I’ve had requests to share my favorite etsy shops and finds. Dare I say I spend more time browsing etsy than pinterest? It’s true. I’ve decided to try weekly etsy features and see how they go over. Let me know if you enjoy them!

This week on etsy I stumbled upon the most amazing collection of handmade chandeliers and sconces via Stimulight. The urchin-like starburst lighting has a midcentury vibe that reminds me of the Sputnik but is more affordable than the popular vintage pieces. Most of the fixtures are listed with a price tag of less than $400 while true Sputniks and even high end replicas can sell for upwards of $1,000.

The custom fixtures are made with the utmost attention to detail. The metal spines are crafted from high quality wire and can be adorned with hand painted wood beads for an explosive effect.

Along with chandeliers, the shop also offers handsome wall sconces and table lamps. I could see a pair of urchin sconces above a buffet in a dining room or flanking the bed in a master bedroom. A single sconce near a rocking chair or glider would be so adorable in a nursery.

After discovering this inspiring little shop, I was delighted to find out more about the maker and designer behind the pieces. The shop is the result of a creative collaboration between a visual display manager and an engineer. Zach Dutton, one half of the Stimulight duo, is a visual display designer for West Elm. Yes, THE West Elm. I’m a huge fan of West Elm so it’s really no surprise that I’m drawn to the experimental lighting gig spurred by one of their designers. I don’t think this newly introduced tangent shop will be sitting on the sidelines for long!

What do you think of these affordable spins on a vintage design? Are you a fan of West Elm too?

images: Stimulight

You already saw our kitchen go from this…

…to this…

Yeah. That was a complete gut job. Since then, we’ve been doing what we do best. Tweaking.

We originally installed four open shelves near the range. They were totally functional and got me on the open-shelving-in-the-kitchen bandwagon but left a lot to be desired. The white MDF boards got lost against the light-colored wall and looked a little meh. A reader with a keen eye also noted that the shelves seemed too low and would look better if they were in line with the hood.

We lived with them that way for a few months. I really liked having our everyday serving ware {plates, bowls, glasses, etc.} out in the open for quick access but felt that something was off. I went back through my kitchen inspiration photos and noted that many incorporated wood shelving. And after I looked further, I noticed that {as the wise reader above had suggested} the open shelving was in line with either: 1) a range hood 2) wall cabinets or 3) both. Aha!

I mentioned to HH that I thought the shelves would look better if they were raised so that the top shelves were in line with the hood and the bottom shelves were in line with the bottom of our wall cabinets {on the perpendicular walls}. He just looked at me.

He didn’t say a word but I’m pretty sure he was thinking, “What?! I just hung those shelves. They’re not going anywhere.”

Then I added, “And wouldn’t it be nice if we could find some reclaimed wood to replace the MDF?”

Still, the look and no words. This is what HH has to put up with on a daily basis. Have pity on him.

But I had planted a seed. And eventually it sprouted some roots because a few weeks later HH told me we had a few fence boards leftover from our DIY ‘love’ headboard. On top of that, they were 1″ thick – exactly what we needed. He thought we had enough to replace the MDF shelf boards. He also said something about installing a backsplash while he was at it.

I love that man.

I’ll have full-on ‘how we did it’ posts next week but feast your eyes on this…

How you like dem apples?

First, let’s discuss the most obvious tweak. The backsplash.

We chose 2″x12″ white subway tile and a contrasting warm gray grout.

We decided to tile up to the hood but not to the ceiling because we really didn’t want the hood to be an ‘in your face’ focal point from the adjoining family room.

Likewise, we chose to only go three tiles high with the rest of the backsplash. Don’t get me wrong. I do enjoy an entire wall of tile now and again but when it’s visible from a not-so-utilitarian space {like our wide open adjoining family room} then it feels a little cold to me. Not to mention, keeping our backsplash minimal saved us time and money. Unless your kids are doing the cooking in your house {in which case TELL ME YOUR SECRET}, you really don’t need a backsplash that extends to the ceiling.

It’s hard to tell from this shot but the low backsplash wraps around under the microwave.

No backsplash along the desk area. I’m reserving the under-cabinet space for an inspiration board, memos, reminders, etc.

Now for the less obvious tweak. The reclaimed wood shelves…

Seriously. They might be my favorite thing in the entire kitchen. Besides the skylights. The wood is old fence boards from HH’s family farm back in Pennsylvania. Like I mentioned, it was from the same lot that we used to DIY our previous headboard. {Don’t worry. HH sealed it so there’s no risk of contaminating our dishes with nasty chemicals or harmful dust.}

This shot shows how the raised shelves follow the lines of the kitchen better. I liken their new, higher position to a good {not Joan Rivers} facelift. It’s like that’s where they were supposed to be all along. Oh, and I have no problem reaching stuff on the shelves at their current height. At 5’4″, that was a slight concern for me but, turns out, it’s just like reaching up into a wall cabinet for something on the bottom or middle shelves.

The wood isn’t perfect. It’s bowed and warped which did pose somewhat of a challenge to hang. It has an aged patina that can’t be bought and only comes with time. We purposefully left some of the old paint on the boards.

