just a little something light and floaty to start the day- every day i write my posts from the living room couch and look up at these seriously disgusting lights. i think i’d rather stare up at these, they feel so airy and breezy. you can pick up all three styles for $225 each right here.

now that fall is upon us the daylight hours are dwindling and i find myself trying to add more light to our home. our apartment only has windows at either end so finding light in the middle rooms can be a challenge. i’m not sure if this creep pendant by susan bradley would do the trick, but it sure would look nice. made of birch plywood, the light comes flat packed for $153 right here.

ok, so this isn’t exactly the most functional piece of lighting, but how fun is this? designer anneke jacobs created this chandelier re-using chiquita banana boxes she found on the street. i love the thought-process behind this and the grand, over-the-top feeling she was able to create with some everyday cardboard boxes. fantastic. click here for more on anneke jacobs. [via supernaturale, via inhabitat]

[the diy wednesday project is coming up next!]

it’s always a good day when a gem like this falls in your inbox. designer kyle cunniff sent over a link to these beautiful glass lights he created using a technique called slumping. the glass is heated until it becomes plastic at which point the form is draped over another object or into a mold to create the new form. kyle first began slumping glass bottles at the gerrit rietveld academie in amsterdam; aftewards he studied design at pratt and only recently resumed slumping. you can contact kyle about his work right here or via email right here. thanks, kyle!

for the past few years i’ve felt like i’ve been stuck in design limbo. i’m not sure if it’s the result of being around so many different design options, a personal style that’s in transition or just being unhappy with the space we currently live in. it started with an inability to choose paint colors (i’m surprised ac didn’t dump me after two years of painting “test squares” all over the house) and continued with half-finished projects, lighting that was never hung and chairs that have yet to be recovered. maybe i have a design personality disorder but i think maybe some of you might feel the same way. i feel like i’m constantly torn between wanting to live life like real simple magazine and have minimalist spaces that are impeccably organized, or live in something more ornately decorated with overstuffed couches and huge chandeliers. lately i’ve been trying to go more minimal and then i saw this wire chandelier from abigail ahern. now i’m dying to have highly decorative details hanging from the ceiling. which personality will win? we’ll see. until then, i’m imagining two dream homes: something sunny, clean and minimalist by the beach and something grand and decorative in the city. a girl can dream i guess.

gorgeous pendant lamps from tay lighting, via irene at bloesem. [i'm heading out early to today to finish up some work on the new site and some projects around the house. stay tuned tomorrow for the ugly pillow finalists!]

kristina sent me a fantastic link to designer elise fouin. elise graduated from the ecole boulle in paris in 2003 and recently exhibited as part of maison&objet this month. i was smitten with her suspension lamp design called “lucinda”- what a dramatic statement this would make in a dining room. click here for more information on elise’s work. [thanks, kristina!]

for the last week or so i’ve been building two big guides for table lighting. ac and i have been trying to find a desk lamp we both approve of (we share our bedroom office space) so i’ve been shopping for a while now. i thought i’d compile some of my favorite into two guides: lamps grouped by style and lamps under or around $100. my favorites are grouped by style but because the price skewed a little high on those i figured it was only fair to create a slideshow of lighting that was cute but still affordable. you can click here to check out the budget lighting, here for the non-budget lighting and here to check out the home page for guides i’ve created so far (beds, bedding, desks, dining chairs, etc.) a guide to ceiling and floor lights is up next…

i keep reading about this trend in home design that involves people installing poles (ahem, yes, those kind of poles) in their bedrooms. i read an article online the other day about seemingly timid mid-western housewives installing them in basements and above the garage playrooms. while i’ve never secretly wanted to install a stripper pole in my house, i do harbor a secret desire to install a disco ball. i think it would be so fun to turn the lights out, turn on the disco ball and dance to music in the living room. yep, that’s my idea of a good time. but no ordinary disco ball will do- the object of my desire? this fancy disco ball fixture from front design. their confetti light would be the perfect way to set the mood and dance the night away. i can hear the music now…