Swing Arm Lights for My Living Room

Saturday, May 28th, 2011

I just bought a new house, which was a bit of a crazy idea since my husband and I were both swamped with work when we stumbled across this house and we weren’t even house shopping. But it felt like it was meant to be ours, so we went for it.  Of course before I could be sure it would work for us I had to visualize where EVERY piece of furniture would fit in the new space. Crazy?  Do you experience the same thoughts when you move?

At least I knew I wasn’t the only crazy one in the family because my husband (who is a landscape architect) had to design the entire backyard landscape plan before we even decided to buy the house. Well, at least that helps explain how we are well matched. A pair of crazy, detail-oriented designers who excel at Excel spreadsheets.

Anyway, the point of this story is that I have been working on the design for the new place since we made an offer, and with 2 weeks until the move I’ve started honing in on specific details. The latest?  Lighting for the living room.

There are sconces on two walls in the living room that throw the balance off in the room. They provide some general lighting now, but by converting them to adjustable arm sconces they could offer valuable task lighting on both sides of the room.

Here’s an example in designer Francis Costa’s home.

This Wall Sconce with Three Rotating Arms by Serge Mouille I found on 1st Dibs is the kind of piece I had in mind. However the more than $7,000 price tag is not really worth it to me, no matter how iconic a piece it is. (I’d rather buy a Womb Chair and Ottoman for half the price.)

So how can I achieve the effect of a wall mounted light fixture with adjustable lighting that can extend farther than the average bedside wall sconce at a reasonable price?  Here are a few options I’ve found so far.

Here is one of my top 2 favorites so far. “1940s Architectural Boom Sconce” by Restoration Hardware is designed to allow the light to articulate in multiple directions a nice distance from the wall. At $450 it’s a steal compared to the Mouille fixture.

The No. 214 wall lamp by Bernard-Albin Gras available through Holly Hunt is another great option. It has two points of articulation on the arm plus it can be moved up and down the bar. The bar is rather long, so you would need to have the right space to let it breathe (visually), but at $485 retail it is very competitively priced compared to it’s rival the Restoration Hardware Architectural Boom Sconce.  I’m sure someone can (or already has) made a hack version of this using a clip-on desk lamp and some plumbing parts.

Another option from Restoration Hardware: the Atelier Wall Sconce. Although it is only $239 and has that great caged industrial vibe that I love and has been really popular lately, I don’t think it will extend far enough to meet my functional needs in the new space. But it would be great as a wall mounted bedside lamp. I love that look, it opens up space on the bedside tables, and allows you to direct light where you need it. 

Another visually interesting option is the 1940s Train Station Swing-Arm Sconce from Restoration Hardware.  I like the lines and how it highlights the vintage style bulb. But with the extinction of incandescent bulbs impending, I can’t in good conscience purchase this fixture. Plus it only swings left and right, and that certainly doesn’t meet my needs for this project. ($160)

I know there are other good options out there, I just haven’t thrown myself into the search full force. But I’m keeping my eyes peeled as I’m searching for lighting solutions for my clients because you never know when you are going to stumble across the perfect piece.  

Have you spotted any great lighting solutions lately?  If lighting is a challenge you are dealing with, don’t be afraid to ask Fox Interiors for help!

Tags: interior design, lighting, living room, sconce, swing-arm, task lighting
Posted in Design & Home Living Tips | 4 Comments »