Preference Poll: 1/2 Bath Lighting

Joey and I are having a small disagreement regarinding the light fixture we should buy for the 1/2 bath we're remodeling. Currently there is a light fixture on the ceiling. It's super ugly and coming down...

Joey really doesn't want to have to re-do any of the electrical wires in the room, which would be required in order to put a vanity light above the sink/mirror. So, we are going to stick with keeping the lighting on the ceiling and just buy a new fixture. Seems easy, right?

Wrong.

Here is the dilemma. Joey wants a light/fan combo for this bathroom. He said having a vent-fan is a necessity in any bathroom (even a 1/2 bath). Normally this wouldn't make any difference to me, but it does in this case for 2 reasons:

1. Since there will not be a vanity light, I want the ceiling light to be somewhat decorative or at interesting. But every single light/fan combo that I have looked at in your typical home improvement stores (Lowes, Menards, Home Depot) and even online are very plain/ordinary and many are ugly. There is not much to choose from. This is the best I could find - and it's pretty, but I feel like I see this same type of light fixture everywhere.
   
   
   
   
   Whereas, here is a light-only fixture from Home Depot. It is VERY inexpensive ($25), but has a bit more interest and detail than the one above. It's unique.
   
   
   Note: we are painting the ceiling a color, so the white fixture will stand out against it.
   
   
2. There is currently only 1 light switch in the bathroom. Again, since Joey doesn't want to re-do electrical wiring, the light and fan would be on the same switch, which would mean any time the light is on, the fan is on too. I don't like this either. I want to be able to have light-only when needed.

So, what do we conclude? We will probably get a light-only fixture. There is a window in the bathroom that can be cracked if we need to air out the room(if you know what I mean).

But what would you choose if you were us?

1. Light only?


2. Light/Fan Combo?


3. Break out the time/effort/mess/money and re-do the electrical to have a vent-fan on the ceiling and a vanity light over the sink and mirror?

Please share!

Preference Poll: Kitchen Appliances

Joey and I will soon be purchasing new appliances for our new kitchen - including a refrigerator, dishwasher, range, and over-the-range microwave. As such, we have battled the age old question, which color of appliances should we buy?

Obviously, stainless steel appliances seem to be the rage in this season of kitchen makeovers. And while they do look really nice and sleek in a new kitch, we aren't convinced they're the best option for us. First of all, they are priciest option (and money is getting tight these days). Second, are they just another "trendy" item? Will they soon go the way of the era of almond-colored appliances?


We've also considered traditional white appliances. Nice, white appliances come with a middle-of-the-road price, fit the style of our kitchen well, and probably won't become outdated any time soon. But then again, will white appliances with white cabinets be too boring? Or what if they 2 "whites" don't match each other - will that look weird?


Black appliances also offer a middle-of-the-road price, but add contrast to the white cabinets. However, I've never really seen myself as a "black appliance" type of girl, if you know what I mean.


So, what would you do if you were purchasing appliances for a kitchen with white cabinets? Fork out the cash for the stainless steel? Keep it plain and simple? Please share in the poll at the top right or leave a comment...

*Edit: I removed the poll since it didn't seem to be working right (gotta figure that one out). Please leave a comment! Thanks!

What's Your Preference?

We need to purchase 3 pendant lights for our kitchen to help with the overall light in the space and, mostly, for task lighting on the some of the counter-tops. 1 of the pendants will hang over the kitchen sink, and the other 2 pendants will hang in front of 2 large, side-by-side windows to provide task lighting on the counter-top below the windows.

I want the pendants to be kind of small - so as to not obstruct the window view - but to also coordinate with the other light fixture we bought for the center of the ceiling (see pic at the bottom of this post). I'm torn between a few different pendants. They have some similarities - like polished chrome/nickle hardware and size - but have a slightly different look.

Here are the options we're considering. Which is your favorite???

Pendant #1: Lite Source Mini Pendant
Description: Industrial chrome


















Pendant #2: Colonnade Mini Pendant
Description: Satin-etched glass with polished nickle hardware



















Pendant #3: North End Mini Pendant
Description: Chrome - classic rounded shape


















Pendant #4: Carina Mini Pendant
Description: Opal-cased glass with polished antique nickle