Each shelf is actually made up of two boards placed side by side. Since we reused the IKEA brackets, HH had to cut the boards length and width wise to fit. Even though there are two boards and they aren’t perfectly smooth, it’s not enough to make our dishes wobble precariously above us.

I love the function of the open shelving so much that I bought two more brackets and we added a low shelf over near the fridge for easy water drinking. {See how the backsplash continues along this wall?} The height of the shelf is in line with the backsplash and still allows us to utilize the electrical outlets properly. This corner needs work. I want to hang the paper towel roll and I’ll probably remove the coffee maker since we rarely use it.

HH was worried the area under the shelf would be wasted but it’s perfect for storing cutting boards.

Some more shots because I can’t enough of the reclaimed wood and it’s Friday!

The mix of the shiny white tile, glass globe pendants, stainless steel brackets & appliances, weathered wood shelves, warm walnut island top, dark lower cabinetry and aluminum stools are so us. We love the contrast of light + dark, old + modern, shiny + matte.

I still have a short list of things to add to the kitchen, mostly final touches and accessories: window treatment, rug, maybe some hooks under the lower shelves near the range for towels/kitchen tools, wall art to the left of the window, etc.

Last week, one reader guessed another addition to the kitchen…

Cabinet lighting. {I’ve yet to paint those damn french doors. Why?! It’s not that hard!}

HH installed it himself. I have no idea how. I’m clueless when it comes to electrical work. I do know our electrician-in-law {who did the rest of the electrical work on the house} ran supply wire and hooked it up to switches so the cabinet lighting turns on/off with the flip of a switch. Presto! If you have any questions about it, feel free to ask in the comments section and maybe HH can answer them. I’m sorry. I have no desire to be an electrician.

But I do love what lighting can do for a space. I wish I could capture the ambience of the cabinet lighting at night. It’s the only lighting we use in the great room in the evenings after the kids are tucked in bed, lunches are packed for the next day and the kitchen is cleaned up. Cabinet lighting – that’s about as romantic as we get, people.

One last thing before I go…THANK YOU for voting for Mabrey’s room in the Room for Color contest over on Apartment Therapy. We won the dark division! I couldn’t have done it without you.

Have a happy weekend! I’ll be attempting a weekend warrior project that involves paint. Fingers crossed the kids cooperate.

Click here to see who won this week’s Bona giveaway.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Ever since I can remember I’ve always had a weird obsession with peeking in people’s homes at night. Okay, that sounds weird. But it’s not the people I’m looking at. I’m looking at the house. The innards of the house. There’s something about seeing lights on, a TV flickering and pictures on the walls that grabs my attention. When I drive by my favorite local homes at night, I slow down in hopes of catching a glimpse inside. Total stalker. I know.

The weather was so beautiful tonight {I’ll take upper 70′s and sunshine in late October anytime Mother Nature} that I slipped outside to peek into my own house for fun and realized that I’ve totally forgotten to show you the exterior lighting we added to the Underdog. Forgive me. Also, please forgive the aftermath of our new hardscaping. Yes, that is the original screen door lying horizontally propped up against the house and a wheelbarrow to the left of the picture window and a hose reel on top of the brick planter. Junking up the front yard. We’re cool like that. If you look closely, you can see our grassy lawn too!

Our electrician-in-law urged us to go with exterior downlighting installed under the eaves. HH and I hadn’t really thought too much about exterior lighting and, if our EIL hadn’t mentioned downlighting, we probably would have added landscaping up lights instead. We’re so happy that we went with the downlighting! Our EIL placed the recessed lighting so that it washes flat areas of the brick facade. We like that it warms up the brick and gives it a soft glow. That way there’s no annoying bright light shining in through any windows to the interior.

Are  you peeping in my window? Haha! That’s okay. I’ll let you look in mine if you let me look in yours.

You can see in this picture how the lighting is placed closer to the house to illuminate the brick {accent lighting} and then further out from the front door to act as task lighting. The gray heart is covering our house number. Seriously. How does one see a house number that small from the road anyways? We might as well not have one. Which is why we have plans to replace it with larger, more modern numbers down the road. Well, not literally down the road. You know what I mean.

After living with standard incandescent flood lights for only a few months and almost all of them burning out, HH decided to look into replacing them with LED’s. I was leery. Typically, I don’t like LED’s because I associate them with a cold blue light that feels sterile – not warm. HH did some research {the man loves his research} and found a Sylvania 50W 2700K soft white flood light. It’s an LED good for 50,000 hours but gives off that warm glow I love so much. HH tracked a bunch down when they were on closeout a few weeks ago, hitting up several different Lowe’s stores to acquire enough for our house. Even at the sale price, these bad boys weren’t cheap. We paid $39.97 a pop! But they’re guaranteed to last three years or we get a full replacement. Sweet. If you’re interested, this is the newer available version.

The back of the house has downlighting too. And two new patios {!}. We’re replacing the back lights with LED’s as they burn out. We don’t turn on the back lights as frequently. You can see one light is burnt out now and needs replaced.

And because I like peeking in houses at night so much, here’s a shot of mine. Complete with kid lunches on the island in preparation of school tomorrow.

