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At The Picket Fence with Vanessa Hunt

Where Ideas for your Home Meet Inspiration for your Heart

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April 9, 2014

New Entry Lighting!

Are you a ‘quirky movie’ person? We definitely are in our family. Maybe that’s because we are all a tad quirky. And if it’s a quirky British movie? Well, that’s the best of the best! Quirky sounds better with an accent after all.

Years ago we discovered this incredible, quirky, heart-warming movie called ‘Everything Is Illuminated‘. I HIGHLY recommend it.

But, that’s not really what this is about. And the only reason I’m even telling you about that movie and our quirky-ness is because as soon as the new fixtures in my entry were installed, the words ‘Everything Is Illuminated’ kept running through my head!

‘Cause I’m kinda quirky like that! 😉

oiled bronze wrought iron sconce

 I freely admit that when we first moved into our house I was intimidated by the scale of our entry. There were soaring ceilings with a huge skylight and frankly I wasn’t too sure how to approach decorating the space. Oh I knew the ugly old brass fixtures had to go but I didn’t know what to put there.

So, I did what you do when you are intimidated by something. I took the path of least resistance and installed a pair of sconces that matched the ones in the living room. Familiar. Comfortable. Safe. Too small.

entry sconces before photo

Oh sure, they were pretty enough. But they just looked so dwarfed by the scale of the entry.

Of course, instead of changing them out I decided to live with them like that for almost 5 years.

I’m nothing if not dedicated! 😉

entry sconces before

I don’t exactly know what caused me to finally ‘flip the switch’ (hee hee) and purchase new lights but let’s just chock it up to being quirky, OK?

The new lights are bigger, bolder and everything is definitely more illuminated now!

Traditional entry with curved staircase atthepicketfence.com

I chose an oiled bronze finish which matches the chandelier.

oiled bronze wrought iron sconce

 And I love the leaf details.

oiled bronze sconce details

 Of course, after we installed the new lights the “If You Give A Mouse A Cookie” syndrome kicked in and I finally purchased the chair I had been stalking for weeks and I’m fairly certain that all that time it was sitting there in the store wondering what was wrong with me because once I brought it home I realized it was always meant to be in this space.

decorating an entry with a curved staircase

 It kinda looks smug, doesn’t it? 😉

french style chair in entry atthepicketfence.com

 I absolutely love the simplicity of the linen fabric against the beautiful details.

french country chair details

 A little bit of Spring made it’s way over to the table.

spring decor in the entry atthepicketfence.com

It’s always interesting to me how something as simple as lighting can make such a huge impact in a space. And when it’s the right lighting it just pulls everything together.

chair in entry atthepicketfence.com

Kind of like those quirky movies, you know? It’s that extra ‘something’, that intangible quality that you can’t quite put your finger on but you know when it’s ‘right’.

french country entry with staircase

My entry might not be what you would consider ‘quirky’.

But I’m pretty sure with this new lighting I finally got it right!

Thanks so much for coming over and visiting us today At the Picket Fence,

Vanessa signature

21 Comments Filed Under: Decorating

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Comments

  1. Kimberly ~ SerendipityRefined says

    April 9, 2014 at 4:43 AM

    I love your new lights and the chair…well, the chair is simply swoon-worthy. Would you share the source? xo

    Reply
    • Vanessa says

      April 9, 2014 at 7:24 AM

      Hi Kimberly! I actually purchased the chair from TJ Maxx and absolutely love it! 🙂
      Thanks for coming by!

      Reply
  2. Cheryl at Snaps of Ginger says

    April 9, 2014 at 6:54 AM

    Beautiful!!! I love fresh, bright, open spaces like that.

    ~Cheryl
    https://snaps-of-ginger.blogspot.com

    Reply
  3. Tessie says

    April 9, 2014 at 7:54 AM

    This space is just lovely. What is the paint color? It’s so light and fresh!

    Reply
  4. kristin says

    April 9, 2014 at 9:16 AM

    It is just gorgeous Vanessa always love seeing your beautiful home!!!
    XOXO
    Kristin

    Reply
  5. Kathy @ Creative Home Expressions says

    April 9, 2014 at 10:17 AM

    Gorgeous new lighting, Vanessa. I love them!

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      April 9, 2014 at 4:03 PM

      Thanks Kathy! 🙂

      Reply
  6. Angela says

    April 9, 2014 at 12:26 PM

    Vanessa, it looks great!!

    Reply
  7. Amanda @ Dixie Delights says

    April 9, 2014 at 1:37 PM

    Yes, you did get it right. They are perfect!!

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      April 9, 2014 at 4:03 PM

      Thank you Amanda! 🙂

      Reply
  8. Alicia says

    April 9, 2014 at 4:37 PM

    Simply stunning as always, and thank you for allowing us to visit your beautiful home. Alicia.

