Traditional?

As I'm looking for affordable lighting for the bathroom renovation I'm doing, I'm finding that yes, I do actually like traditional elements & fixtures. When I moved to NYC to go to NYSID, I was a die hard modernist. The harder the angle and more technologically advanced the better.

And then I came to my senses. The plastics that have crept into every part of life look terrible after just a couple of uses (and may even harm our health- super gross). The clean, crisp look most often seen is done with cheap labor and looks terrible- super simple looks best when done perfectly. And worst of all- the new modern (think IKEA, West Elm, CB2) has no soul, no personality. I pride myself on the ability to spot conventional modern knock offs from fifty paces. I can spot a Billy bookcase or the ubiquitous West Elm Parsons Desk with my eyes closed.

So, I embark on this bathroom redo knowing that I have to use catalogue, big box, and internet retailers- after all, we're on a tight budget. I want his bath to last for decades, but look fresh and thoughtful. I'll be shopping the places I fear most- Restoration Hardware, Crate and Barrel, Pottery Barn, you name it. I'm also hoping to find new resources that are affordable, well crafted, and well designed.

One place I'm actually finding some interesting finds is Lighting Universe. Yeah, I know, most of their fixtures scare me too. But! If you search long and hard enough you find things like The Martha Stewart Collection (!!!) on a budget...

Or maybe we'll go with a more modern approach that's still simple and clean...

Or perhaps a more industrial look....