I’ve been wanting to reveal the kitchen backsplash in a true before-and-after post when the kitchen is put back together. But, what the heck!, I’m keeping it real and showing you what it looks like right now. We went with this 2″x12″ subway tile and contrasting epoxy grout in a warm gray. I love subway tile but was afraid that traditional subway tiles would have looked too busy…too many grout lines. {FYI – We’ll be using this same tile but with white grout on the walls in the kid/guest bathroom!}

You also might have noticed that we backsplashed {yes, I just made “backsplash” a verb} sparingly. We tiled up to the hood above the range and only three tiles high the rest of the way. Why didn’t we tile the entire wall? After all, I love me a focal wall tiled all the way to the ceiling. Well, three reasons: 1) It was cheaper not to. 2) It was easier not to. 3) I didn’t want the wall to be a focal wall because you see it from the front door and family room. We did something similar with the backsplash in our previous home because the kitchen, dining room and family room were all open to one another and liked the results so figured we’d go that route again.

HH removed the open shelving to install the backsplash. Once it was down, I decided I didn’t like the previous placement. While it was perfectly fine to reach and use, it was too low visually. Here’s a picture from a few weeks ago to jog your memory.

One reader recommended raising the shelves to incorporate the hood. I looked back through several inspiration photos and discovered that most of them had an open shelf in line with the bottom of the hood. I think putting the top shelves in line with the hood and the bottom shelves in line with the bottom of the wall cabinets is the way to go.

HH really doesn’t want to drill new holes and patch the old ones but I got him on board by saying it will be one of those little things that makes a big difference design-wise. We’ll be reusing the stainless steel brackets but replacing the white MDF shelving boards with reclaimed fence boards. I can’t wait to see the results of this little tweak!

What about you? Are you a legal Peeping Tom like me? Have you added exterior lighting to your house? Are you tweaking your kitchen? Did you notice anything else new that I didn’t mention? ;)

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

*THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED.*

Congrats to Melanee who just purchased a new house and needs to lighten it up!

I’ve been on a lighting kick recently. We’ve yet to find ‘the one’ for our master bedroom. But that’s okay. The hunt is half the fun. That’s why when Lamps.com contacted me about a reader giveaway, I was game. Seriously. Does anyone else spend way too much time browsing lighting fixtures online? Be honest. That’s what I thought. Prepare to waste some time being wowed by  inanimate {yet glowing!} objects.

From table lamps to living room ceiling lights to ceiling fans, Lamps.com has a wide variety of styles to choose from. On top of that, the bulb{s} required for your new light are shipped to you FREE along with your purchase. How cool is that?! Could you use some more light in your life? Great! See entry details below.

PRIZE: $150 gift card to Lamps.com

RULES: You must be at least 18 years old and have a U.S. shipping address. One entry per email address.

TO ENTER: Leave a comment on this post proclaiming “LIGHTEN UP!”

DEADLINE: Enter before Thursday, September 20th at 9:00 p.m. EST. One random winner will be announced Friday, September 21st.

WHILE YOU’RE AT IT: What/who do you need to lighten up on? Sweet treats? The kids? The impossible task of keeping your house spotless? I’ll go first. I think I need to give my kids a break. Does it really hurt anything if Everett wears five costumes in one day? Or if Layne  takes ten minutes to brush his teeth? No, really it doesn’t.

Don’t forget to follow Lamps.com on Twitter!

images: Lamps.com

Now that the master bathroom is done {from a renovation standpoint}, we’ve made a shopping list of what finishing items are left to purchase. One item on the list is a ceiling light for the master bedroom. I thought it sounded like a fun item to start with. More fun than register covers, that’s for sure.

{view of master bedroom from master bathroom}

Yes, I finally got around to deep cleaning all the bedrooms over the weekend. No more construction dust! We can actually see out the windows now, too. More details on that coming in a separate post. Back to the lighting issue…

So far the rest of the Underdog’s lighting is simple – even industrial. In the bedroom, though, I’m thinking of something a little more dreamy. But still simple. Since we’ve been frugal with our lighting options elsewhere, I’ve set the master bedroom ceiling light budget at $200. Not outrageous but I consider it a splurge for us. {The cost of the boys’ bedroom, nursery and dining lights was less than $80 total.} I’ve just started browsing and put together a roundup of my favorites to date. Of course, I may end up buying a light that’s not even on this list but I thought I’d share my search for those of you who are curious about my thought process.

1 – Dandelion Chandelier {$200} This chandy features thin brushed steel wire wound into a sphere. I like the feathery texture and think it would put off a warm glow when lit.

2 – Star Chandelier {$196} Twinkle, twinkle little star. I imagine the rays of light and shadows this starlight puts off are amazing.

3 – Golden Bronze Criss-Cross Pendant {$200} The mix of bronzed metal, fabric shade and crystals is unique. I especially like the ‘X’ pattern of the metal.

4 – Capiz Pendant {$70} This shimmery chandy may look familiar. I hung it in the master bedroom of our previous home and it stayed there with the sale of the house. It’s the least expensive option I’ve found so far but a lighting kit has to be purchased separately as the chandy doesn’t include one. As much as I dig it, I kinda feel like ‘been there done that.’ It would totally work but I’m itching to switch things up. I don’t want the Underdog’s decor to be a reproduction of our last home. Still, it’s a great piece.

