Restoration Hardware's Harmon Pendant Alternatives

"Ricky" and I are planning our kitchen updates. We spent last night checking out some ideas from Restoration Hardware. One of those lights is the Harmon Pendant.


This transitional fixture might be perfect with it's shiny sleekness juxtaposed against the traditional wood shelving and white cabinets I have planned. They are temporarily on sale but regularly priced from 379-529 dollars and have a 11", 15", and 19".

Here is the Harmon, I believe, on Houzz:

                               Contemporary Kitchen by Jacksonville Beach Interior Designer kmh design, inc.

I have no doubt they will be awesome but am looking at cheaper options because we are on a small budget.

What do you think about these options?.....

                                                                                    
                   
                                                                              

The Chadwick 1 Light by Landmark is nice 14" of shiny curviness at $218.00 on Amazon for New and $154 for used. This seems to mimick the look of the Harmon the closest of the lights.

This is the  Emery Traditional 1 Light Pendant Light In Imperial Silver by Quoizel it's 249 dollars at a comparable 13.50 inches. I definitely like the silver on this one as opposed to the other 2 above.



Here's the Emery in "action" but it's the mini version:

Last but not least, I think this is my favorite so far.......

This is the Jamie Young Pendant in St. Charles Large Mercury Glass some places have it for 196 for the large version which is only 9.75 inches diameter.


Here is the Jamie Young Pendant in "action."

This is via Garden Webb from user Michelle16. I think she chose beautifully!




Here is one more shot and you can see the rest at Garden Webb

Of course I have to take in account if anyone's head will be bumping into it in my tiny kitchen. Usually a pendant is reserved to go  over something, like an island, but my kitchen is too small for an island, or anything, really.  I really want some sort of pretty pendants, though, so I'm not following any rules so nanny nanny boo boo!


Ok, last light, realty, this time.  I just happen to like it, though it doesn't look like the Harmon.

It's the same light as above except it's in Celadon green seeded glass:

 

My House Stinks!

 

 

 

 Hey guys! I just moved into my house over the last few days and it stinks! It's not a moldy smell, or even a something crawled up in here and died, smell. It's more like straight up thrift shop in here.  It's just old smell.

 

Speaking of thrift shop, we've been singing that song for 3 days straight while moving. We can't get it out of our heads. I even sing it before bed time.

 

 I'm pretty sure my husband and I could have made our own cover. " I'm gonna pop some tags, I've got 20 dollars in my pocket, then I cluck like a chicken to the tune, this is crazy awesome!"  Yeah, I always edit any bad words out with my own.

 

You can see the official video on youtube

 

Anyways, I'm getting distracted. I googled what to do to get rid of old house smell and Apartment Therapy had an article on using something called, Room Shocker.  They weren't sure if it worked or not but suggested it wouldn't hurt to try at 25 dollars a can.  I jumped up and bought 6 right away.

 

 

This company claims that it can get rid of any smell in your house. ANY smell. I also read somewhere that they used these to get homes ready to move back into for families affected by Hurricane Katrina. I have no idea how true that is, as it was a comment somewhere on the web.

 

 

 

We bought 6 of them and let me tell you, we followed directions to the T as it seemed like the reviews were by people who just didn't read the directions, and this stuff did NOT work for us. In all fairness there were reviews on Apt. Therapy and Amazon, that swore by it's effectiveness. There were also reviews on Amazon, that indicated it did not work.

 

So, now I'm hoping I don't get hassle about getting my moolah back! That moolah can go towards something more useful in our new home, like some art, or curtains or something.

 

I am really hoping someone reads this and knows how to get rid of old house smell. I really want our house to smell clean and fresh.  I really hate chemically made smells, so I'm not into Glade, Renuzit, Febreeze or anything like that. I need to find something that rids the house of the smell  and not just mask it, which is what Room Shocker claims to do.

 

Until then, I'll be using lots of windows to air the house out and natural products with essential oils.

 

 

 

Look 4 Less: Capri 1 Light Pendant & DIY

I'm shopping for light fixtures and ran across this:

 

 

 

Home Decorators Capri 1 Light Pendant is 22"Hx10"D at 184 dollars.

        Shades of Light Pendant is 15"Hx6"W at 99 dollars.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Or, to me it looks like you can diy one with this:

I haven't tried this yet, so feel free to add whatever to make it work.

