THE LOOK UP SERIES · ARTICLE 1 · UNIQUE LIGHTING & HOME DECOR
Think about the room you’re sitting in right now.
You probably know what color the walls are. You know where the furniture sits. You might even remember why you chose the flooring, the artwork or the curtains.
But what about the light fixture above your head?
Can you picture it without looking?
Do you remember choosing it?
More importantly, do you actually like it?
Or has it simply been there so long that you’ve stopped noticing it?
At Unique Lighting & Home Decor, we’re asking Southwest Montana homeowners to do something surprisingly simple.
LOOK UP.
Not because your lighting is necessarily broken, outdated or in need of replacement.
But because the lights you live with every day deserve a second look.
When Was the Last Time You Really Looked at Your Lights?
We become accustomed to the things around us.
A chandelier that’s been hanging over the dining table for years becomes part of the background. The bathroom vanity lights turn on every morning. The hallway fixture does its job. The exterior lanterns welcome you home every evening.
Eventually, you may stop paying attention to them altogether.
And there’s nothing inherently wrong with that.
But there’s a difference between being comfortable with something and actively liking it.
Think about the decisions you make when choosing furniture, artwork or home decor. You consider your preferences, your style and how each piece relates to the room.
Lighting deserves that same consideration.
A chandelier isn’t merely an electrical device suspended from the ceiling. It’s also a visible part of the room’s design.
A wall sconce isn’t simply a way to illuminate a hallway. It can contribute to the architecture and character of the space.
And a lamp isn’t just something that sits on a table. It can be an important decorative element in its own right.
The question isn’t whether your existing fixtures are doing their jobs.
It’s whether they’re still the fixtures you’d choose.
If You Were Choosing Your Lighting Today, Would You Pick the Same Fixtures?
Imagine walking into a lighting showroom today without knowing what fixtures are currently installed in your house.
You have your existing furniture.
Your current wall colors.
Your flooring.
Your personal style.
Your home’s architecture.
And you get to choose the lighting all over again.
Would you select the same chandelier?
The same bathroom vanity lights?
The same kitchen pendants?
The same exterior lanterns?
Maybe you would.
Perhaps you have a fixture you’ve loved since the day you purchased it. Maybe it has sentimental value, exceptional craftsmanship or a style that still feels exactly right.
Keep it.
LOOK UP isn’t about replacing lighting just because it’s old.
It’s about recognizing that you have choices.
And sometimes, the lighting you’ve lived with for years isn’t what you’d choose if you were making that decision today.
Your Lighting Is Part of Your Personal Style
We often think of personal style in terms of clothing, furniture, paint colors and decorative accessories.
But lighting is part of that expression, too.
Consider how different a dining room might feel with a substantial traditional chandelier compared with a clean-lined contemporary fixture.
Or how a sculptural pendant can become a focal point in an entry.
Or how a pair of well-chosen lamps can contribute to the character of a living room.
Lighting fixtures come in an enormous variety of forms, materials, finishes and design approaches.
That means there’s no single fixture style that’s right for every Southwest Montana home.
A rustic timber home outside Butte may call for something entirely different from a contemporary residence in Bozeman or a traditional home in Helena.
Even two homeowners with nearly identical floor plans may want very different lighting.
One may prefer dark bronze, substantial materials and traditional forms.
Another may prefer black finishes, cleaner silhouettes and a more modern aesthetic.
Neither approach is automatically better.
The right fixture should make sense for the home and reflect the people who live there.
Look Up in the Dining Room
Start with the dining room.
A chandelier is often one of the most prominent decorative elements in the space.
It occupies a central position above the table and may be visible from adjoining rooms.
Now look at yours.
- Does its style still appeal to you?
- Does it feel appropriately scaled to the table and room?
- Does its finish complement the surrounding furniture and materials?
- Does it contribute to the atmosphere you want?
- Would you choose it again today?
You don’t need to answer those questions based on what’s fashionable this year.
Answer them based on what you like.
Look Up in the Bathroom
Bathroom lighting is something you may use several times a day without giving it much thought.
But those fixtures are often positioned prominently above or beside the mirror.
Consider whether the lighting still fits the room.
Maybe the fixture has a style you’ve never particularly liked. Maybe the finish feels disconnected from the rest of the bathroom. Maybe the fixture is visually too small for the mirror.
Or perhaps the lighting creates shadows that make everyday tasks more difficult.
That last issue is more than decorative. The Illuminating Engineering Society defines task lighting as illumination directed toward a particular surface or area to support visual activities (Illuminating Engineering Society [IES], n.d.).
A bathroom fixture should be evaluated for both its appearance and the illumination it provides.
Look Up in the Kitchen
Kitchen lighting is especially visible because it often occupies the space above an island or another central feature.
Your pendants may have been chosen years ago, perhaps by a previous homeowner.
Do you like their shape?
Their size?
Their finish?