5 – White Cloud Pendant {$150} Sleeping under this cumulus-like pendant would feel like sleeping under the open sky. It has a very organic aesthetic that I’m lovin’ too.

6 – Zig Zag Acrylic Pendant {$177} This is probably the most modern option I like. The frosted acrylic zig zags are arranged in a way that gives the light a woven appearance. This pendant is also one of the smaller options so I’d have to double check measurements before saying ‘yay’ or ‘nay.’

A few other thoughts I have about lighting for the master bedroom…

• The placement of the bed will be beneath the window seen above, directly across from the bathroom. That means the centered ceiling light will hang just above the foot of the bed so a hanging pendant/chandy will work – as opposed to a flush mount light – since there won’t be anybody walking around under the light.

• The wattage of the ceiling light doesn’t have to be super powerful. For one, I like a dimly lit bedroom. Second, I really want to hang two wall sconces bedside for reading. HH and I are both bedtime readers. Between the ceiling light and two wall sconces {not to mention mounted lights in the closet}, I think the lighting will be sufficient for what we need. Ambience.

How does Handy Hubby feel about the possibilities? He likes them all – some more than others. Like with any other decorating decisions, he’s leaving the search up to me. I narrow the options down, show them to him and then we make the final decision together to ensure it’s something we can both live with. Over the years, we’ve found this is the best way for us to make home decor choices together.

Narrowing down the possibilities to a select few is key. HH isn’t good at making decisions when there’s a huge playing field to choose from. {Unless you’re talking about girls, that is. He did make a pretty good choice on that one. Ha!} For example, HH has been looking for a new pair of shoes for months now. Zappos has him corn-fused with their huge selection. He’s easily distracted.

What about you? Any lighting purchases recently? Any in your future? Any thoughts on bedroom lighting? Any other ideas on how to make joint decorating decisions?

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

My latest Ideabook is up over on Houzz today. This month I featured a slew of chandeliers that can be used in various settings. I really believe that switching out seen-better-days fixtures or builder stock lighting can make a world of difference in any house. Here are a few of the lights I featured…

When furnishing a home, I prefer to gather items over time from different sources and let my style evolve naturally. Sure, I could easily drive out to some furniture store and buy everything in one go around {okay, maybe not while I’m on bed rest} but that would only produce a flat room. For example…

Obviously, that room is sourced from one store. The pillows match each other which match the couch which matches the loveseat which matches the rug which matches the art. And the finishes all match too – the coffee table matches the sides tables which match the lamp bases which match the artwork frames. There is little variance in material and texture. This is a prime example of a ‘room to go.’

I’m after a ‘room to grow.’ After all, half of the fun is the hunt!

But I’ve got to start somewhere, so today I’m sharing some of my most recent purchases for the Underdog. What items am I looking for first? Glad you asked. I’ve mainly been searching for lighting, window coverings and rugs. Here’s what I’ve acquired so far.

1 – Linen + Cotton Narrow Frame Window Panel I’ve been pining over these airy linen panels for some time so when West Elm put them on sale with free shipping I took it as a sign. I bought two of the 108″ panels to place high and wide above either side of the big picture window in the family room.

With light paint on the walls, my thought was to add contrasting curtains but nothing too dark or heavy. These gray linen panels fit the bill to a T and I wasn’t able to find anything I liked better. I love the thin frame of ivory around the edges.

2 – FOTO Pendant Lamp I found this simple aluminum pendant at IKEA for the dining room.

I was looking for a light with an industrial aesthetic since the dining room will double as a mudroom and triple as a laundry room. Plus, the light will be visible from the family room so I didn’t want to add something too far fetched from what’s going on in the great room. At $30, I was sold.

3 – GODMORGON/ODENSVIK Sink Cabinet Combo I alluded to this floating IKEA vanity a few weeks ago. It will go in the master bathroom.

I wanted a floating vanity and Handy Hubby wanted something with storage so this 2-drawer unit is the perfect compromise. The master bathroom vanity will be seen from our bed, so I was looking for something with clean lines that didn’t exactly scream ‘bathroom!’ but maybe more like ‘dressing room.’ I ended up going with the ODENSVIK sink rather than the TÄLLEVIKEN sink once I saw them in person at the store. I like the sleeker profile of the ODENSVIK {no step-up at the back of the sink} and the fact that it has a little more countertop room for a soap dish, vase, etc.

4 – KULLA Pendant Lamp I found this ceiling light at IKEA when I bought the bathroom vanity and sink. I hadn’t planned on buying a light that particular day but happened to spot this light on sale at a deep discount {it was less than $20!}. Word has it the white version of this light is being discontinued, so that’s why the link only goes to the black version. This beauty is already hanging in the nursery.

Our electrician installed it right at the ceiling {for less of a pendant effect since we don’t want to be bumping our heads on it} on a dimmer and the glow it puts off is divine. Our electrician said he couldn’t believe I got it for less than $20. Score!

