The saga of the lamp...

[trystinn]

Hook: It was bound to happen sooner or later, I suppose. No one is perfect, even my sainted Mother, whose taste is usually so profoundly spot on as to make her the first and last word in decorating decisions. Truly. The woman was a gay man in a former life, you can bet your karma on it.

Context: The furniture that my Father surprised us with for Yule was gorgeous! Absolutely perfect for us - beautiful, classic, big, sturdy, useful. Then Mother decides to add a lamp to the mix as an added surprise.

Comment: Well, the lamp arrived yesterday and truly, the kindest thing I can say about it is that it sure is big and sturdy. Though, technically, it would look gorgeous in HER home, it looks rather over-sized and garish in mine.

Retraction: I've been thinking about this lamp all day, and I've decided I've been pretty hard on the lamp and probably very ungrateful towards what was probably (knowing my parents) a very expensive gift. In all honesty, I think its sheer size is what immediately put me off. The lampshade is almost 2 feet across! The dappled metal body is actually very interesting, the strange brown metallic golfball finial up top is somewhat humorous.

So maybe we just needed some time together.

"

The lamp in its "native" environment:


Now, before you go thinking that the proportions of the lamp are normal, kindly recall that Tracker (the basset) has giantism and weighs 100 pounds. The lamp AND the dog are massive.

Detail:




Also on a funny note: The collie decided today, for reasons I cannot begin to fathom, to walk behind the sofa and crawl through the sofa end table, where she promptly got stuck. It was so emotional for her, I didn't have the heart to leave her there while I grabbed my camera.

Now to write a warm and gracious thank you email to Mom."

Comments

[chyara.livejournal.com]

oh yes, picture please. lol

[pinkpolarity.livejournal.com]

*take two, thank you LJ for dropping my comment* Beautiful lamp, but I agree it's way overscaled for the area (sorry!). Part of it is the furniture being smaller, but part of it is also those blinds. Add some long, sweepy drapes and it'll draw the eye up, make the lamp fit in a bit more. My $.02, anyway!

[tryst-inn.livejournal.com]

Yep, I agree with you wholeheartedly.

I typically leave window treatments until the last possible decorating step: so moss green sofa, dark wood tables, soft yellow walls (which I'd be just as happy to paint another color) - I'm looking at beige curtains, aren't I? :(

[pinkpolarity.livejournal.com]

Not at all! You've definitely got an opportunity to add a punch of color with the drapes, I'd suggest a pattern of some kind. I got a set of striped drapes from Pier One (which unfortunately is now discontinued) with similar colors-- moss green, red, brown, and khaki (which looks close enough to my yellow walls to match at a distance) and they really tie all my living room colors together. Perhaps something similar? I'd look around for you, but I don't really know what style/colors you'd want.

BTW, I don't think a *smaller* shade would help, since there's a danger of making the base look disproportionate, but you could try playing with different shade shapes or colors. Also, am I seeing things if I think the lamp is sort of coppery? See if you can replicate that color/look somewhere else in the room in accessories or hardware (finials for your drapery rods?), the more you repeat something, the less it stands out. (HGTV girl shutting up now, lol. :)

[tryst-inn.livejournal.com]

Hey now, keep it coming!

I adore the idea of striped drapes, now that you mention it. Maybe something vertical to add height to the room (our ceilings are rather low). Need something fairly sturdy - as both the collies and the cat like to run behind the sofa. What I'm really worried about is that those windows are popouts - which makes curtain hanging all that much more adventurous!

The lamp is more like a dark unpolished bronze than copper - but I see where you're going with that. We have a brushed chrome lamp in there, too, which probably needs another home and this oddly demure "wolf" lamp that's the correct color and texture - though it has a square grey lampshade.

See - this is why I need my gays over here more often!

I have a slight tendency to decorate the public areas of my house "inside the box", so its wonderful to see other ideas that have more creativity than poor ole' me!

That said, I have gargoyles in my kitchen!

[magicalmehendi.livejournal.com]

good lord, from your original description I expected a huge monstrosity. This is pretty much a standard ginger jar-ish lamp...but it's pretty.
center it on that table cuz that looks like the idea...focal point lamp with a few bits n bobs on the table.

Well you can always shop for a new shade too.

[scypres.livejournal.com]

I agree. I've worked in interior design- that's not at all a bad lamp!

I'm sure it will grow on you!

[tryst-inn.livejournal.com]

It already is.

[tryst-inn.livejournal.com]

The first night out of the box, it really did seem monstrously big. I guess we sort of got used to it in the space. Most of our lamps "bodies" are about thumb width, so this is very unusual in the space.

Bits and bobs en route, and I completely agree with you, perhaps a smaller lampshade would help, as well.