How to Select Light Fixtures
We recently spent a marathon afternoon with our clients selecting all the lighting for a new build project from the builders preferred lighting source. I’m sharing our decision-making process, because it might be helpful to anyone struggling to select the perfect light fixtures when there are soooooo many options!
I like to think of the decorative lighting (and cabinet hardware) as the jewelry in a room. We had already selected the cabinet hardware for the house from the very limited selection the builder offered (this is all easy enough to change later, so we can upgrade it sometime down the road if we want). And now we were selecting the lighting needed. There are several considerations that need to be balanced out, but the three big ones are budget, finish, and style/size.
Budget
Builder “allowances” are the amount built into the price that you have available to spend on a particular item before it starts costing you extra. You can always spend more than the allowance, you just have to pay for it. Builder allowances are also notoriously way too low. Unless you are buying the cheapest light fixtures available, and maybe not even then, the allowance is probably not going to cover it. This is one reason we always recommend having a contingency fund of 10%-20% for any renovation or building project. Our builder allowance for this project averaged out to less than $100/fixture. See what I mean? For a house at the quality level my clients are building, cheap looking light fixtures are just not going to cut it. We chose to save on fixtures for some spaces (like the guest room, basement stairwell, walk-in closet, and guest bath) and spend a little more on some high impact fixtures for others (like the foyer, kitchen/great room, and master bath). Even with very judicious selections, we still spent more than twice the builder allowance. Pro tip: when selecting inexpensive lighting, choose the simplest styles. It is the detailing, finishes, and generally trying-too-hard design that are the hallmarks of cheap lighting - minimize where they can go wrong by keeping it simple!
Finish
Do all the metal finishes in a house or room need to be the same? No! Mixing metal finishes makes for a more interesting space, but it must be well balanced and artfully done. Depending on the space, too many, may look chaotic and too few can just look static and unimaginative. We’ve written before on the right way to mix metal finishes. Because our clients are downsizing with this house, the public spaces are more interconnected to create a sense of spaciousness. The door hardware throughout the home will be a dark black/oil rubbed bronze, and the great room incorporates the kitchen (with stainless steel appliances), dining area, and living room all as one space opening from the foyer. Because the sight lines are such that you will see the fixtures in both spaces at once, we wanted them to be compatible. We selected the fixtures for the 8’ island and the foyer chandelier to be in similar finishes. They are a gilded antiqued silver finish edging toward gold and will add just the right element with the other fixed finishes!
The bathroom light fixtures are usually chosen to match the cabinet hardware and/or the faucets, although there are exceptions, of course, depending on what else is going on in the room. In our case the faucets and cabinet hardware are the same satin nickel finish since the choices were limited, so we chose to use satin nickel for the lighting in those spaces as well.
Size/Style
Size is a really important consideration for light fixtures. You can read more specifics on the right size and placement of light fixtures in this post. Most people (and builders) err on the side of too small because the smallest size tends to be the least expensive. But undersized lights are just as wrong as ones that are so big you risk putting an eye out…
We have examples here of too small: the traditional fixture that is too tiny for the room or the table and hung at least 10’ from the floor making it useless. Also, who is going to change the light bulbs in that thing?! And then there is the pretty, but way too small silver pendant interrogating the floral arrangement. At the other extreme we have too large: an interesting branchy chandelier that appears to be wider than the table. Put your least favorite relatives in those center chairs…
Style is another huge consideration. You can further a more transitional, contemporary, or more traditional feel by your choice of statement lighting. We selected a pair of transitional orb style lanterns for the 8’ kitchen island in a 16” size to give them some presence in the space. They echo but don’t match the foyer lantern fixture in style and finish. We liked the look of chandelier-like lanterns since there will be no chandelier over the adjacent dining table, and we chose round so they won’t drive us crazy like a pair of more angular lanterns might when they twist and turn! Another bonus? No glass to get grimy or collect dust!
It can be interesting to mix styles too - like a contemporary fixture in a more architecturally traditional space, but that eclectic look is a delicate balance that requires a deft hand. The image below is a less successful melding of styles. Why so tiny? And why did they get sent to time-out in the corners??? I have so many questions…
This transitional chandelier helps marry the owners contemporary furnishings with the traditional details and millwork in the architecture, and the scale is large enough to stand up to the visually (and literally!) heavy table and the open floor plan.
Design: JRL Interiors, Photo: Emily O’Brien
And two of these Paris style traditional chandeliers are perfectly at home in this cavernous dining room with its 18’ dining table!
Design: JRL Interiors, Photo: Eric Roth