 

 

 

 

 

Step 1: Purchase a Glass Jug (maybe something without a handle)

via Label Peelers

 

 

Step 2: Cut the bottom off the jug:

via The Bella Files on Glass Cutting

 

 

 

Step3: Add Light Pendant and Chain

 

via Pottery Barn

 

Or

 

 

 

 

Or

Maybe one of these:

 

Portfolio accessory kit

 via Lowe's

 

 

You could add one large chain link to the chain to keep it from slipping through the jug.

Summer Lovin'

 

I'm browsing Matchbook magazine's boutique.

I'm in the mood for Summer!  I'm loving black and white stripes with the addition of emerald green and a little coral.

                                                        

 

 

Spiffing Up A Plain Jane Home: No Porch Issue

If you're new to the blog, you do not know that we bought a house recently, almost.

 I'm leaving so much out but buying it has been sheer torture, but it's hopefully, crossing my fingers, throwing salt over my shoulder with a 4 leaf clover in my pocket, hunched over in a corner and timidly peering over my shoulder with one eye squinted because I'm waiting for one more thing to go wrong, praying to Jesus (which is the only thing I did which works), finally over. : D

One of the things I've been looking at in a home is something older, (older homes tend to evade the cookie cutter factor that I'm not very fond of), something with a nice sized yard, and something with character to the exterior of the home.

Well, because of circumstances beyond our control, and me just wanting to get the agony of it all over with, we ended up settling for a plain Jane house. 

BTW....if your name is Jane, I absolutely do not find that a plain name at all, it's actually one of my favorite names, and far from boring in my mind, but the phrase is quite common in American culture. Why, I don't quite know.

While I love our house and actually prefer a project, it is rather plain and without a porch, unless you count  a 3 by 5 ft plot of cement in front of your door a porch.  A porch is something I could have really worked with to bring in some wow factor to this box on a lot.

Which don't get me wrong, I'm thankful for our box on a lot!

One of the solutions we decided on was to build a pergola to the side of the house. Pergolas do not have to stay at the back of your house. Think front or side when replacing a non-existent porch. This solves our "no porch" issue, brings character to the house, and adds value to the home in one fell swoop.

While these houses are far from plain it helps to get a visual.....

Traditional Patio by Millbrook Architect Crisp Architects

Traditional Patio by Menlo Park Architect Ana Williamson Architect

Traditional Exterior by Boston General Contractor Woodmeister Master Builders

Traditional Patio by Hinsdale Design-build Normandy Remodeling

Contemporary Exterior by Alexandria Architect Moore Architects, PC

Traditional Patio by Frederick Interior Designer JB Interiors, Inc.

Contemporary Exterior by Portland Interior Designer Jessica Helgerson Interior Design

Traditional Landscape by Far Hills Landscape Architect Deborah Cerbone Associates, Inc.

Mother's Day Gifts Under 50 Dollars

 

 

 

Here's my favorite Mother's Day gifts so far. These are on my own personal list.

I found these all on one page on Layla Grace.

 

 

Spiffing Up A Plain Jane Home: Shutters And Window Boxes

Several days ago, I did part one in the series of spiffin up a plain home with awnings. Today, I'm going to concentrate on shutters and window boxes! I love them! First off, if your house is rather plain, you really should consider awnings. They add some architectural detail to an otherwise boring house.

Traditional Exterior by New Port Richey Architect Bud Dietrich, AIA

Contemporary Exterior by Minneapolis Design-build Orfield Remodeling, Inc

 

Awnings are not cheap. Window boxes are relatively inexpensive and you can always Google how to DIY one yourself!

They should match the window frame plus any trim. If there are shutters then add 4-6 inches on.

 

Sometimes I like them a little longer than the frame.  Longer window boxes tend to draw the eye in more and the look can be very lush with the right plants, like the one below.

Traditional Exterior by Vancouver Landscape Architect Pot Incorporated

Traditional Exterior by Minneapolis Design-build Great Neighborhood Homes

Traditional Exterior by Chicago General Contractor Greenside Design Build LLC



If you already have shutters, try a nice bold contrasting coat of paint to make them pop! Finish them off with flowers and plants that color contrast the window boxes.

Traditional Exterior by Tarrytown Landscape Architect Westover Landscape Design, Inc.

Tropical Exterior by Other Metro Architect Barefoot Design Group, LLC

Traditional Exterior by Beaufort Design-build WaterMark Coastal Homes, LLC