Let’s talk about some Shady Business. You know the $herdog in me wanted to make that title a Slim Shady reference, right? Anyway, we’ve actually been working on a secret project for over 14 months and we finally get to spill the beans. Jazz hands don’t even begin to cover it. See, back in October 2011 Shades of Light asked us to help them design a lighting collection. And we said “who, us?” quickly followed by a “yes please!”
When it came to our goals, we really wanted to keep things casual, playful, happy, and – the biggest challenge – within our budget. Which broke down to keeping the entire collection under $99. There are even $3 add-on items to spice up the lamps that you already have (you know we love using what you’ve got). But keeping prices under that $99 mark (especially on larger lights, like chandeliers that are 2 feet wide) was a tall order. Shades of Light sells a ton of fancy $400+ designs, but they were amazingly willing to get all hands on deck to inch prices as low as possible without compromising quality, and we LOVE them for that. It was hard to mash all of the lights our bundles of joy into this post, so you can click here to browse our full collection of shades, pendant lights, and decorative add-ons.
Not only do side gigs like this help us provide for our family, they’re some of the most exciting work that we get to do (you know when we’re not juggling house projects, blog posts, book stuff, and playing with The Bean and The Burgs). Switching gears keeps us creative and it’s always fun to try something new, so projects like this are the icing on the DIY cake. Well, playing with Clara & Burger land in that category too. Which is fitting because these lights are sort of like our babies.
Here are a few “studio shots” of some of our kiddos. The apples of our eye. Picture us grinning like proud parents watching their child play “Tree #2” in the elementary school play.
That’s not all of them, so here’s the whole collection for ya. The coolest thing about this collaboration is that Shades of Light is based right here in Richmond, so it was a local affair. They came over to our house and we dropped by their headquarters a bunch of times over the course of the last year to draw sketches, look at prototypes, sample paint colors, see the products in action, and even shoot them in our own home for their online shop and their catalog.
Which means many of the lights are made/wired/painted right here in good ol’ Virginia! But of course they ship ’em nationally on their site in case you’re not a local (you can even call them for overseas shipping rates). So… woot! It’s pretty exciting to think that our babies are going to be making little pilgrimages to other cities across the country. Well, assuming people buy them. Haha.
As for Clara’s job, she played the role of quality control. When we asked her to pick her favorite one of the guys in the photo above, she kept changing her mind. She’s like her momma. She wants to rub her face on all of them.
The most exciting part of the entire process was when we finally got to shoot some of the finished lights in our house back in November (right between two book tour stops) to see how they looked “in situation” and to use some of those images for the Shades Of Light catalog. This is a farmhouse pendant that comes in a bunch of happy colors. Doesn’t the pink one look sweet when it’s fake-hanging over our the sink?
How did we fake it? Well, see the green-shirted guy on the stool in our kitchen? He actually held the mercury glass pendant that hangs over our sink out of the shot while they snagged a picture of the pink one that you see in the photo above (clamped to a rod above the sink so it appeared to be hard-wired there). It was our kinda shoot. Grass roots and lots of laughing.
Here’s another shot to show the magic of in-house photoshoots. See that giant reflector in the foreground and those three lights all clamped up to a rod that was later cropped out of picture? It’s so funny how we look at catalogs like Pottery Barn and think “oh man those rooms are so amazing and clean” – but in reality they must look at least this crazy from afar, thanks to all of the magical behind-the-scenes gear.
Here’s how those drum pendants actually looked in the photographer’s final shot. Oh and spoiler alert, we bought the scallop pendant in the middle. We couldn’t resist. We’re actually planning to hang it right in the window that you see here.
And remember the chandelier that we gave you a sneak peek of in Monday’s holiday post? Yup, it’s part of our collection. He’s one of our favorites.
We bought it as soon as the catalog shoot wrapped up in our house. At $89 for such a large chandelier (it’s two feet wide!) we thought it was a great deal, and it looks awesome with the oil-rubbed bronze glass pendants over our nearby peninsula. It also comes in a bunch of other colors beyond the rusty bronze finish that we went with (they’re painted locally in colors like plum, dark teal, white, black, gray, and red by an awesome lighting artisan).
One of the coolest “special effects” from it are the shadows that it casts on the ceiling if you use a clear bulb (if you don’t love them you can use a frosted bulb for a softer look).
And you know Burger is our muse, so… this happened. Yup, dude has his own chihuahua-riddled shades in a bunch of colors. We wanted things to be flexible for someone who might just want a shade for a table lamp or floor lamp that they already have, so we asked Shades of Light to sell the shades alone as well as with a finished pendant kit for hanging them (the full pendant kit even comes with a ceiling canopy, so it’s all ready to hang). People gotta have options. And chihuahua shades.
And see those sculptural white metal diffusers under each of these geometric-ish ikat shades? Those were another add-on that we thought could spice up someone’s life light. Say you already have a pendant light at home but want a little more flair – one of these (in either the hex pattern or the quatrefoil pattern) can definitely up the ol’ lighting ante.
