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…
JebberA says
WHOOT! You guys are the bomb. Seriously?! What can’t you do? Do you have a staff of 100 worker bees behind the scenes? Lovin’ your lamp collection and following your exponentially ramping success.
AnnF says
WOW!! Lighting that I think looks great and is actually affordable! Trust you two to come up with the perfect equation :) Congrats on another successful venture!
Melissa says
Just an FYI, looks like the lighting site is down now.
YoungHouseLove says
If you just refresh it should be right back up :)
xo
s
Kate says
You guys! This is so exciting! I love that you’re able to branch out and do things like this. I do believe the smaller version on the light over your dining table will find a home in our home office sometime soon!
Taina Cunningham says
This is SO amazing! Congrats y’all! I’m totally considering one of these amazing lamps for our house :)
Megan says
I’m in love with these! I’ve been desperately searching for ways to refresh our lights on a budget. So happy right now :)
Rachel says
Congratulations! Wishing you many more successes in the years to come. Thank you for sharing your projects and your family with the world!
Miranda says
HUGS!
Emily says
AHHH! I am so thrilled for you guys! Not to mention for myself! I’ve been looking for the perfect lighting for my dining room since we moved in (3 years ago!!!) and just haven’t been able to commit. The lighting I love is way out of my price range and the things in my price range just don’t do anything for me. When I saw your christmas post with the dining room light peeking into the photo, I couldn’t wait to hear where you got it and mostly…how much. YAY! Also I have a chihuahua and I’m dying to get a chihuahua shade :-D Best post ever!
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thanks so much Emily!
xo
s
michelle@decorandthedog says
Love your dining room light! My brother is in need of a new one and the price point is just right!
Brenda says
Congratulations! How exciting! I really love the Moroccan and Scallop shades. And the scallop decals are so neat! Also, I just love that you have the YHL graphic heart shade. The whole collection is so pretty, and I really love that you worked to keep it affordable.
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks Brenda!
xo
s
Christi says
Love this! I am in love with your dining room light, I swear I looked at least 10 times yesterday and could not find it on any other site!
Your price point reminds me of my favorite college professor who told the book (rip off) company that he wanted his book to be under $30 or he would use a text book for his course!
I am very happy for you guys and cannot wait to get some decals for lamps, vases, mirrors, etc.
Karen C. says
How amazing! I really like how charming and fresh the collection is. Gotta save up my beans and pick the right one for our home! Thanks for sharing. :)
Melissa G says
GAH! Oh my goodness, I am IN LOVE! Totally ordering the large globe lantern and I know my hubs will NEED the bubble glass pendant! Seriously, adding to my cart right now:)
Julia says
Congratulations on your own lighting collection!
Just had a look at it – and I liked everything! But my favorite has to be the Graphic Hearts Drum Shade :) I love that you incorporated your logo and in such a stylish way! Too bad I’m not currently shopping for lighting …
Emma (Broke Ass Home) says
What an amazing project for you guys! Between the book and things like this you must be pinching yourselves and thanking heaven for that nasty ol’ kitchen that needed to be ripped out. Who’d have thought…a kitchen changed your life!
I love the big cage chandelier. …Wondering if that needs to come live in my foyer…
Meg says
I’ve been waiting to hear the details about your new dining room chandelier & now to learn it’s available and affordable is so great! I love them all!
Amy says
Yup, already crashing their site! I desperately need to replace two boob lights – can these work for that? Could I use a drum shade on a flush mount ceiling fixture with a solid diffuser? Because if so, my new IKEAs are going right back to the store!!!
YoungHouseLove says
Hmm, I think you can if you can find a solid diffuser (they have a ring on the top that hopefully will work with your flush mount ceiling fixture, although maybe just stare at the pic and see if you think it will – and call them for info). They definitely know a lot more than we do about light hookups :)
xo
s
Jamie D says
I LOVE THESE! I am so proud of you all and SO EXCITED to buy some lamps and shades!!
Emma says
Ahhhhhhhhhhh!!!!! Mama’s so proud (even though I’m not exactly old enough to have given birth to either of you). This is so perfect!! The shades are amazing and beautiful and so “you”. And what a perfect next step in the YHL evolution to bigger and better things. Yay! So happy for you! I think you might just crash Shades of Light’s website this morning but they won’t mind :)
Mel says
Great job! I think we’re going to get that two-tone Ikat gray drum light for our nursery. I’ve been searching everywhere for a drum shade pendant! My only question is will 2 40 watt light bulbs light up a 11×11 room well enough?
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yes, that should work well! If you use CFLs you can go way higher with wattage without any worry (CFLs put off more light on lower wattage equivalents). Hope it helps!
xo
s
Bobbi says
Congratulations!! You have been working hard these past few years! How exciting for you to be doing what you love, but for the rest of us too!
justin says
I think you guys crashed their website already!!! I love some of your collection though.
Tracie@MiddleClassMod says
I love that you made Burger lampshades. Those are awesome. It’s also awesome that you made the whole collection so budget conscious. I’m rather digging the round metal shades myself!
Marcy says
Congratulations!!! I am so happy for y’all – they are just beautiful and affordable without looking cheap!! Y’all did such a great job!!
Erica - From Millstones to Milestones says
Oh wow – how exciting for you guys!
I was just fawning over all the cool colors and shapes and then I had to do a double take when you mentioned the one with chihuahas on it – my eyes read the pattern as a large houndstooth the first time I saw it!
Marguerite says
These are just amazing! I am so very happy for you guys, you work so hard and you deserve every bit of happiness and praise that comes your way! I think I HAVE to buy a Burger shade, I have to say I really love him and his antics!
Shannon says
Congratulations!!!!
