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janecoleman24

Will "Terrarium"/ Geometric Faceted Pendant Lights Date Our Kitchen?

7 years ago


We're completely renovating the small kitchen in our 1930's house in a transitional style: The cabinets will be warm pale gray straight Shaker with about 3" stiles and rails, marble-like quartz counter top (LG Viatera Soprano), 3 x 12" Pane Blanco subway tile back splash, satin brass hardware, faucet and lights. The floor will be 3 1/4" dark hardwood, (not wide planks) in keeping with the rest of the house. (Picture is attached but please note that the cabinet sample door only represents the color, not the exact style, which will be "square bead," i.e., straight Shaker. The hardware will probably be the same style and color as in the picture (Emtek mod hex) but longer.)


Coordinating the gold/brass tones in the hardware, faucet and lights took some doing, but we finally found pendant lights (for over a peninsula) that seem to work with the whole kitchen design -- either of the faceted pendant lights in gold/brass tones pictured below.


Question is, are they still in style? There are certainly plenty of them (or the like) for sale at all the major online retailers. However, after looking at many, many pictures on Houzz (maybe too many), I began to wonder whether I was seeing them mostly in kitchens from three to five years ago. Today's kitchens seem to feature more of those light-bulby industrial or farmhousey types of pendants.


So will these pendant lights date our kitchen, i.e., will it look we did it (shudder) in 2015 rather than 2018?


I would be very grateful for any advice or guidance! TYIA!



Comments (23)

  • 7 years ago

    I remember actual terrariums and display cabinets like this back in the 70s, so i'd cast a vote in the 'dated' column. (Not to mention, cleaning all the separate little glass areas). There are timeless designs that can kind of cross decorating styles/categories....I'm sure you'll get lots of suggestions.

    Jane C. thanked tuckerdc
  • 7 years ago

    If this is the light that speaks to you, then by all means get it!! Lighting is a very easily changed item if you decide to sell several years down the road. Never worry about lighting being dated.

    Jane C. thanked Kathi Steele
  • PRO
    7 years ago

    I have that style Shaker cabinets and much prefer them as that "edge" does not collect dust. Think about it before ordering...

    Jane C. thanked Anglophilia
  • 7 years ago

    I put a light like this in my hallway in 1995. Just replaced it. Horrible trying to clean it - it got dusty and always seemed to have a hazy film on it even with glass cleaner. Impossible to clean those little glass panes.


    Jane C. thanked Michele Marie
  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Lighting is SO SO SO easy to change. If this is what you like now, get it and enjoy it for as long as you like it.

    That said, if you are deeply concerned with dating your kitchen, all your other choices will be much harder/more expensive to change and are extremely, extremely trendy. Shaker is SUCH a popular cabinet door style right now. Grey and white are SUCH popular colors for everything right now. White counters (especially marble or marble-look-alike) are SO popular right now. Gold/brass hardware is what basically all interior designers have been using for a while now, and I think they're just beginning to move away from. I'm already noticing that people are getting sick of white subway tile (and all the updated variations of them - longer, smaller, etc.), so I think that huge trend is also already leaving the station.

    You might think about swapping a couple of these choices - doesn't have to be all or even most by any means - for some things that aren't one of the most popular choices right now.
    That would keep your kitchen from looking like a perfect snap shot of this kitchen era down to every single detail, which will make it look less noticeably dated when we're in a different era.

    Jane C. thanked Jillius
  • 7 years ago

    Your choice references art deco. Many fixtures of the period were faceted like this. I think stylistically they are a good fit.

    Jane C. thanked palimpsest
  • PRO
    7 years ago

    IMO lighting in a kitchen should always be good light and those bulbs are never good light . As for the fixture itself it is just a light if a couple of years from now you don’t like it it is an easy thing to change.To be honest no one knows what will scream dated down the road just do a space you love and forget the next guy that buys the house.

    Jane C. thanked Patricia Colwell Consulting
  • 7 years ago

    Anything you buy will look “dated” at some point, so just go with what you want. Those lights would drive me crazy though, I’m too OCD , I can’t imagine keeping them clean ...

    Jane C. thanked K Laurence
  • 7 years ago

    I think they look awesome! I would love to see an after photo of your kitchen remodel with these. Yes, they might be tougher to keep clean, but you won't know until you get them! I really believe this is an awesome and very now look!

    Jane C. thanked Lauren W
  • 7 years ago

    Here are deco fixtures from various public buildings near me. I think you can see the influence.