5 – Round Majestic Wool Rug You may recognize this rug from my Houzz Ideabook. I caved and bought it on Overstock.com {my fave place to buy rugs} when the price dropped from over $70 to less than $60 with free shipping. It’s going in the nursery. I wanted a soft surface for baby to have tummy time and playtime and also for my older boys to sit on if they choose to play in the nursery while I’m tending to the baby. I like the round shape since the room is nearly a perfect square and the gender-neutral pattern should work well for a girl or boy.

6 – Marble/Gray Sisal Rug Another rug purchase from Overstock.com. At 9′ x 12′, it’s large enough to ground the seating area in the family room portion of the great room – which is exactly what I plan to use it for.

I was shopping for a large rug made of either sisal or seagrass. Those natural materials add such a great textural layer to any room and hold up well to kids and pets. {We had rugs of each in our previous home and loved them.} The gray cotton border will further delineate the family room from the kitchen in our open great room. And with a latex backing, I don’t have to worry about using a separate rug pad to keep it in place. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…rugs are soooo important in open floor plans!

7 – Tabouret Metal Counter Stools Yet another Overstock.com buy! {Did you know that regular customers receive frequent 7% off coupons in the mail? Yep, you bet I used mine to purchase all of my Overstock items and save some cash.} These utilitarian stools are for the 9′ long kitchen island. I bought 4 of them for less than $150. Whaaaaaat?!

I was looking for backless stools to avoid cutting up the flow and sight lines of the great room. The stools will be practical for casual dining at the island and also for extra seating when we entertain. Since the stools are backless, guests can easily turn to face the family room crowd and join in on conversations there without having to turn their stools or break their necks. The metal finish should hold up great to our family circus.

8 – Carved-Circles Window Panel I’ve been stalking these subtly patterned curtains for months. I knew they’d work well in the nursery. Again, they were part of the West Elm window sale {sadly it looks as if they’re sold out!} so with 20% off and free shipping I took it as a sign. I bought three of the 96″ panels: one for either side of the single window in the nursery and one for the nursery closet. {The closet door opens up right behind the bedroom door, so I’m forgoing a closet door all together.} Notice the pattern in the curtains doesn’t match the pattern in the nursery rug {see #5} but complements it.

9 – KRÄMARE Wall Spotlight I bought two of these IKEA plug-in wall sconces for the boys’ shared bedroom.

I plan to use them above the boys’ beds as reading lights. {They LOVE books!} I haven’t decided if the aluminum finish will stay or if I’ll paint it – maybe oil rubbed bronze?? – but at less than $10 a light I figure I can tweak them to my liking. I like the fact that they aren’t hardwired as well because they’ll get moved around. At first the boys’ beds will be on the floor, then at some point HH plans on DIYing built-in bunk beds in that shallow nook you see above. But until Everett settles down a bit {realistically, that could be when he’s 30+} and we trust him in a room with a ladder {I’m cringing just thinking of that now – the kid had a broken leg at 16 months!} we’ll need to keep the lights over the beds on the floor. Later, I can move the sconces to suit the bunk beds.

So, there you go. A little rundown of my recent purchases. That’s 9 items from 3 different sources. If you look at the items all together you might notice repeating elements…the color gray, industrial finishes, subtle pattern, clean lines. I want each room to have its own quirks but still flow with the rest of the house so repeating certain elements is necessary. However, I do plan on adding in other materials, patterns and pops of color to keep things interesting.

But that’s all in good time…which I have a lot of right now. I saw my OB today and the good news is that there’s no change in my cervix {ahhh! Never thought I’d be talking about my cervix on H*T!} since Monday. The bad {or not-so-good} news is that I have to keep doing what I’m doing – NOTHING!! – for at least two more weeks. Anything to keep baby cooking.

Thanks for all your support and non-laborious thoughts!

images: 1) Rooms To Go  2) Polyvore collage linked within by Dana Miller…all the rest) Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

Our EIL {electrician-in-law} completed his work on updating all the original ’50′s wiring this past weekend. It looks great! We can’t believe what a difference the lighting makes and many of the fixtures aren’t even in place yet. Plus, artificial lighting in every room allows Handy Hubby to work well past dusk if he feels like it {i.e. when putting together base kitchen cabinets :)}. Before, we were working off of a few shop lights after daylight hours and having to move them from room to room.

The first image above is looking into the kitchen from the family/living room. Those base cabinets are the kitchen island. More on the island a little further down. Let’s talk lights for now.

The trio of lights above the island are actually these globe pendants {on sale!} from West Elm. The glass globes are intentionally MIA. We don’t want them to get shattered while renovating is still underway. We’ll probably end up switching the bulbs out after renovation is complete. The standard ones we have in there now are a little too blinding for everyday living but great for DIYing at night! We’re leaning towards an Edison-style bulb.

I’m loving the galvanized light over the future sink area. It projects out far enough from the wall to light the sink and countertop but doesn’t steal the show from the trio of pendants over the island. Our EIL said it’s not going anywhere. He’s very impressed with the quality.

That’s the view you get when you’re standing on the kitchen side of the island looking back towards the family room. Without skylights and pendants on the family room side of the great room, it’s noticeably darker. I plan on adding a floor lamp and table lamp to brighten things up over there. I’ve been dying to incorporate a tripod floor lamp into our home’s design and I think the family room just might be the place to do it.

