the happy living Blog

schoolhouse electric

I love the new clear shades that Schoolhouse Electric is now making.  Adds a bit of modernity, don't you think?

Otis 4

DON'T try this at home.

My amazingly talented husband (CPA-turned-electrician) was hanging some new lights in the garage over the weekend.  He has zapped himself more than a few times so it's a running joke for me to ask him periodically throughout the day "Have you electrocuted yourself yet?".  Not really funny, but it is.

The lights turned out great.  But the switching mechanism had yet to be completed and he just couldn't wait to try out the new lights.

He likes to live dangerously.  In all fairness though, the finish product is perfect.  And perfectly safe. ;)

looking for :: bedside table lamps

I was inspired by this lamp (via housemartin)...

and really love these hand blow glass lamps from Ochre...

but found these which are more in my budget range.

Amber glass table lamp for $93.99

White glass table lamp for $53.99

I really like finding comparable items for much less money, don't you? 

be kind to your neighbors and the night sky :: Starry Night Lights

Here in Chester County (halfway btw Philly and Lancaster) subdivisions and lifestyle centers dot (or have totally taken over) what was once rural farmland and Civil War battlefields.  Traveling by car from less to more developed areas you can sometimes see what I call a 'dome' of light or glow over these communities and centers.  Dark night sky is hard to come by around here anymore as it probably is in other similar communities around the country that have quickly developed in the last several years.

I think residential exterior lighting has become just another tool people use 'to keep up with the Joneses' sometimes.  "My house is bigger than yours" is now "My house is brighter than yours".  You can always pick out the model home in a new development because there are two dozen spot lights highlighting every wall and window on the front of the house making it a beacon or lighthouse for the entire neighborhood.  And I guess the subsequent homeowners just follow suit.  No one really thinks about how much electricity they are using for their 100 strands of lights at Christmas or how their spotlights are contributing to light pollution.

At my day job, we try to make our clients aware of this as they tend to want to over-light their brand new house so they can shock and awe their friends and family when they come for drinks.  And I've started doing some internet shopping for a new sconce on the front of our new-to-us house and came across Starry Night Lights and their selection of Dark Sky Friendly Lighting. 

 
They even have a blog where you can find out more about how light pollution affects us and wildlife.  There is also a great Links page containing light pollution and environmental resources.

They have a number of styles to choose from as well as finishes.  They even carry Turtle-friendly lighting!

Just a little way that we can all be more environmentally aware.

(all photos are from Starry Night Lights)

my new favorite snail mail catalog :: at west end

Maybe I have have been living under a rock.  But before the at west end catalog arrived over the weekend, I had never heard of them.  Their address is from Mississippi.  Anyone there know of them?  Probably the slowest I've browsed through a catalog in a long time...move over anthropologie.  I was also pleasantly surprised by most of the prices.  Reasonable, I thought.  Shop online.  I am so in love with the bee hive baskets and birdhouse. But I can't decide if I love the products more or the location of their photo shoot!?  It's like breath of fresh catalog air. (all photos are from at west end)

 

  

 

  

utility is beautiful : plus more lighting from Schoolhouse Electric

I try not repeat myself, but I got the new Schoolhouse Electric catalog in the mail yesterday and just had to share it, since quite a few of the fixtures are not on their website yet.  Although in the 'design for all' world that we live in we are more aware of it, I think lighting still gets overlooked especially when it comes to our own homes.  I do give credit to Home Depot and Lowes for there selection of lighting, but there are other affordable options out there.

I love the vintage-industrial feeling of these fixtures.





All images are scans from the Schoolhouse Electric catalog.  To get your own catalog, click here.

lighting favorites: Schoolhouse Electric and Rejuvenation

The theme for today is lighting since I feel like I have seen the Northeast sun today for the first time in ages and feel like I am coming out of a dark cave that the past couple of days have felt like.  I thought I would pass on two of my favorite lighting suppliers.

Schoolhouse Electric

Rejuvenation

Both companies make similar looking fixtures, but with subtle differences.  You pick a fixture and then a shade and there are thousands of combinations to get just the right look.  I like these particular lighting manufacturers because I feel you can get a traditional look, a modern look, or a transitional look from many of their pieces.  Very versatile.