats...things are about to get fun.  Bart took a look at my side and was not happy.  He said that we could do the layout proposed, or we could kick it up a notch.  In a short time, he had made a significant change in the layout.  

From this: 

To this:

Or, as is easier to see, like this:

The improvements of this design cannot be overstated.  First, I did worry that I was going to feel a bit claustrophobic at the stove...you know, during that once-a-year event of me cooking.  The original layout only had a very little room to the left of the stove and then the stacked oven/microwave.  Second, the original layout had a tiny section of counter tops between the pantry and refrigerator.  Third, the counter top depth in the 'coffee bar' area (leading to the pantry) was very small.  This new configuration allowed for a deeper counter.  Finally, the kitchen island and back counter got longer, to the tune of 14 inches!  Now the island is about 9 1/2 ft long and 5 feet wide.  

Kitchen Cabinet Design

Now that we have talked about the layout changes, let's focus on some of the cool cabinet design choices Bart suggested (and we took him up on)!  Because my Mom and I opted for some similar features, I'll talk about them together.

First, drawers.  Can you have too many?  After walking through model homes and seeing various options, we both decided that it would be awesome to have all drawers on the gas cooktop cabinets.  All of the cabinets come with hidden hinges and soft close drawers.  How many drawers is too many?  Let's take a look and see if we border on that number...  :)

...and my Mom's side:

Extra wide drawers mean that you have to be careful about hardware.  You either need a long bar or two pulls per drawer.

Second, my Mom and I both liked the look of lighting up above the kitchen cabinets but we also were drawn to cabinets that went to the ceiling.  Solution?  Glass door cabinets with lighting in them above.  You can see above that my Mom wanted "X" panels in the glass doors and I went for the basic "+" look.  Note that it is pretty expensive to add the glass doors, plus expensive to wire (because each cabinet needs a separate electrical drop), PLUS the cost of the puck light itself which goes into each cabinet.

Trash bins...sigh.  I hope that we get better at reducing our trash footprint, but it always seems like our trash is full.  I worried about having a pull-out cabinet trash which seemed like it would be small and always be full.  Well, Bart mentioned that we could upgrade to the double 50 quart option on our islands.  SCORE!

Speaking of islands, Bart also suggested upgrading the narrower drawers on the islands to full 30 inch guides.  This essentially means that you can pull the drawer all the way out.  DOUBLE SCORE!  Here is my island front (there is an apron sink):

We also both decided to get some cookie sheet dividers placed in a cabinet:

My side:

My Mom's side:

Now things start getting unique, which I love!  I think we were initially concerned that the kitchens would look too similar...or maybe too different.  Bart and Betsy were able to help us make these kitchens flow together but still stand apart.

My Side of the Fence - Kitchen

Okay, so the cabinet drawings look brown but that is not the look I am going for.  So imagine something like this:

Old Sea Grove Homes

All white cabinets, white marble countertops, hints of raw wood.
So let's run through the raw wood elements:

Like the gorgeous kitchen picture above, just the gas hood is going to be rift sawn white oak.  Also, I have a section of the kitchen (like a bar area) with open shelving.  Just the shelves are going to be rift sawn oak (with shiplap behind.

Finally, to round off the great room, Bart got creative.  I showed him this picture that I found on Pinterest and fell in love with...

Source

I know, right?  Stunning.  This is the look I thought was out of reach for the cabinets beneath my TV:

Nope, Bart jumped right on them!  Matching rift sawn oak door insets.

I will get the hardware separately, but he is providing the cabinets with the glass.  Baller!

In the kitchen cabinet area near the gas range, the length of the cabinets allowed for one more cool feature...spice pull outs on either side of the center bank of drawers.  For all my spice needs?  Hmmmm...

My Side of the Fence - Pantry

Bart altered the original layout of the kitchen, thus making it much more functional.  This change, however, required a redesign of the old pantry area.  We still wanted a coffee bar concept like we had originally:

Now, that coffee bar got moved to the area where we were originally contemplating a second oven.

Cool, huh?  The pantry will have all white cabinets with a solid white oak counter top.  Because my pantry is fairly long and narrow with a window at the end, I began searching Pinterest for ideas.  Then, I saw this one:

Drool.  Drool.  Drool.  So we are going to try to recreate features from it, like the wire baskets and the countertop.  However, our trim carpenters are actually building the upper shelves, and man did they have a cool idea.  So those shelves to the right of the coffee bar area are actually going to be mounted like this:

Fixer Upper

LOVE IT!  Thanks Joanna Gaines!

My Parents' Side of the Fence - Kitchen

Not to be outdone, my parents' side has some awesome unique features too!  First, they decided to go with an exposed stainless vent hood.  AWESOME!!!  They also have the rift sawn white oak shelves over their coffee area.  The rift sawn oak is going to be an awesome way to make the two spaces coordinate without matching.  Now things get interesting...

While my side is going to be all white with wood accents, my parents are going to have a more playful design...a blue island :)  Something like...

Decor Pad

They will have the "X" detail on the side but a floating counter off the end.  Stunning!!!

Also, their pantry is not walk-through, but to give it an airy look, they are going to have glass doors to enter.

When you open the doors, Bart is installing a magnet board on your left and a cork board on your right.  I'm jealous...

My Parents' Side of the Fence - Pantry

Their pantry is going to have more cabinets and drawers than mine (wait, I'm getting MORE jealous...).  When you walk in, you will see this set:

And when you look to your right, you will see:

When you look to your left, you will see standard white pantry shelves.

So there you have it.  We are totally smitten.  Can't wait to update you with the actual cabinets when they arrive...should be soon!!!

J.S. Robinson sure picked a winner with Bart Harris.  He was such a pleasure to work with, had so many great ideas, and his cabinets are built to last.  Check out Harris Wood Products at:

Harris Wood Products 

Get in touch with Bart at 816-665-8470 or at his email address:  bharris@harriswood.net.

Or just walk into any of JS Robinson's model homes on the Parade of Homes to see his workmanship in person!  Here is a link to JS Robinsons' model homes in the upcoming Parade:  

Check out J.S. Robinsons' website for more details!  Link

AND...because I just today got this update picture from Bart, here is a sneak peak at the actual kitchen island on my parents' side.  Wait, are you sitting down?  Okay, because you need to be:

"If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen."

- Harry S. Truman -