Along the ridge beam, we chose to have track lighting installed to wash the vaulted ceiling with light and provide indirect ambiance over the great room. We bought the track lighting from Menards. They don’t have it listed online or I’d link to it. The brand is Quantum and the price was extremely reasonable.

Looking into the mudroom/dining room there’s a recessed light and what will be a dining pendant {haven’t quite figured that one out yet} where you see a naked bulb.

I knew I wanted a light in the laundry nook {it used to be a closet!} and recessed seemed to be the way to go. Again, we have plans to add overhead storage and a means of disguise to hide the washer/dryer. I see this nook being multipurpose – laundry room and bar area. Can’t wait to get my hands on it!

Back to the other side of the great room…

Could it be that this lit hallway is my favorite lighting element in the house? Yes. Yes, it could. And it is. I think it’s because it started out so dark and dingy. Design and DIY people say it all the time, “Lighting is a key element.” Our lil’ hallway is living proof of that – minus the hanging thermostat, dusty floors and messy closet.

When we first started planning the lighting scheme for the entire house, I’ll be honest, I didn’t really care about this hallway. I was thinking maybe hang a ceiling light and call it a day. After all, it was just a pass-through from the bedrooms to the great room and vice versa. But our EIL was very adamant about installing recessed lighting in the hall in a way that would wash the walls just in the right places. So we told him to go for it because we trusted him.

And I’m so glad we did! He obviously knew what he was talking about. The lighting is staggered so that each can washes a portion of wall. I can just see the walls lined with family photos and artwork! This hall is definitely going to become more than a pass-through.

Just off the main hall is this smaller hall to the kid/guest bathroom. It originally had no lighting but now it does.

The bathroom is lit up too although there’s nothing to see here except for a broken toilet and paint sample.

If you wanted to run the exhaust fan you could. It’s fully functioning! HH and I cannot – AND I MEAN CANNOT – wait to start tiling the bathrooms. They are going to be such unbelievable ‘afters!!!’ I hardly even remember the ’50′s pink tile and mold in the walls.

The nursery light is from IKEA. I’d tell you its name but I don’t remember and it’s not listed online because it’s being discontinued. I bought the very last one at our local IKEA a few weeks ago. It was less than $20. I was at IKEA to pick up the floating vanity and bathroom sink and hadn’t planned on buying any lighting but when I saw this ceiling light and its price tag, I knew it’d be perfect for the nursery.

The boys’ bedroom has a place-holding lightbulb for now. I want an industrial ceiling fixture for them. Something that’s appropriate now {at ages 6 and 3} and ten years down the road. Like the nursery, I’m steering clear of any themes in here. I want the boys’ room to flow with the rest of the house but have a youthful, playful and laid back feel to it. I don’t think I’ve mentioned this before, but this room is going to have to function as a bedroom and playroom.

Another great idea that our EIL had was to light the closets in the two larger bedrooms. {The nursery closet is teeny-tiny and receives enough light from the ceiling light to go commando.}

So in the boys’ bedroom he wired a light inside the closet just above the frame. It comes on with the flip of a switch.

It should come in handy for getting dressed on dark school mornings…and keeping the Boogie Man away.

Another lone lightbulb in the master bedroom waiting to be replaced with something better. Since the light in our bedroom will be over the bed, I’m thinking a chandelier or hanging lantern could work well. I think I’ve talked HH out of a ceiling fan. I have my ways. ;)

We have the same closet light as the boys.

Eventually I see us needing to install a floor-to-ceiling closet organization system and when we do, this light will be well outta the way.

The wall sconce in the petite master {now there’s an oxymoron for ya} bathroom is perfect. It’s simple, industrial and slightly rustic. We love it so much that we’ll be installing another one in the kid/guest bath too. Below the sconce will be a mirror {hint: I already bought one and can’t wait to share it!} and floating vanity.

A recessed light over the tub/shower area should keep our small master bath feeling bright.

And, finally, a view back down my new favorite hallway. Ahhhhh. Sorry for the crooked shot. I was probably waddling.

Oh, and what’s that at the end of the hallway?

The beginning stages of a kitchen cabinet installation. If you’ll take a step back with me for a moment…we discovered that installing base cabinets onto a floating floor {like our engineered hardwood} could pose problems down the road. SO…in order to complete the flooring install, HH is installing the base cabinets in the kitchen then laying the flooring up to them. And that’s why you saw our kitchen island way up at the beginning of this post.

When we planned the kitchen layout eons ago, we knew we wanted a big island for food preparation and casual dining. It required knocking down a wall to get it, but it’s something we don’t regret one bit. In fact, I think we would have regretted not knocking down that wall. The 9′ long island {yes, I said 9′…that’s more than twice as long as the island we had in our previous 2,700 sq ft home!} is totally worth it. What can we say? We like open living spaces and a kitchen that allows us to see everything going on around us while we cook.