    Reply
  9. Shirley@Housepitality Designs says

    April 9, 2014 at 7:36 PM

    Love the new sconces Vanessa…yes, they have a better scale with relation to your gorgeous staircase..I can so relate to getting all of the “matching pieces” to the lighting…I did that 9 years ago…and so wish i could replace all of them…the chair is what you described, beautiful and meant to be in that space!!! Oh, and I love Quirky!

    Reply
  10. Jeanette @ Creating a Life says

    April 9, 2014 at 10:22 PM

    Love the lights and the pretty chair! (and quirky British movies, too!)

    Jeanette

    Reply
  11. Judy says

    April 10, 2014 at 5:27 AM

    The new lights are absolutely beautiful. Makes a big difference. I am in love with your area rug in your entry. Where did you get it? LOVE IT!

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      April 10, 2014 at 7:58 PM

      Thanks so much Judy! I got the rug at Tuesday Morning and they always have fabulous options there! 🙂

      Reply
  12. best e Cigarette says

    April 14, 2014 at 11:06 PM

    I hardly write remarks, but i did a few searching and wound up here New
    Entry Lighting! – At The Picket Fence. Andd I do have
    some questions for you if you usually do not
    mind. Is it simply me or does it look as if like some of the responses look like they are coming from brain dead people?
    😛 And, if you are posting on additional social
    sites, I’d like to follow everything new
    you have to post. Would you make a list oof the
    complpete utls of your communal sityes like your Facebook page, twitter feed, or linkedin profile?

    Reply
  13. AM Shield Corp says

    April 15, 2014 at 10:50 AM

    The new lighting is beautiful, Vanessa! Love it!

    Reply
  14. bullets for sale says

    April 15, 2014 at 11:47 PM

    Thanks designed for sharing such a pleasant opinion, post is nice,
    thats why i have read it fully

    Reply
  15. Gerry says

    April 24, 2014 at 1:47 PM

    I just finished Everything is Illuminated (on your suggestion) and loved it. Lots of tears. I enjoy your blog a lot.

    Reply
  16. Sharon says

    April 25, 2014 at 10:30 PM

    Everything looks beautiful!

    Reply
  17. WorkwearUSA says

    May 6, 2014 at 4:15 PM

    Whoever designed your house must have done ours too. Same UGLY lights when we moved in. These new fixtures look amazing! This are definitely getting added to my ever-growing project list.

    Reply

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Yesterday on the way home from school I had the ra Yesterday on the way home from school I had the radio tuned to my daughter's favorite station and a song that was playing had a line in it that really stood out to me. It made reference to a 'season of the sticks' which I think its safe to say must mean winter. I thought that was such an accurate, albeiet kind of depressing, picture of this time of the year.

While we definitely have more than our fair share of evergreen trees here in Oregon, we also have plenty of trees and bushes that are reduced to sticks during the cold months. But, this morning as I looked out my kitchen window, greedily sipping from my mug of coffee, I marveled at the beauty of the winter sunrise. The sky was all pinks and oranges with frost on the rooftops and a little bit of fog. And, I realized that part of why it was so amazing is because I could see it more clearly through the sticks. The bare branches allowed me a view that I wouldn't be able to see if those same branches were covered in leaves. Being stripped down to almost nothing revealed something magnificent.

We have seasons of the sticks in our lives too, don't we? Times when we feel as though we've been stripped bare and left exposed. It's easy to think that this is a place where all is ugly and dark. And yet, just like the winter sunrise was more visible because of the bare branches, the vulnerability we feel in the winter season of our souls allows us to get a glimpse of beauty that we wouldn't see otherwise. In the lush, warm seasons it's so easy to become comfortable. But in the bare, cold seasons we recognize just how much we need to rely on the One who placed the stars in the heavens and is sovereign over all.

If you feel like your soul has been stripped bare and you've been left exposed and vulnerable, may I encourage you today to ask the Lord to help you to see the beauty in this 'season of the sticks'.

“Answer me quickly, O Lord! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit. Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul." Psalm 143:7
I just went to make my mid-morning protein shake a I just went to make my mid-morning protein shake and grabbed a banana out of the freezer and was about to put it into my shake before I realized it was a frozen egg roll. Sooooo that's how my day is going so far! 🤪How about you?

It's honestly fairly representative of my state of mind these days as I can't seem to make the date on the calendar match the date in my spirit because it feels like it should be January 45th. Every year this month drags on and every year it seems to surprise me for some reason. In addition, my heart just feels heavy as I witness a lot of darkness and sadness around me. So, I'm choosing to control what I can control by making my house feel as cozy as possible, relishing the sunshine whenever it dares to peek through the clouds, gathering inspiration for warmer weather projects and, most importantly, resting in the comfort of the sovereignty of my Father.

“God’s voice thunders in marvelous ways; he does great things beyond our understanding. He says to the snow, ‘Fall on the earth,’ and to the rain shower, ‘Be a mighty downpour.’ So that everyone he has made may know his work..." Job 37:5-7
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And I’m choosing gratefulness. 

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Here’s to beginnings. Happy new year friends! May you experience the majesty and sovereignty of the Lord in 2023 like never before! ✨
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