Cottage Porch Light

Lest you all think I am completely incapable of a sentence or thought that doesn’t contain the words “baby” or “nursery”, today’s post is about our porch. Or the lighting on the porch to be precise. Currently, we have the ubiquitous and unimaginative boob light that came with the house.

I don’t have a picture handy of the light, but here’s a recentish pic of one side of the porch for a visual:

And yes, that is what is left of the craigslist vanity! The mirror part has been relegated to the basement :(

Not that it’s super high on our list of priorities (read it may not happen anytime in this century) but I’ve been keeping my eye out for the right pendant light.

I am impressed with this Pottery Barn Filigree Lantern that I first spotted via Renovation Therapy, but I think I want something a bit lighter, preferably brushed nickel maybe?

But wow, you can’t argue with the price, $49.99  marked down from $199!

For some reason I have been stuck lately on the idea of a moravian star pendant, like this one from Ballard Designs:

Unfortunately, at max of 25 watts we might as well use a firefly to light up the porch.

Ballard also has this ceiling light version that is 40 watts that I quite like, but still, 40 watts max is pretty wimpy:

And that’s all I’ve been able to find so far that I like.

If you’ve seen any charming cottage porch like lighting anywhere, please post a link!


18 Responses to “Cottage Porch Light”

  1. here is a hanging chandelier perfect for a small space.

    http://www.shopgoodwill.com/vi.....ID=3796362

    and only $10 plus shipping – but you would have to act in the next hour or so…good luck with the lighting.


  2. I googled “moravian star” + light and found some by Meyda Tiffany that take a 60 watt bulb – and I only glanced at results to see if anything higher than 25 watt was possible. Hopefully it would fall in your price range.

    I’ve always loved those stars and think I must get one in my next house. A porch sound like the perfect place for one!


  3. I love those star lights but always get wigged out by the price. I’m such a cheapo…


  4. You could use a CFL globe in one of the star lights and get a lot more light than 25 watts suggests – a 14 watt CFL produces as much light as a 75 watt regular globe.

    Plus, since one generally leaves a porch light on for quite a long time, you’d be saving money.


  5. I’ve never seen the ceiling mount variety of those star lamps – it’s so cool!

    As far as the Pottery Barn one goes, at that price, you could always spray paint it if you think the finish is too dark…


  6. I totally agree with Rebekka, use a CFL and you’ll get more bang for your buck. Plus, you won’t have to climb on a chair NEARLY as often to change it.


  7. Katie,
    What a cool chandelier that was!! Unfortunately I didn’t look until the auction was over :(

    Jean, I agree with you on the price.. why are they always so expensive?

    Stephanie, I didn’t think about spray painting! that could definitely work.

    Rebakka & Kate, Thanks so much for the CFL wattage tip, I had no idea!


  8. […] our little detour into non-nursery land was rather short lived… But only because the Dwell Studio Zebra Rug we registered for (given […]


  9. We have a similar star light on our porch, I don’t knot the wattage off hand but it has a warm, but bright light that is perfect for rocking the little one. I like watching her reach up and say “pretty”. It was a little pricey but when we turn it on and watch her face light up too, I guess it was pretty worth it!


  10. I’m just happy to hear someone else calls those boob lights. We renovate houses for sale and have promised to never ever put a nipple light anywhere in the house.

    Home Depot has a great simple square craftsman light that would be cute with your house. Look on line.


  11. This is such funny timing that I stumbled across your blog … I am pregnant too (due right around your due date I believe … mine is Aug. 16th) and my husband I are constantly working on renovating and decorating our first home. We have been here for two years now and are slowly but surely ticking off the jobs we wanted to tackle!

    We’ve had a nice time too decorating the nursery. It’s a small room but I think it is looking really sweet. We don’t know whether we are having a boy or a girl so we did a gender-neutral room in aqua, chocolate brown, grey and white.

    Anyway, as for cottagey looking lights — take a look at the Pottery Barn Kids website. I particularly like the Depot Ceiling Lamp or the Cortland Ceiling Pendant.


  12. Hi! Sorry I don’t comment very often, but I do always look forward to your posts. I just wanted to thank you for posting that amazing deal on the PB lantern. I’m in the process of re-doing my kitchen and it will be perfect in there! I just bought it and it will be mine it 7-10 days (or something like that).

    Thanks! And congrats again on the new baby.


  13. Jaimie, thanks! I forgot about PBK.. I love their lighting.

    AnNicole, glad I could help out. Though the credit in this case goes to Jean from Renovation Therapy where I first saw that amazing deal!


  14. helloI i just found the star pendant at target!


  15. iza, I’m going to look now..


  16. Yikes, those prices at target are outrageous no?


  17. I ADORE those star-shaped ceiling fixtures! Sooo cute! Ballard? I’ll have to check those out – for sure! Great post!


  18. Just use a CFL so you don’t have to worry about the wattage, and get whatever lamp you like best. Plus it will last several years longer than an incandescent!


Leave a Reply