Home style

I got the latest issue of Style at Home in my mailbox the other day and spent a happy few hours devouring it. I ♥ that magazine.

There's a really nice pendant light from Union Lighting and Furnishing featured - I love the contemporary style - and the little crystal nod to the traditional! Price is a little gaspy at $541.60, though.

We are looking for (okay, I am looking for - DH is not as interested) some new pendant lights to replace the builder-installed boring ones in our house. I would love to get pretty lights for the entry, dining room, and kitchen. Not to mention that the bathrooms have those light strips with bare bulbs (Hollywood style, right?) - which are shiny chrome, that part's okay, but I hate the garish giant bare bulbs. They do cast a nice light, though. It's hard to find a bathroom light that looks alright and still gives enough light to do makeup by. Also, it's hard to find something we both like - I've got the kind of husband who has definite, and often contrary, opinions on home decor! (I'm pretty sure he'd hate this light, for instance.)

And that reminded me that I saw some lovely gourd lamps similar to these ones from West Elm - that were featured in the latest Canadian House & Home and cost the rather large sum of $179 US - at Bouclair Home the other day for the much more budget-friendly price of $29 CDN. The Bouclair version is not exactly the same (not as thick glass, don't have the iridescent sheen, and different colours - probably smaller too, although I didn't pay attention to the sizes) - but it's definitely possible to get the look for less.

I think they're pretty. DH, of course, is not a fan (the cord showing through the glass base is a problem for him).

Which leads me in a roundabout way to mention the Affordable Style blog by Michael Penney over at Canadian House & Home. As I've mentioned before, I like H&H, but I often find the decor and products not only too pricey, but too stodgy (I wish with heartfelt enthusiasm that "French Country" would just go away). But I have been really enjoying reading his blog - despite his declaration that country is back - and he did a nice little feature on affordable lighting recently that was great.
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btw, I still haven't heard back from Trish, the winner of the Chocolatey Chai Tea. She's got until noon tomorrow to get back to me; if I don't hear from her, I'll draw another winner!