Not to mention all the added storage we’ll gain from those island cabinets. For fun, HH assembled the drawers of one cabinet…he just couldn’t wait. {Note: while the cabinet frames are white, all the lower cabinets including the island will be black. The sides of the cabinets and island will be covered with black panels so that everything on the exterior is black. For more specifics on our kitchen design, click here.}

Like everything else in the Underdog, the cabinets are dirty. HH has been working non-stop assembling and installing the base cabinets all last weekend and during the week as time has allowed. He says it’s gone smoothly. I think the hardest part has been just searching through all the IKEA boxes for which cabinet/part he needs next.

Update: HH finished installing all base cabinet frames tonight! That means the rest of the flooring can go in…after I work all weekend and HH gets back from two weeks of business travel. Ugh. But I’ll be sure to get some new pics up of the kitchen layout for you in the meantime.

That should bring you up to speed on the Underdog. Many, many thanks to our EIL, Jared. He sacrificed family time and free weekends to help us out. And he made our future home safe and bright! Still, Everett refuses to stop wearing safety glasses and a head light.

Things are moving along and we’re loving this phase of the renovation…installing the finishes we’ve been carefully selecting over the last several months. I’ve secretly been shopping around and making a few decor purchases too that I’m itching to share with you. It’s really starting to come together although there will still be LOTS to do after we move in. I think we’ll be tweaking this house into our home for years and years to come. And that’s a good thing.

FYI – Two of the light fixtures mentioned above are from one of my sponsors, Barn Light Electric. They also sent us two ceiling fans to be mounted in the great room and once those are installed, I’ll be writing up a review of their sponsored products which will include detailed images. So far, we are beyond pleased with them. All other lighting elements were purchased with our own money. Just being honest, folks!

Congrats to Suzanne T!! She is this week’s random giveaway winner!

images: all Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

THIS POST IS SPONSORED IN PART BY BARN LIGHT ELECTRIC CO.

The Underdog’s electric has been upgraded to meet code requirements and the requirements of our family.  Thank goodness! From what we could tell {along with our home inspector and electrician}, all of the electrical work was original to the 1950′s house – even the archaic fuse box.

Yikes!  But now our Underdog is properly wired for new fixtures, so we’ve started selecting certain ones.  At the recommendation of our electrician, we scoped out Barn Light Electric Co. for the rustic, modern, industrial finishing touches we’re drawn to.  And we were not disappointed!  From colorful retro pendants to minimal commercial ceiling fans {and everything in between}, Barn Light carries it all.

Here are the fixtures we decided to incorporate into the Underdog.  In case you didn’t know it already, simple industrial fixtures are our thing.

1 – I’ve mentioned this galvanized sconce a few times already {here and here}.  This warehouse sconce will go above each of the bathroom vanities:  one in the kid/guest bathroom and one in the master bathroom.  I had several readers contact me after I featured this light in mood boards letting me know that a less expensive alternative was available at Lowe’s.  However, the Lowe’s light was only approved for 60W while the Barn Light Electric Co. version allows for a 100W bulb.  We thought we’d need the extra wattage in our small, dark bathrooms.

2 – This range sconce was a favorite of Handy Hubby’s from the get-go.  He liked the modern lines and I liked the barn light resemblance. It will be going above the kitchen sink in the galvanized finish to keep things cohesive with the bathroom fixtures.  {see #1}  If you’ll remember, we’re hanging a trio of these West Elm globe pendants {now on sale!} above the kitchen island.  The rounded glass globes will be a nice contrast to the metal barn light above the sink.  Everything need not match in our imperfectly perfect home!

3 – Since we’ve vaulted the former 8′ ceilings to the rafters in our future great room, HH calculated that we’ll need two ceilings fans to circulate air throughout the space properly.  My only stipulation was that they be simple in design and white  - since the vaulted ceiling will be painted white.  I felt that adding fans anything other than the color white would draw your eye down below the new ceiling’s height.  And since the space is modest in size for a great room {~25′x25′}, drawing the eye down is exactly the opposite of what we’re trying to do.  We found these crazy affordable commercial ceiling fans in white.  I love the steel construction and 3-blade design…almost propeller-like.  HH likes the fact that they have reversible motors for summer cooling and winter destratification.  A great feature for our midwestern home.

With a lot of the BIG demo and reno stuff out of the way, we’re finding ourselves excited to get right down to the nitty gritty details of ‘finishing’ the Underdog.  We still have a ways to go in search of more fixtures {for the dining room, bedrooms, etc.} but at least this is a start!  And HH and I seem to agree that infusing industrial elements into the overall design is the way to go.  Agreeing is always a good thing.  Makes things a lot easier.

FYI – This post was sponsored in part by Barn Light Electric Co. but the content and opinions written here are all my own.  I love sharing great products and companies whether they sponsor H*T or not.  Of course, I’m always grateful when a company does decide to sponsor H*T.

images:  1) Dana Miller for House*Tweaking  2) Polyvore collage by Dana Miller, images linked within

We are settling into apartment living nicely.  The boys really seem to like it.  I think they see it as a big playhouse.  It’s a welcome change for them from the ‘showhouse’ {i.e. previous house we sold by owner..more on that next week} conditions we were living in for nearly five months.  The words “No!  Don’t touch that!” haven’t slipped through my lips once in the past two weeks. The kids happily litter their toys around the apartment and make tents out of furniture, blankets and pillows. Sometimes I don’t even make them put it all away at night because, well, it doesn’t matter.  No one’s coming to visit and we aren’t hanging by a thread waiting for a call from potential buyers who want to come see the place.  We’re just living here.

