I tend to get a little obsessed with the details of our home. As in, I spend embarrassing amounts of time searching for the perfect item and then lay in bed saying things to Daren like, “Do you think it would be better if was more blue, less blue, a tiny bit bigger, smaller, etc.” My current all consuming hunt is for a light above our kitchen table, but small detail, we don’t even have our permanent table or rug yet. My name is Katie, and I have a late night internet shopping problem. But I digress.
After scouring the internet and a few dozen magazines, I fell hard for the Sputnik and starburst chandeliers I was seeing. Even better, Daren is into them too. Since we plan on purchasing a reclaimed wood table, I think a space-age light fixture will create a nice contrast. It should also fit in with the classic meets modern vibe we are going for on the main floor.
These starry lights are a designer favorite and several big name brands are jumping on the bandwagon like West Elm and Pottery Barn. While modern and trendy, these lights have historical significance, as well.
The space age lights are based on a fixture introduced in 1960s, based on (you guessed it) the Sputnik satellite launched by Russia in 1957. Today, there are two distinct, popular styles, the original chandelier, with lights at the end of every rod, and the urchin chandelier, with spikes surrounding lights placed in the middle.
I’m into the urchin style for the dining space. I love the brass versions, but because we have these lights in polished nickel in our kitchen I think we need to go for silver. I’m leaning towards one of the DuttonBrown fixtures. I love supporting small shops on Etsy and have heard great things about the quality of their hand-made products. Plus, they are way more affordable than some of the big brand options.
I am also strongly considering putting Etsy store, Lucent Lightshop’s Sputnik Chandelier No. 3  in our basement. I’m definitely embracing brass for the basement.
Which style are you feeling?
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