I shared with you the family room for this home a couple of weeks ago.  It was the new build home with the long, narrow room where we made this interesting seating area.

One of the first things you noticed about this space is the interesting light fixture.  This fixture was added where there was no pre-existing lighting.

In the case where you have an existing fixture, especially in a brand new home, it can be very hard to justify buying a new fixture and swapping them out.  However, the ‘builder’ light fixtures that come with the house are usually about as bland as you can get.  Lighting is the jewelry for the room and it is worth buying an impactful piece.

Take this area as an example, it is open to the room above and the kitchen.

Before:

It is a small space, but it gets used everyday, at least twice a day, so it should be a nice place to spend time.  And, that light fixture can easily find a new home via Craig’s List or Goodwill.

Here is what you can have in exchange:

After:

A fresh coat of paint, some fun drapery panels (I tell everyone they warm up a room and make it feel like home) and an impactful light fixture and you are on your way to a fabulous space.

This room is featured in an iVillage article about Fall decorating trends.  If you would like to read more, check it out here:

16 Beautiful Fall Decor Trends

I have some exciting trips coming up in the next few weeks- Round Top Antiques market for shopping, then Quebec City and Montreal for some art & architectural learnings.  After that, it is off to High Point market for the annual fall home furnishings show.  I can’t believe how fast time is going, and we have to move locations in between all that!  I look forward to sharing with you photos and ideas from the trips and the move in the coming weeks!