Amy says
How do you not have your own TV show yet?! Love, love this collection and cannot wait to replace some late ’90s fixtures in our new-to-us house. Congratulations!
Dana @ House*Tweaking says
That’s amazing guys! Congrats on yet another successful branching out. I predict you’ll be designing kid toys/furniture very soon – if you aren’t already.
Love the new collection. I want one of everything.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh man, how we dream of that. Nothing on that front yet, but maybe someday!
xo
s
Jas says
You guys this is so awesome!! But I was kinda disappointed when I realized the farmhouse pendant was supposed to be by itself, and not in a bunch! I was already picturing all five pendants over a dining room table in a Scandinavian inspired all-white house, with pops of bright colors, haha
YoungHouseLove says
That would be amazing too!!
xo
s
Jill in Colorado says
I LOVE the collection. Wish the globe chandelier held more than one bulb or it would be mine. Now. Just wondering, though, do you think my Boston Terrier would be jealous of the chuahuahua though?
YoungHouseLove says
Hahah, he might be!
xo
s
Stephanie B. says
This is SO COOL. You guys are out there killin’ it every day…and doin’ a darn good job at it, too! Is the collection always available or is it only for a certain time period?
YoungHouseLove says
As far as we know it’ll be carried for the long haul :)
xo
s
Stephanie B. says
Also…just looked at the Shades of Light website and I’m STOKED to see there is a smaller version of the wire chandelier! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the one in your dining room and have been looking for something JUST like it for mine (but never found a low enough price for my budget). I was so bummed because yours looked huge…but now there’s a smaller one too!!
Stephanie B. says
Also…just looked at the Shades of Light website and I’m STOKED to see there is a smaller version of the wire chandelier! I LOVE LOVE LOVE the one in your dining room and have been looking for something JUST like it for mine (but never found a low enough price for my budget). I was so bummed because yours looked huge…but now there’s a smaller one too!!
YoungHouseLove says
Wahoo!
xo
s
Allison says
So awesome! I can’t wait to order something from your collection. Thank you for making it totally affordable!
Kyla says
I’m so very proud of you guys!!!! Someday I will be just like you <3
Molly says
Your Christmas post with your chandelier sneak peak got me thinking that I need a new chandelier in our hallway. I started looking the other day and couldn’t find what I liked but now I know just where to look and at a great price! You guys really are the greatest!
Jenn says
This adventure, besides your book; well, & the birth of Clara:D; is by far one of my fave moments you’ve shared!!!! I am giddy-over the moon excited-thankful & just plain happy to finally find affordable & stylish~uniquely designed lamp shades! How sweet this is for your family. What a blessing & I look forward to shopping for our 1st ever Young House Love lamp shade. And…the accessories are so clever & adorable-just like y’all;).
Brittany D says
I love the collection! Thanks for keeping them budget friendly. Congrats, John & Sherry!!
Crystal @ 29 Rue House says
Holy cow guys! This is so cool and they all look fantastic!
$89 for the cage chandelier…unbelievable!
michelle says
congratulations!!! I can’t wait to check it out!
Christa says
Whaaat?! This is crazy! I must admit: did not see this coming. You two are awesome, super huge congrats coming your way!!!
And plus, I love the lights *you designed* cause you are *designers* now.
YoungHouseLove says
Ahhhhhhhh! No we’re not! That makes us all clammy. Hahah!
xo
s
hjc says
Wear the title graciously (as you do all things) because it’s yours…you did DESIGN the collection. Congratulations, John and Sherry, New York Times Bestseller Authors and Lighting Designers. What’s next?
YoungHouseLove says
Ahhhh! It’s just too crazy to see it typed out like that. But thanks HJC :)
xo
s
Kathy says
Congratulations you guys! The shades are awesome! I can’t wait to re-do my living room and snag one up! :)
Janelle says
The globe chandy is so gorgeous. The shadows are such a fun bonus feature. My other favorite is the metal strap drum pendant in Snow Day. I like the overlapping detail that seems to me like a much more modern take on the basketweave style. Congratulations!
Rebecca says
Congratulations guys! They are fantastic. What an accomplishment!
Brad @ Mr. Write Away says
Genius! I can’t wait to shop this collection… the wife and I are currently looking for lighting options in our office and I feel a chandlier replacement over the table or the staircase in the foyer may be coming on. Good looking out on the lower prices, too.
Callie says
Nicely done, folks! You guys are getting WAY to good at being sneaky sneaky!
Love the collection. I would love it even more if the Shades of Light site was up and running smoothly. Must be all that YHL traffic. You guys tend to have that effect on other websites. In this case, I think that’s a great problem to have. Way to go guys. : )
YoungHouseLove says
So sorry, if you refresh their site should be right back! One refresh is their backup system, so if you get an error message or it won’t load just try that :)
xo
s
Kristin F says
You realize you have officially become a DIY empire, right? Awesome job, Martha and, um I mean, $herdog and John. I feel like a proud parent for some reason, which is weird since I’m not technically THAT much older than you guys. I’ve been in the market for some less expensive lighting, literally went to a local shop on Christmas Eve looking at some, so this could not come at a better time. Thank you for keeping things so “bright” for your loyal fans!
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, I don’t know. Maybe we’re a DIY neighborhood. Something smaller and a little less… scary. Haha!
xo
s
Whitney says
I am IN LOVE! Congrats! You guys did an amazing job. AND I have already pinned it. May not be able to use any in my current house, but once we move, it’s on!
Kay says
I will come back to this blog every day just to see that picture of Burger with his stolen bread.
YoungHouseLove says
Hahahahahhaha!
xo
s
Ann says
You two are really amazingly talented! I’m so impressed by how much you do while still being such awesome parents to a gorgeous little girl. Keep up the great work!