Finally, there is light in the dining room!
More specifically, a light. Or should I say, a lantern. The lantern.
After chatting with Mike’s mom, Joy, about my vision for the fixture, I told her that I wanted something that felt authentic for a “Cape Cod” style house. Being Joy and an expert in all things unique and special, “Have you looked at Cape Cod Lantern Company? They are in Chatham. I believe they make all of the lanterns at Chatham Bars Inn.” Only Joy would know great things like that sitting in KC!
Do you remember my post about our stay at the Chatham Bars Inn? I oogled over the authentic fixtures and lanterns that hung seemingly everywhere on the property. The photo above (no, that is not my family room…) is of the sitting room at the Inn.
So, I immediately searched their site and found the “5652 Concord” Lantern. Not only did I love the style but I loved that this particular style was a nod to our New England home, Concord. Perfect. I love it. It is simple, yet very striking. The scale is lovely, which I was a little concerned about before it arrived… would it be too big? Not big enough? But, alas, it is just right. I love that it is an authentic, handmade representation of our time in New England that hangs in the center of our home. I imagine that we will take it with us to all of our future homes. As Mike and I drove through Mission Hills on our way to dinner last weekend, I noticed all of the graceful lanterns that hung in front of the front doors of the large stately homes… maybe someday… I’m not big on souveneirs, I mostly rely on photos instead of sweatshirts, but I have to say… This is one great souvenir!
I had it made (all of their fixtures are handmade to order) in Antique Brass finish with clear glass to compliment the original brass fixtures in our house. The un-laqured finish will weather and age with time.
You may also notice a peek at our Christmas decorations that are beginning to take their places. In our windows, I’ve hung fresh bay leaf wreaths. They smell soooo good.
Here is another look at the room – a couple of stacks of plates, compote of tangerines, etc., piled in the center of the table from my holiday header shoot for the blog.
Another “authentic” decision for the room was to feature photos from our travels. As I was getting ready to order some random prints of botanicals and birds, I decided to take a more authentic approach to the artwork that hung in our home. I decided to have 11×14 photos from our favorite experiences displayed in the room. They are framed in frames that are painted the same color as our trim, Navajo White in Satin. The walls are painted navajo white in flat. Above : Stowe, Vermont and Martha’s Vineyard
I included a caption of the place and date of each photo.
We plan to keep adding to our collection… maybe someday we’ll have an entire wall gallery devoted to it… I imagine it in a long hallway – in the same stately home in which the lantern hangs in our entryway.