Floor Lamp Round Up

Due to the overwhelming popularity of my post on plug in wall lights, I've decided to expand on the series with a round up of my absolute favorite floor lamps. There are so many companies making exciting and innovative lighting options today, the choices are crazy wonderful if you just have some money to spend.

Personally, I've wanted to get rid of our plain and uninspiring metal floor lamp for years. It currently sits in our living room, next to a very bland and outdated (but comfortable) reading chair. I bought the lamp at Homesense eight years ago, and at the time it was cheap (and it did the job) but it's certainly not winning any style awards. Unfortunately the purchase was made without much thought behind it and it was a mistake from the get go. I'm not even going to show you a picture. That whole corner of our house is irritating to look at, simply because it's such an easy fix (I would happily donate both items to the Furniture Bank) but we are trying to do our best to limit our current spending habits. So for now...both items are here to stay.

Now if I could re-design this little corner of our house, I would certainly consider some of these bad boy contenders. While I appreciate the design behind all of the options below, they wouldn't necessarily all work in our living room. But perhaps they would look fantastic in your space.

I've chosen to break up this list into budget categories instead of grouping similar lighting designs together. I think most people shop with their wallet first, and I don't want to have you fall in love with something outside of your means. Chances are you probably will once you see what's on offer, but at the very least I've done my best to warn you so no hate mail please :)

I know lighting can be expensive, and we sadly no longer have Target here. I still really want the modern globe floor lamp which only retails for $60 USD. As far as cheap lighting goes, it's definitely one of my faves.

First, let's start with the more affordable options. All of these retail for under $300. Just please take into consideration that while I've done my best to include Canadian pricing for most floor lamps, some pricing may be in US dollars.

Out of this line up I have to say my favorite is the Pewter Lamp from EQ3, and it will most likely be the one that goes into our living room. I first noticed it at Heal's, one of my fave British retailers. I think it's the exact same model but I can't say with certainty. I also really enjoy the Mick Mint Floor Lamp from Crate & Barrel. It's such an affordable find coming in under $150. I'm shocked that it's been in the clearance section for ages.

Next up we are getting into more expensive territory but these pieces are all unique and worth every penny. They retail from $300 - $750.

OMG so many good options here. The Mutto Leaf Lamp makes me happy, while the cylindrical Quart Table Lamp from Rich Brilliant Willing is just so stupidly awesome and comes with a white marble or dark emperador stone base, and an oak, walnut, or black ebonized oak solid wood stem. I must have it someday.

Onto another small but worthy batch of contenders - these puppies go from around $750 - $1000.

A big thank you to Anthropology for winning this round with it's Slanted Copper Floor Lamp that also features white oak, marble and an unexpected hit of iron in this stunning sculptural lamp.

Now let's consider a few more investment worthy pieces. Yes these are going to set you back a pretty penny, but they are a once in a lifetime kind of a purchase. You aren't going to get tired of these beauties anytime soon, and you most likely you will be passing them down as family heirlooms someday.

So can you choose your favorite? The AJ Floor Lamp by Arne Jacobsen has been a crowd pleaser since 1960 and it's clean and modern shape is still striking to this day. The Lambert & Fils Cliff Floor Lamp (made from brass and powder-coated aluminum) is so slim, sexy and striking, it could truly be placed anywhere. And the brass shade on the Beat Light by Tom Dixon is both effortlessly modern and cool and will add a certain amount of elegance to any interior.

Next up I think I will do a round up of my favorite coffee tables, so stay tuned for that in the future.

Wall Plug In Light Fixture Roundup

I'm not sure about you, but I've been renting for over 10 years. We wish we owned our own home, desperately, mostly because I would get the chance to decorate the shit out of it, but also because we wouldn't have to deal with the world's most annoying neighbors. Our current house is literally sandwiched in between two crazies.

While we adore our landlord and our two floor Victorian in the West end, I dream of owing our own home every single day. Not an easy feat to accomplish however when you realize we live in downtown Toronto and house prices here are astronomical. Plus we are not condo people - I want a house, with a front door, and a backyard oasis. Ok fine I will settle for just having a backyard....it doesn't have to be an oasis.