How they relate to the cabinets and countertops?
Would you choose something more traditional, more contemporary or more expressive today?
And if your kitchen relies primarily on recessed lighting, have you ever considered whether decorative lighting could contribute something the recessed fixtures don’t?
Recessed lighting can be a valuable part of a lighting plan. It simply doesn’t have to be the only part.
The American Lighting Association identifies overall, task and accent lighting as complementary layers that help support different activities and visual needs (American Lighting Association [ALA], n.d.).
Look Up in the Living Room
Not every living room has a chandelier or central decorative fixture.
Some rely on recessed lights, ceiling fans or portable lamps.
Look around and consider what you see.
Does the ceiling fan complement the room?
Do the lamps reflect your style?
Would a decorative fixture add something to the space?
Are there corners that feel unfinished?
Could a different table lamp or floor lamp make the room more inviting?
You don’t necessarily need to change the electrical layout to change the way a room feels.
Sometimes the right portable lamp is enough to introduce a new decorative element and another useful source of illumination.
Look Up When You Get Home
Now step outside.
Look at the fixtures beside your front door.
The lights around the garage.
The fixtures illuminating your porch or patio.
Exterior lighting is part of how your home presents itself.
Are those fixtures appropriately scaled to the architecture?
Do their finishes and shapes fit the character of the house?
Would you choose them again?
This can be particularly noticeable on larger Southwest Montana homes where tall entries, substantial stonework, timber and broad garage elevations create a strong architectural presence.
A fixture may provide sufficient illumination while still looking undersized against the building.
Your exterior lights should belong to the architecture they’re attached to.
You Don’t Have to Change Every Light in Your House
Here’s something important.
Looking up doesn’t mean deciding that everything needs replacing.
Maybe you love your dining chandelier but have never liked the kitchen pendants.
Maybe the bathroom lighting is perfectly appropriate, but the exterior lanterns feel too small.
Maybe your bedroom ceiling fixture is exactly what you want, but the living room could use a beautiful new lamp.
Or maybe, after looking around, you discover that you genuinely love every fixture in your home.
That’s a good outcome, too.
The purpose of LOOK UP isn’t to manufacture dissatisfaction.
It’s to encourage you to make a conscious decision about something that’s easy to overlook.
You can appreciate the fixtures you already own.
You can keep what you love.
And you can reconsider the things you wouldn’t choose again.
You May Have More Lighting Options Than You Realize
One reason people continue living with fixtures they don’t particularly like is that they may not realize how many alternatives exist.
If most of the lighting you’ve encountered has come from the same few retail displays, it’s easy to assume those options represent everything available.
They don’t.
Lighting manufacturers offer a broad range of decorative designs, sizes, finishes, materials and product families.
And selecting lighting isn’t simply about finding something that looks attractive in a photograph.
It’s also about considering:
- The scale of the fixture
- The dimensions of the room
- Ceiling height
- Mounting requirements
- The surrounding furniture
- Architectural style
- Materials and finishes
- Light output and distribution
- Quality and construction
- Manufacturer support
- Budget
That’s where working with a knowledgeable lighting consultant can be useful.
At Unique Lighting & Home Decor, we can help you explore options that fit both the room and your preferences.
You don’t have to be building a new house.
You don’t have to be remodeling.
And you certainly don’t need to replace every fixture.
You can come in because you looked at the chandelier over your dining table and realized:
“You know what? I don’t think I’d choose that again.”
LOOK UP. Then Come See What’s Possible.
For nearly two decades, Unique Lighting & Home Decor has helped customers throughout Southwest Montana explore lighting for their homes and businesses.
Since opening in 2007, our showroom in Butte has been a place to discover lighting styles, compare fixtures and get knowledgeable assistance with lighting decisions.
We work with homeowners, builders, contractors and designers on projects large and small.
But you don’t need a project to begin looking.
Sometimes all it takes is a moment of curiosity.
Look at the chandelier.
Look at the vanity lights.
Look at the pendants.
Look at the sconces.
Look at the lamps.
Look at the fixtures outside your front door.
Then ask yourself one question:
Would I choose that light again today?
If the answer is yes, enjoy it.
If the answer is no, perhaps it’s time to see what else is possible.
LOOK UP. You might be surprised by what you’ve stopped noticing.
Unique Lighting & Home Decor
926 S. Arizona St.
Butte, MT 59701
406.565.4037
ButteLighting.com
References
American Lighting Association. (n.d.). Lighting in layers. https://alalighting.com/Lighting-Fundamentals/Lighting-in-Layers/
Illuminating Engineering Society. (n.d.). Task lighting. https://ies.org/definitions/task-lighting/
Illuminating Engineering Society
Unique Lighting & Home Decor. (n.d.). About Unique Lighting & Home Decor. https://buttelighting.com/about-unique-lighting/
Unique Lighting & Home Decor
Leave a Reply