We loved adding small (and inexpensive) DIY options, like these $3 add-ons. They’re basically decals (fancy word: appliques) that we thought would be fun on a lamp base that you might already own (or one you could score at a thrift store and spray paint in a solid color). So whether you’re into a white, black, or yellow bee shape; a favorite number in black or white; or even scalloped patterns that you can use alone or layer like crazy, you’re covered. Can’t you see a big white #7 on a navy lamp base? Or a white bee on a cheery yellow gourd lamp?
And now for a Burger story. Remember way baaack when we posted this picture of Burger for Thanksgiving in 2011? Well, that half-loaf of Panera bread that he snuck off with was actually from one of our first meetings for this project. The Shades of Light team was over at our house and we were excitedly talking about colors, fabrics, and shapes when Burger snuck ONTO THE DINING TABLE and grabbed it without any of us seeing him until it was way too late. Sneaky little bugger. It was the first and last time he had such brazen food-stealing confidence. Thank goodness. Just look at the regret in those big brown eyes…
So that ends our little 14-months-in-the-making collection o’ lights, shades, & add-ons. Oh and to anyone who isn’t currently shopping for lighting or doesn’t have any money to spend, we also hoped this collection would inspire the DIYers out there – perhaps just to paint a metal pendant or lamp base that you already have – or even to make little personalized decals to spice up a lamp base in some personal way.
And now for some gushy love for you all. We’d never be “here” without you, and for that we’re eternally grateful. To think that this all started with one little blog post back in 2007 is crazytown, and we’re so grateful to you guys for making it possible. Oh heck, you guys are like our babies too. Come to momma, I feel a hug coming on…
Andrea says
I LOVE these farmhouse pendants and so happy they’re affordable! My boyfriend and I are currently house hunting, so naturally, I’m already scheming away at my dream kitchen. One of these pendants will definitely be considered. :) I also really love your blue and green glassware on the shelves. Do you remember where you got them? I’m always on the lookout for great glassware.
Thanks and congratulations!
Andrea
YoungHouseLove says
Those glasses are from World Market! So affordable!
xo
s
stephanie says
any chance you are going to add a lime or citron green color choice to your metal shades? PLEASE!!
YoungHouseLove says
We’d love to! We hope to have different options sometime!
xo
s
Marilou says
Love love love the designs,clean colorful and simple!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much!
xo
s
Kai says
I love the way that you make your entire house work together! Every room seems to flow into another but all have their own charm – I’m oozing green!
I was just wondering if you guys could post about how you choose your light fitting style for each room. I don’t think it’s something I have seen you blog about before so I’m thinking it might just be a natural process for you. I want to change all of the light fittings in my 1970’s house and I was wondering what inspired you to go with a drum shade over a chandelier or a hanging pendant over down lights?! i just can’t seem to choose (and then worry about how it may look once i take the plunge!)
YoungHouseLove says
I wish we had some formula to share! I think in every instance of decorating (lighting, rugs, paint color, and beyond) we just think about a ton of possibilities and look at inspiration images from pinterest and magazines and in some cases we’ll try a ton of things out in person just to see what we like and hopefully learn what we love most by trial and error! I also think it’s about what we find (if we can’t find a chandelier that we love but find a pretty drum shade, we might be swayed in that direction – and vice versa). Hope it helps :)
xo
s
Megan Clark says
I fell in love with your blog this spring and have periodically entered your contests… never commented before now (and only doing so for fear I may have gotten you guys in a tad of trouble!)
I contacted Shades of Light this morning regarding the globe latern – featured in HGTV mag for $89. Knowing your blog, I knew this was the larger version (which is $99 on their website). The sales lady said no dimensions were given in the article, therefore, it wasn’t marketed incorrectly. However, it’s also listed as $89 in the above post – where dimensions are given. I’m getting the light either way, but figured I would alert you to the discrepency. Anyway, I’m sorry if you’ll be getting a phone call!
Also, have to say I have a multi-colored, handmade pennyround tile backsplash that is like my 4th child. Thanks for bringing a new look to the masses!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Megan! The larger version is still $89 in the dark bronze finish (like the one we hung over our dining table) and $99 in the rest of the colors (any of the painted colors). Hope that helps! I’ll email them to be sure they’re privy to that info for anyone else who calls with questions. And your penny tiles sound gorgeous!
xo,
s
Megan Clark says
Thanks so much for the prompt reply! I’m still awaiting a call back from the sales manager. I want ‘rusty bronze,’ which I think is your version? I was going back and forth between that and midnight, but both show as $99 on the pull-down menu (as do all the options). Sorry to be a pain! :(
Here is the link to the tile (in case you’re looking for something new for the new pad!)
http://www.clayhausceramics.com/display_boards.php
We have the pennyrounds in the retroplex blend. I also love the hex, bubble and ogee options! I live in Madison, WI, and ordered them sight unseen (at least in person)… gotta love online shopping! Thanks again for your help!