Still, after living in the apartment a few weeks, I’ve decided there are some things that need to be addressed to make our new space function well and feel a little more like home…albeit an interim one.  Not all of the things I want to do deal with are major design dilemmas – by god, there are plenty! – because we’re only going to be living here temporarily.  Most of the projects I want to take on will affect the way we use the apartment and how it works for us.  Don’t worry, though, I don’t think I can completely steer clear of all design-related ideas!  I’ve gotten a bunch of different feedback concerning interim housing and possible projects.  Some people advise not to touch a thing and focus all energies on the Underdog while, at the opposite end of the spectrum, I have others saying to go all out on the apartment and make it ours.  I appreciate all the input and I can see the pros/cons of both sides.  Maybe you’ll be happy to know that I’m taking the middle ground on this one. Not really to appease any one side but simply because that’s how I feel about the matter.  I could not live in a place for longer than a month without changing something.  That’s just not me. Tweaking is what I do.  And it usually improves our everyday living.  On the other hand, I will have a lot of ideas that don’t make the cut due to time, money and energy constraints.  I can’t see putting in tons of work and money into a space that we’ll only be living in short-term.  So, my to-do list will focus only on those projects that will enhance our apartment living experience without cutting into our wallets, renovation time {at the Underdog} and everyday life.  With me?  Okay, here are my top priorities as of today.  Maybe once I check them off, I’ll move onto other like minded ideas.

1 – Hang stuff.  I purposefully selected a few wall decor items to make the move to the apartment versus storage.  I chose items knowing exactly where I wanted to put them so I didn’t end up with a bunch of unnecessary stuff in our small apartment.  Plus, as long as I don’t make any holes in the walls larger than the size of a dime, we’re not responsible for patching them when our lease is up.  No skin off my back!  Still, the few paintings, frames and mirrors I brought to the apartment haven’t made it off the floor.  I’ve left them propped against the walls out of harms way just waiting to be hung. I’m ready to put some {small} holes in the walls!  The bare white walls are starting to feel a tad asylum-like.

2 – Organize the utility closet.  For an apartment, I think ours has ample closet space.  I’m just not really using it to it’s fullest potential.  This utility closet just off the dining area is a case in point. While it’s plenty large enough to house the things we need it to house {safe, printer, steam mop, broom, important files, etc.} it’s not functional.  It’s one big pile o’ stuff. I think adding some freestanding shelving and wall hooks would improve this storage space tremendously!

3 – Remove cumbersome folding doors.  There are a LOT of folding doors in the apartment.  4 to be exact:  one near the front door {shown above}, one off the kitchen that hides the washer/dryer, and two in the boys’ bedroom that act as closet doors.  I’ve already decided that the one right near the entrance to the apartment needs to go.  It doesn’t open or close properly and when it is open, no one can open the front door or else the two doors just bang into each other. The folding door in the kitchen doesn’t seem to be too much of a problem {just hideous to look at} since I’m the only who uses it for doing laundry.  I think it may stay.  The closet doors in the boys’ bedroom are a safety hazard.  Everett has already pinched his finger in them once and I’m betting it’ll happen again.  They’ll be coming down as well.  I plan on hanging fabric panels in place of the folding doors I remove.  Oh!  And I’ll have to reinstall the doors I remove when our lease is up.

4 – Add to our house plant arsenal.  If you’ve ever lived in an apartment you can attest to what I like to call the apartment smell.  It smells like a hot mix of old water and musty carpet.  It doesn’t go away no matter how often you clean or open your windows.  While it has definitely improved since the first day, our apartment still has a faint, distinct odor that doesn’t quite smell like home.  I’m using my Scentsy burner and it helps some, but I think adding in more air purifying house plants would help too.  Plus, greenery in a home is always pretty and lively.

5 – Do something about the dining chandelier.  The light above the dining area is too small, too high and not anywhere near our style.  I’d love to tweak it somehow so that we have a larger, more stylish, lower hanging light above our dining table.  With the ceilings being 15′ high, I can’t remove the light myself but I’ve been conjuring up ideas for disguising the light and making it seem bigger than it actually is.  I think it could really become the focal point of the open living space if I play my cards right.

6 – Transform the front door into a message center.  In our last home I painted a sliver of wall in the kitchen with chalkboard paint to act as a message board.  I miss it!  I didn’t realize how useful it was until now.  We would jot down needed grocery items, daily notes, reminders and even inspirational quotes to keep us on our toes.  We definitely need something like it in the apartment and I think the back of our front door will be a great spot for it.

So, those are my current projects for the apartment.  I plan on tackling some of them this weekend and brainstorming the rest.  That light is gonna be a doozy!  But I like challenges and some of my most creative work comes from the most awful ‘before’ setups.  Keep in mind that all projects need to be budget-friendly and reversible, so as not to sink money into a space that is only temporary. The jury is still out on painting any walls….hmmm.

images:  Dana Miller for House*Tweaking