    Jane C. thanked palimpsest
  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    Or this 1929 Hotpoint ad:

    However, note that this one and all of palimpsest's do not have transparent glass.

    I don't think your choices are suitable for places where you want a fixture for light, rather than just ambiance. The glare from visible bulb fixtures is pretty awful when they are bright enough to actually cast any light. I would look for something with frosted glass or some kind of shade if these are for working light.

    ETA BTW, if anyone ever runs across the opalescent fixture in this post anywhere in real life, please let me know.

    Jane C. thanked writersblock (9b/10a)
  • 7 years ago

    First off, many many thanks to everyone who responded for these kind words and insightful comments! Palimpsest, thank you for these photos; I really appreciate them because we do try to be faithful to the overall character of the house when we make changes.

    I should have added that another reason we're strongly considering these lights is that the Emtek mod hex hardware (in particular the knob, pictured here) features a hexagon shape; we'd like to pick up on it with the light, if possible.

  • 7 years ago

    My question is you have a 1930's house.

    Why are you trying to "update" it to today's trends? Basically I'm asking about gray shaker. Shaker is period appropriate for the age of your house but gray is a trend and it's a trend that is on it's way out. When you try and "update" an older house to today's trends, it just winds up looking more dated in a few years than if you paid homage to the house's history.

    1930's kitchens were all about color, tile and those "modern" appliances (like those tiny refrigerators). Obviously none of us wants to cook in a 1930's kitchen but why not pay tribute to the style more? Colorful cabinets or soft white cabinets with a colorful backsplash? A nod to Art Deco?

    As for the light, have you looked at Rejuvenation for lighting? They have lighting that echo's the period and you can choose your globes and your finishes.

    Jane C. thanked cpartist
  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    I think the gray would be okay because it was used in deco interiors but I would definitely consider something more colorful for the backsplash. Your grey is subtle enough, I think, not like some of the deeper gray cabinet colors also on trend.

    Jane C. thanked palimpsest
  • PRO
    7 years ago
    For your home, trendy hardware wouldn’t be my choice. Black matte would work better and possibly gage style pendants or school house. Here are a few.
    Jane C. thanked Flo Mangan
  • 7 years ago
    If you love it, get it! Don't worry about trends (unless you're going to sell soon). And it doesn't sound like you're trying to recreate an exact 1930s repro kitchen. I also have a 1930s house and am redoing the kitchen with "trendy" gray shaker cabinets (because I love them, and it's my kitchen). I do like to add a few fun deco-like elements to my home as a nod to the times. like this light in the eating area
    Jane C. thanked Danette
  • 7 years ago

    Danette, thank you for this! And yes, that's exactly our approach: we aren't doing a true restoration, just want to more or less hew to the character of the house.

  • PRO
    7 years ago
    Always good to “listen” to the house. Have fun with it.
    Jane C. thanked Flo Mangan
  • 7 years ago
    Jane C. I've pretty much selected the same colors as you have but haven't decided on the backsplash yet. Or the lights! Fun but frustrating.
    Most of my house is all original 1937 but it looks like the 8×10 kitchen may have been updated in the 50s (lol. see pic).
    Jane C. thanked Danette
  • 7 years ago
    I would say find that type/style without the Glass. Just a open geometric shape because you will curse that glass daily when you see how hard they are to keep clean and streak free.
    Jane C. thanked Janet Mmm
  • 7 years ago

    There are so many choices out there. The thing about the pendants being the same shape as the knobs will be hardly noticeable. Also, if you've seen this kind of light on at night, you'll know it casts weird shadows. I'd keep looking for something simpler and more consistent with the age of the home.

    Jane C. thanked suzyq53
  • 7 years ago
    last modified: 7 years ago

    One of the things that I will say about these lights is yes, they will cast shadows, and No, they should not be the primary light source

    That said, there is not a single ornamental fixture in my house that is the primary light source in any room in the entire house, particularly not in a kitchen or bathroom.

    The kitchen and bathrooms are (or will be in the case of the upcoming kitchen) primarily lit from the ceiling by recessed lighting and by task lighting at the counters.

    The ornamental ceiling lights I took out of the bedrooms in my parents' house had been turned on so infrequently that the original 45 year old bulbs (all six) were in two of the fixtures. Those rooms were lit primarily by lamps switched by the door.

    My assumption regarding these lights by the OP is that the kitchen would primarily be lit by recessed and task lighting and that the pendant lights would be be adding sparkle and some lighting and that the weird shadows they may cast would be obviated by the "real" lighting, recessed or close-to-ceiling and task lighting.

    Jane C. thanked palimpsest