Modern Dining Room Lighting with a Rustic Farm Table
Most of the lighting throughout our home is Visual Comfort from Serena & Lily. When I worked at the Westport store part-time for a few years, I acquired several pendants, chandeliers, sconces, table lamps, and floor lamps. Lighting is everything when creating an inviting atmosphere in your home. So, I am sharing my favorite new pendant and favorite bulbs for Sunday favorites today with Cindy and Mary Ann.
Modern Dining Room Light Fixtures for a Rustic Dining Table
I love the mix of styles in every room, including the dining room. Our table is an old farm table that Brent made when we lived in California in the early 1990s. We shopped for farm tables all over Los Angeles, from The Rose Bowl Flea Market to the shops in Montana in Santa Monica. I can’t recall what the prices were for the tables, but they were out of our budget back then, which is why Brent built one. And now it has been in every house since. It’s almost too many to count. We’ve had many different light fixtures over this table in various styles.
Modern Chandeliers
Since we love a mix of styles, we have always chosen a modern light fixture with our more rustic table for our dining room chandelier or pendant light. In our New Canaan dining room, we used the Santa Barbara rattan pendant from Serena & Lily. This post shows the lighting we used in our New Canaan home.
We used the Fairmont Chandelier from Serena & Lily when we moved to our current house. The size worked perfectly; it was oversized to make a statement but not too large. We loved it, and the price was right, free! One of the many perks of working at the shop. You can see it in this post: Add Some Simple French Style to Your Dining Room.
Several years later, the shades have yellowed, and I am finally getting exactly what I wanted: a rice paper shade from Design Within Reach. There are many versions of this type of light with varying costs. The one that made the most sense to try was this one from DWR with a Hay cord set—total cost: $114.
Shop Rice Paper Shade Light and the Hay Pendant Cord Set from Design Within Reach.
Lighting Fixtures as Focal Points in a Room
I’m not too fond of most overhead lighting. However, pendant lighting is often the perfect lighting for a dining room. I prefer dining room pendant lights that fill the room with soft light rather than pendants that are more like spotlights. The right lighting in a room can change the feel instantly—from cold to cozy with the flip of a switch—a dimmer switch!
The right amount of light in a dining room or living room can also come from other sources, such as wall lights or sconces. I love how sconces can give off ambient lighting without taking up space. All you need is wall space. We could choose and plan everything when we designed our California home, including lighting. In our current home, we have a lot of windows, which we love for natural light but do not leave much space for wall sconces.
Things we considered before hanging this contemporary style of light
The size of the light with our ceiling height made me pause. I wanted a big enough light to make a visual impact, but not so big it seemed out of place. The more I looked into it and saw the light hanging in every type of home with various styles, the more I realized there are no rules! Use what you love and enjoy it! You make the rules! We have low ceilings or perhaps average height, but I wouldn’t let that get in the way of having the light I wanted!
This type of light fills the room with a minimalist design that works perfectly with our existing decor, a rustic farm table, and simple-style black chairs. The aesthetic appeal is precisely what we wanted for this space. Perfect for family gatherings or a mid-week leisurely meal just for the two of us!
The kind of bulbs I always use in every type of light fixture.
Incandescent lighting is my favorite type of light. LED lighting is getting better in terms of color and warmth, but give me a choice between the best LED light with warm light and an incandescent light bulb, and I’ll choose the latter every single time. They are getting more difficult to find, but a simple search for Edison-style incandescent light bulbs should get you started. Here are a few of my favorites that I always keep on hand.
Edison vintage-style bulbs in table lamps, floor lamps, and pendants above the kitchen island. We used this size bulb in the rice paper shade pendant, and of course, it’s on a dimmer.
Edison candle-style bulbs in wall sconces and small lamps
I used incandescent lights, including patio string lights, even in outdoor lighting.
Other Sunday Favorites:
Leanne Ford
Photo Credit: Leanne Ford – The Cottage Remix
Leanne Ford inspires me with her “modern yet lived-in aesthetic and signature “white on white” palette.” She uses similar lights in her projects and the Buck Mason shops. I love her magazine, Feel Free, and now she has a book coming out! You can preorder here!
Soap nails, as they are now called, are trending. Funny, because I’ve been a fan for 30+ years. My hands look old, and adding bright colors draws too much attention to them. I either choose buff or barely-there nail polish.
Soap nails look glossy, almost wet, like getting out of the bath. They are clean, chic, and minimal. At the Nordstrom Sale, I tried Londontown Nail Polish, and I’m here to say it’s worth it! It gives an impossibly smooth finish that you can do yourself. I will still head to the nail salon, but maybe not as often since I can do it at home. Let me know if you try it! Nordstrom has this set of six on sale for $52.
Outfit of the Week
I bought this maxi skirt for Madeline and then turned around and ordered one for myself. It’s the perfect skirt for just about everything! Madeline pairs hers with a sleeveless top, and I wear it with a T-shirt, Birkenstocks, or sneakers. When the weather cools down, it will be perfect with a denim jacket.
Left: Quince Luna Sunglasses // Birkenstocks // Longchamp Tote (Nordstrom Anniversary Sale) // Rag & Bone White Slub Tee // Quince Cotton Tiered Maxi Skirt Right: Uniqlo Bra Top // Quince Luna Sunglasses // Sezane Tote Bag // Quince 100% Organic Cotton Tiered Maxi Skirt // Sezane Lenny Sandals
I love how the light fixture makes a statement but isn’t fussy. And I’ve always loved black chairs paired with a rustic table!
I am so glad I hang out with you and Mary Ann so I can find out about what is trending. I didn’t know hat chrome nails were and I never heard of soap nails either. I guess I have been doing soap nails for years and didn’t know it!! We have a table Steve made when we were probably 30. We almost got rid of it thinking we might never have a house where we could use it. I am so glad we didn’t!!