Lights, Mats and Other Random Stuff

I’m back in Ireland after a trip to Los Angeles and Las Vegas. More on that at some other time ..

Both before leaving and while I was away I ordered a variety of bits and bobs for the new house and most of them arrived during my absence. Thanks to Alan’s help several of the niggly little issues with dripping taps and slow filling toilets have been sorted out. And hopefully I’ll have broadband by the end of the week!

One of the things about having my own house is that I wanted to put my own “stamp” on it. So while painting a mural on the side wall would have been a bit  “over the top” and probably not appreciated by the neighbours, I have been trying to get my hands on a few elements that will add a certain style and tone to the house.

One of the key areas for that will be the sitting room. I still have no idea really about what kind of sofas / couches I want to get (though I have been exploring options), but I really wanted a nice lamp. So I came across this beauty:

I know that’s not the best photo in the world, but I was so excited when I got it out of its boxes that I had to take a quick snap of it. It’s an old theatre light, which has been refitted with a standard light fitting. Once the sitting room is properly setup I expect it’ll be a nice centre piece.

The other room I’ve been working on fitting out is my “home office”. One of the things I really wanted to get right was the lamp to put on the desk, so I opted for another vintage piece:

The photo is from the item’s eBay listing, as I didn’t get a chance to take a photo of it this evening and I still don’t have a desk to put it on!

As I mentioned previously, I’ll be replacing the hall lights with vintage style pendant lights with Edison style bulbs:

I’m looking forward to getting them installed, though I’ll need to wait to do it until daylight (fumbling around in the dark trying to fit lights isn’t my idea of fun!).

I’m not sure what I’ll do about the other lights yet, though I’m constantly on the look out for inspiration. I like “simple” and, as you may have noticed, a more vintage or “retro” style for some things. (Not all though!)

I’m also on the look out for a few bedside lamps. I suspect I may end up opting for a few angle poise ones, as any of the “reading” lights I’ve seen seem to clamp onto the bed end, which I really hate, or are not quite the style I’m looking for.

Several others items were delivered while I was away such as mats for inside both the back door and the front door, as well as all the sockets and switches I’d ordered. They’re not, however, quite as exciting as the lamps 🙂