Refined Southern Style At Home: Lighting
January 17, 2019
Making design decisions for our renovations was both incredibly fun and incredibly stressful. We weren’t putting lipstick on a pig – the homes were already STUNNING. It was our job to restore and enhance. There were a few aspects of the project we really got to flex our design muscles like the lighting, the flooring, the wall treatments, and the Bridal & Groom’s Suites. (We’re also in the process of designing our offices, which I’ll reveal in a future post!)
We get asked all of the time for sources, so I thought it would be fun to round up some pieces that will give your home a similar Refined Southern Style as the McAlister-Leftwich House!
This first post will cover lighting. When we purchased the homes, the chandeliers in Leftwich were pretty but not quite the style we envisioned. In fact, I don’t think we knew what we envisioned right off the bat! We had differing opinions of what should go in the space and there was a lot of pressure on the decision because it was essentially the only major element in each room (other than the beautiful windows and fireplaces!).
While I pushed for more traditional/antique and Cheryl pushed for more modern, we ultimately landed on a compromise: traditional shapes in modern finishes.
And the result was amazing! We found the most perfect fixtures for the Leftwich House at High Point Market. Just look at them in the space:
Photo by Hillary Muelleck
Photo by Shalyn Nelson
The size of these chandeliers would be too large for most homes, but I’ve put together some alternatives for you to bring the same aesthetic into your home. Remember – antique or traditional shapes in modern finishes!
Next up, we had to choose light fixtures for the McAlister House. We decided to put two key fixtures in the space: one in front of the fireplace and one in front of the door. This not only anchored those areas a bit more but allowed for a bit of personality to enter the space! Our requirements were it needed to be a semi-flush mount, it needed to have a similar brushed gold finish as the fixtures in Leftwich, and it needed to make a statement without being overwhelming. Again, we searched and searched for the perfect fixtures. Ultimately we chose this one:
Photo by Ally & Bobby
Photo by Ally & Bobby
I rounded up some of our other favorites:
Finally, we chose the lighting for the Bridal Suite. Again, we mixed old and new with some antique chandeliers that we bought from an auction and new fixtures that incorporated the brushed gold we love so much! Here’s what we decided on:
Photo by Blue Barn
Photo by Blue Barn
Hunting for antique chandeliers is fun but can be pricey! Check auctions and estate sales to find the best prices.
Thankfully we were able to use the beautiful original fixtures in places like the entryway, the stairwell leading to our offices, the front porch of Leftwich and a few other places. All fixtures we replaced were either not original or broken, so it didn’t make us too sad to incorporate something new into the houses. In fact, it added to our love of the property and the process!
I’ll post in the future about other elements of the home renovation and design process. Comment below and let me know if there’s anything specific you’d like to know!