We have officially moved back into #samuelfamilyfixer! The bulk of construction is done and while we have quite a way to go before it is fully complete at least we are in and I can’t tell you how relieved that is. Going into a renovation you always know it is going to be disruptive and tough at times but man, as soon as I see the finish line I can’t even remember how bad or how hard moving three times (once across the country) with two small kids in under a year, while doing a major renovation was. Ok maybe I still remember a bit, because PHEW, but those memories are now bathed in the glow of a REALLY beautiful home for our family which I think makes it worth it (I will let you know once we actually have settled in, because now it is project finish and furnish this baby.

One big part of a renovation that I get a lot of questions about is lighting. Lighting is SO important and when we first moved into our fixer the lighting situation was THE WORST. In the kitchen, for example, the only source of light was two outdoor/garage spotlights and even the bulbs were extreme on the warm side, casting everything that was already wood and warm into a low lit den of yellow. Clover’s bedroom and our master bedroom had no electrical for lighting at all, and the main living room had only recessed lights (which were again with the super warm bulbs and with a 19 foot ceiling I wasn’t about to climb up there to change the bulbs). So, during the renovation I had to create a major lighting plan as I was basically starting from scratch. Essentially there was no decorative lighting in the entire house which is a major bummer because they can totally make a space.

A few must haves on my list when talking light plan are:

1. Ceiling fixture on a dimmer in the kids bedrooms and table lamps on the dresser.
2. Ceiling fixture and sconces in the master bedroom
3. Sconces or pendants at roughly eye level in bathrooms
4. SO MUCH MORE LIGHTING IN THE KITCHEN. Ideally a mix of recessed and pendants as well as task lighting over the range and countertops
5. Chandelier over the dining table
6. Pendants in the living room and a mix of floor lamp and table lamps.

I ended up doing a mix of my go-to lighting vendors all over the house and I thought it would be a perfect opportunity to highlight them. Starting with Troy Lighting. They are part of the Hudson Valley Lighting Group which is a go-to source for me. I’ve rounded up a few of my favorite Troy pieces here.

ALCHEMY // CALABRIA // WABI SABI // ZEN // KOKORO // BIMINI // HUXLEY // BRERA // ZEN 2

The lighting in the living room being all recessed can lights with no easy way to add more (it is a high peeked ceiling with no attic space above and I didn’t want to disturb the original wood paneling) I am turning to table lamps and dimmer switches to create a cozy space in the evenings. 

While we have moved in, we are being super strict with ourselves and our stuff and only bringing into the space pieces we either absolutely need or love (ideally both but really I can’t wait to ditch the grass bottle drying thing from our countertop. tick tock clover your bottle days are almost over). With that in mind, our the house is relatively still empty, but slowly I have started to move some things in, little corner by little corner and this one in the living room is getting my nesting vibes going.

In the living room I turned to Troy lighting because of their large sculptural table lamps and with the incredibly tall ceilings I wanted something chunky and substantial. The Calabria Lamp was such a great fit. They look like I could have picked them up at a vintage shop which helps to balance out the mod characteristics of the credenza to create the more collected feel I am always after. I added some of my favorite ceramic pieces to sit along next to them in an artful moment that has me really excited to start furnishing and styling the whole house. 

If you don’t know of Troy Lighting you can check out their full collection here and I love following them on Instagram to see how different designers and interior junkies style the pieces in their own homes (or homes of clients). This post was done sponsored by Troy Lighting however all thoughts and ideas, as always, are my own.

LAMPS // CREDENZA // WALL HANGING (Scarf) // FOOTED VASE //