YoungHouseLove says
Such pretty tile! And as for the prices, that’s odd! I’ll email the head guy (Brian, he’s awesome) and see what’s up! It was definitely $89 for the rusty bronze one when we launched, so perhaps something about shipping made them have to raise the price so they’re all the same? Will check it out!
xo
s
Megan Clark says
Just as an FYI, had a vm from Jenna stating the price you noted was “incorrect.” According to her supervisor, all of the large globes have always been $99. They said they would honor the $89 price point for my first purchase – but not going forward. I think it’s a fair compromise given the confusion! If you don’t hear differently from Brian, you may want to adjust your post so it matches their website. I’m sure the HGTV spread will bring even more attention to your collection! Thanks again for the correspondence on this issue. Take Care!
YoungHouseLove says
Of course, I’ll keep an eye out for an email back from B. I’m 100% certain it was $89 since we paid for it when we got it for our dining room. Haha! So my only guess is that the person on the phone doesn’t know it used to be $89 and now it’s showing up as $99. I’m campaigning to get it back to $89 for everyone if we can! Fingers crossed…
xo
s
YoungHouseLove says
UPDATE: Just heard back and it’s a site error so they’ll be changing the price back to $89 for the large bronze one. Wahoo! $89 chandeliers for everyone!
xo
s
Megan Clark says
Awesome job! $10 is $10, thanks for the follow-up! :)
Jackie Kalbow says
After purchasing our house nearly 2 years ago (and finding your blog in the process) I finally convinced hubby to help me give our laundry room a a makeover! While looking for light fixtures online I kept thinking of your blog and then remembered this post. I fell in love with the glass pendant for our teeny tiny laundry room with no windows. It will give us all that extra light and be beautiful!
Megan Clark says
Hi Guys. I hate to write again with an issue on your beloved globe lantern… but I think you should be aware of the service/handling of your products. Now that we got the price back to normal (thanks, Sherry!), the shipping was increased to $25 (it previously wasn’t a freight charge). So be it. Love the light, great price and no complaints on 10% off! I ordered it 7/16 and was told it would ship within two weeks. A couple days later… got an email indicating it was backordered until 7/31. Okay, no problem. Get another email today stating it’s backordered until 8/15. This time I called Shades of Light to find out what the hold up was and if this new date would be accurate? The woman who answered the phone seemed as confused as I was, saying the light was a “production item,” meaning it was made in-house and the parts were available. So why the issue??? She said she would follow-up on what was happening and send me an email yet this morning. Well, 9pm CST and nada. Starting to lose steam (and faith) with this process, as customer service and attention to detail is obviously lacking… and so is a light over my dining room table!!! :(
YoungHouseLove says
So sorry Megan! Thanks so much for the heads up. I will send them an email to hopefully see what’s going on!
xo
s
YoungHouseLove says
Hey Megan,
Here’s an update from Bryan at Shades of Light for ya:
“This order already shipped last week on Friday. The backorder notices that are sent to customers always err on the side of being conservative (we like to under promise and over deliver). With respect to the shipping, it turns out we did have to make this a “freight” item with our last catalog run (spring books) so the only thing I can think is that she had inquired about this earlier in the year and then ordered more recently. Regardless, she is going to be credited the difference in the shipping charge ($18 rather than $25). Please let me know if I can be of any more help with this because I certainly don’t want an unsatisfied customer!”
Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Megan Clark says
Thanks, Sherry. I know production issues are totally out of your hands… but I’ve never had such a weird ordering experience. Still no word yet today.
Again, thanks for your help.
Megan Clark says
Woop Woop! Decided to call them again before we head out of town and was told it was shipping today! I’m guessing I have you to thank… SO THANKS! Early next week sure beats being backordered for another month. Much appreciation!!!
Jennifer R. says
Hi Sherry! This is an older post so I’m not sure if you will reply but it is worth a shot.
We are planning to buy the farmhouse pendant in the dark turquoise but I had one question. How much light does it give off? Enough for a smallish dining room (like 14×12 with two doors and large windows to get some natural light)? The light it would be replacing holds three bulbs, but is covered by a frosted glass globe, and is on a dimmer switch. Do you think this pendant would put out enough light?
YoungHouseLove says
I’m so glad you have a dimmer! I think it’ll be great. We had a one-bulb fixture in our dining room which was bigger but had fewer windows and it was great on a dimmer! Although we did have a buffet with a lamp on it as well, just to add one more bulb to the party, so if you have room for a floor lamp or a table lamp on a buffet in there it could provide additional light at night or something. Although I don’t think we ever used our extra light, it was like “insurance” – haha!
xo
s
Rebecca says
Hi Sherry,
Is Shades of Light still giving your readers a 10% discount? I tried to buy something using the YHL0811 code that was in one of your prior thank-you-sponsors posts, but it wasn’t working. Just wanted to check in to see if it was something they were still offering. Thanks for passing along the discounts!!
YoungHouseLove says
I think they turn it on and off (and the code changes sometimes) but I don’t believe they’re running one at this time. Maybe google around for one though, because they might have one through another site right now! Hope it helps!
xo
s
cristy says
Love these. How high are the ceilings in your dining room, and what is the square footage? Thanks!!
YoungHouseLove says
They’re standard eight foot ceilings. The room is maybe 13′ wide by 18′ long?
xo
s