The Challenge: Overhead Breakfast Area Lighting

Ever since we moved into our little house a little over two years ago, I’ve hated the light fixture that sits above our breakfast area as it has absolutely zero personality. I knew I was going to eventually replace it, but of course there were other things that had to be switched out and took priority.

Visually, I did not want an overbearing fixture that blocked off the view outdoors or the view of the painting from our family room. The space is small, so it was important to not make it seem even smaller by putting in a large fixture. I still wanted the lighting to have substance and be an important design element in the room. The design of the house is traditional, but it was important that what I put into it didn’t look or feel too traditional. I wanted a fixture that was classic with a twist. Contemporary but not too “out there”, to compliment the existing space and make the area look fresh and new, not boring and unimportant like the existing fixture.

The Space:

Lots of natural light, a round Saarinen table, 3 restored vintage Dunbar chairs (the remaining 3 are scattered around the house in different areas)

The Options:

After several months of scouring through different showrooms, trade shows, websites, stores, and what not, I came up with 8 possible solutions that are available online (there were several that are to the trade only, but I decided to omit those options for this post.) Which one would you choose for the space above? I finally settled on one, and it is now on order and scheduled to arrive next week. I bet you can’t guess which one I picked. Go ahead – try!