Dispensing with economy

We're all fallible. We admit weakness in spending on this light fixture, a 60% discount...we just couldn't help ourselves.

Sistemalux, Modem Small Six (kitchen island pendant)

Design Public, Weegee 14"h /24"d, $240

There are few places we've decided to spend extra on, there's little room for luxury in our home but the dining and kitchen lighting join the stone tile as money we deemed well spent. The challenge for us with our lighting scheme has been bridging the stripped down utilitarian bent of our wall sconces with the more refined palette of the wood floors, the stainless backsplash and the stone tile. Equally there was the problem of the proximity of the lights serving the dining area (a softer, warmer fixture) and the kitchen lights. Both spaces required pendants because of the vaulted ceiling but we wanted the geometry of the two to be noticeably different.

The 'Modem' fixture works on two levels, first it references the industrial detail and color of the wall sconces and second it sets itself apart from the typical 'hang three glass pendants over an island' aesthetic. This also lets us choose a much larger, softer, shaded fixture for over the dining area...make that two.

Of course spending begets more spending and nice light fixtures beg for a nice table beneath them...