As we make baby steps towards finalizing our kitchen plans, I’ve spent some time thinking about the fact that we’ll need a great light to go over the dining room table.

I mean, a great table, needs a great chandelier, right? Right.

The current one has to go. ASAP. (In fact, this was one of our goals for 2014.)

 

It’s really, really ugly. And dated. And it puts out like…zero light. Think I’m exaggerating? Come eat dinner at our house and it will seem like we’re having a romantic candlelit dinner…but really, we just have pretty much no light in there.

It’s awful. Worst lighting ever. Well, actually, it might be a bit better than the lighting in my mom’s kitchen. She knows what I’m going through over here. (Ha! The Dark Kitchen Support Group is officially in session now.)

So, I’ve been trying to find an awesome new solution.

Originally, we wanted to make some sort of mason jar chandelier, like this:

 

But, I soon realized that might not provide all that much light either. And I think my taste is leaning a little less rustic in there now that we already have a big rustic table…I think it’s just maybe a little too…much. If that makes sense. Of course, I do still really like the concept, so you never know…

But, I recently became pretty enamored with these geometric glass beauties:

Sources:
1. Eldridge Rectangular Chandelier from Ballard Designs, $399
2. Canopy Glass Island Chandelier from Shades of Light, $725
3. Industrial Modern Island Chandelier from Shades of Light, $769
4. Arteriors thornton bronze pendant from Arteriors, $1,380
5. Longhope Rectangular Chandelier Dwelling and Design, $1,593

John and Sherry chose the Industrial Modern Island model from Shades of Light for their show house. And Katie Bower has the Ballard Designs chandelier in her dining room.

Of course, I am not totally sold on the idea of clear glass around the bulbs since it seemed like it might be a little harsh in our semi-dark kitchen, but maybe that’s a good thing. Of course, it might also always be covered in finger prints…so I’m also considering a long rectangular shade as an option…something like this adorable yellow chevron one from Shades of Light…

But, it’s also $499. YIKES.

Then, I saw this option and had a bit of inspiration strike me…

Maybe we could make a similar chandelier ourselves by pairing a light kit like this one:

And surround it with a DIY metal shade, possibly made from stamped aluminum screens, like the ones used to for vent covers and such. Of course, we’d need to find a cheaper option than the one above, but you get the idea.

Hmmm… thoughts are certainly swirling around in my head right now. Add those to the thoughts about flooring and rugs and cabinets and granite and quartz and microwave placement and the occasional freak out about the lazy Susan in the corner cabinet and you have a big ole kitchen mess in my head right now…

So, tell me what kind of chandelier you think might be a good choice for over our farmhouse table. Have you ever made a lighting fixture? What’s the most you’d ever spend on a light fixture? (I think even $100 is a lot!)