Yesterday we got some very much needed rain. The leaves have changed almost overnight and the majority of trees are clothed in the warmth of gold. In an unusual twist, the horse pastures and lawns are all a bold green so the contrast is both unexpected and gorgeous. It is very different from how the color is most years, but after a drought, I am glad for any fall color at all.
In my home I love a look that says you are welcome here. I use sconces a lot because they are so versatile and add ambience to a room, especially at night. I decided to both add and switch out some accessory lighting in the library.
This fireplace is in the library, and the sconces were put up years ago, but I never felt they were right for the room. I felt they were “just ok”.
They didn’t have quite the visual weight I wanted. A few years ago I spied a pair in an antique/gift shop over the mountain that I immediately felt would do justice to the fireplace. They would be a splurge, so at the time I waited to think about it. I waited a long time, like more than two years!
You can see that the bronze horse is a hefty piece, solid bronze and almost 26 inches high,so my thought was that the recess needed heftier sconces.
After I have removed the sconces. Pretty boring.
KBJ and I were on our way to our favorite garden center and decided to stop at this shop. I wasn’t even sure they would still be available, but very lucky for me they were and KBJ bought them for me. The glass is wavy and the iron is finished in a worn oil rubbed bronze, which relates much better to the horse than the older ones which were black. The base for the candle rests on 3 glass bubbles, so it looks like it floats.
I mounted each by hanging them from a wood peg on top. There was a screw opening underneath the platform, and because of the weight of these sconces, I also attached them to the wall there as well.
I had some bronze paint, so you can’t even see where I screwed them into the wall. The wood pegs mount by hammering a hefty nail into a hole in the center of the peg’s top. I have had them forever, and have used them to hang a lot of things over the years.
I feel that it looks much more balanced now. I have plans to paint the wall above the mantel a darker color, hopefully before the holidays.
The candles are ones that flicker like a real candle, and when they are turned on it is hard to tell that they are not real candles. You can kind of see that the glass casts a lovely pattern on the wall and at night it is lovely.
So what did I do with the old ones? You can see below.
This is right around the corner from the library. To the left is the coffee & wine bar. On the right there are two doors, the furtherest on leads to the kitchen, breakfast and family room area. The one slightly ajar is a closet for household supplies. I can’t believe I did not see while editing the post that the door was ajar. Enter real life! The coffee bar and hall is about 10 feet long.
BEFORE…..
AFTER: And I am liking it. These also have the electric candles. All mine work by remote, so all I have to do is click, and they are on. They are also set on timers in case I forget to turn them off.
Here you can better see how the library is situated. My office is just to the left of the fireplace.
here you can see the hall to the kitchen area. Besides painting the fireplace wall, I am soon to add beams to the ceiling. Long overdue.
Well, one project down. Thank you for stopping by and don’t forget to vote tomorrow. Laters, charisse
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Welcome back, Charisse!
Love the blogs! The sconces look great!! It’s amazing what a difference these changes made.
That horse is beautiful!
Great to hear from you again!!
Victoria Moores
Thanks Victoria! Glad to be writing again, although the break allowed for some catchup of my design endeavors. Hope you enjoy your autumn.