When you live in a rental, sometimes you really have to get creative. You can't just start rewiring cables, putting in new floor tiles, or adding in custom window treatments (well you could, but it's so expensive and a waste of money if you can't take it with you). So you start to make sacrifices and you begin to live with things that bother you on a daily basis.

One issue we have been battling (and not just of late) is that we have pretty much no lighting in our small kitchen. It's mostly windows, which is great during the day, but at night, and especially in the winter, it's almost impossible to see and can be a hazard when you are trying to chop vegetables. There are two pot lights, and one hasn't worked in ages. We need to get an electrician to fix it, but our temporary solution was a plug in lamp. It's worked for a few months, but sadly, it met it's demise recently.

So now I'm on the hunt for an alternative plug in lamp, and in the meantime, I've decided that I would present you all with some pretty awesome options since I've already done a bit of research anyways. These would look great beside your bed, in a living room near a reading chair, or hey, maybe you are experiencing your own lighting dilemma and perhaps one of these guys would work there as well. Feel free to click on each product to access pricing and additional details. Can you tell I have a type here?

Staying Hydrated in Style

When I'm on the hunt for a new product, it's never as simple as walking into a store, presenting my debit or credit card, and going home to unwrap my new package. How I wish I was one of those people, but no, unfortunately, I spend weeks looking for that perfect item, reading reviews, weighing props and cons, finally making my purchase, and then agonizing over my decision. My husband thinks I'm crazy, and he's probably right, but I can't help caring about all the little details. Why on earth would I spend money on something that I don't like? 

One of those types of purchases was our coffee maker. Ours was a basic old model, and when it finally broke down, we desperately needed a replacement. After weeks of research, of which we heavily relied on our Nespresso machine for our daily caffeine fix, I finally decided on the Krups KT600 Silver Art Collection Coffee Maker and I've never looked back. The thing is sexy, sleek, and the wood handle really warms things up. Literally.

But sometimes there are purchases you make, in the heat of the moment, that you instantly regret, or perhaps, you were gifted with something that is practical, but aesthetically, ehhhh. While I adore my SodaStream (received as a gift for a show I worked on) for fizzing my basic tap water on a daily basis, we really could never part, as soon as I saw the gorgeous Yves Béhar designed version, I wanted to chuck mine right out. Unfortunately, as much as I like beautifully designed kitchen products, I hate wasting things just as much. So for now, my old model sits beside my Krups coffee maker and they still hang out. But just imagine how good my Krups coffee maker would look sitting next to this guy.

Now onto my real dilemma. I'm looking for a new water filtration system, and I don't want a simple Brita. Nothing wrong with Brita....but I've never been a huge fan. I hate putting in those Brita filters, they always leave a residue and when you put them in they constantly pop up and down, the plastic handles are super annoying, and no matter what model I've tried, there's always something awkward about the spout. Are they even BPA free now?

We currently have a glass carafe from DWR, which came with it's own Binchotan charcoal stick. It's a beautiful design, and I love that it's glass, but unfortunately it doesn't hold very much water, and since you have to wait at least 6 hours for the charcoal to filter the water it's a real time suck.  So for now we've taken out the metal piece that fits inside and use it as a regular table carafe.

I wish I could do an under the sink model, but since we rent, that idea doesn't quite pan out. I've found a couple of doable ceramic models, but they would take up a massive piece of real estate on our already tiny countertop. I really thought that I might have to settle for something I didn't want, but then magically, I found the incredible Soma Water Pitcher. It comes in two different shapes and size, and really, I have to ask myself, how have I never seen it until now?

It's immediately wooed me with it's simple design. The only thing I would change about it is that it's plastic, and while shatter-proof and BPA free, I really wish it was glass. Granted, the smaller size is glass, but I know we would get tons more use out of this one. For the Soma pitcher and one filter (which is made out of coconut shell carbon and a plant-based casing), the price is a measly $39 US. If you want enough filters for a whole year, you can upgrade to a package that includes 12 filters for $149.

But since nothing is ever easy, I was really dismayed to learn that they don't ship to Canada. Yet. Apparently. That's what they have up on their website.

Come on Soma, hurry up! I need you in my life! I will happily be your first Canadian customer, so please, figure it out!