Lighting Ideas and Tile Shopping

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This weekend, I plan on stopping by two stores. One is a favorite: Floor & Decor Outlets (it’s where I found the gorgeous laminate floors you see throughout the first level of the house). The other I’ve never been to before but I’m really excited about: Habitat Restore.

Can you believe that I’ve never been to Habitat Restore? According to Google Maps, there is one only twenty minutes from my house, and somehow I’ve never managed to make my way over. But that will change this weekend, and I’m really hoping to find some awesome stuff!

One item I’m definitely looking for is lighting. I bought a light for the dining room when I first moved in, but absolutely hate it now. It’s just not pretty or formal enough for the design I’ve chosen (in my mind). I’ll drum up a mood board and share the plans soon in a future post so you can see what I mean, because despite having it in the house for so long and taking multiple pictures of the dining room, I can’t find any photos that show the whole fixture. This is the best one I could find back from my sister’s bridal shower. See that square-ish piece of glass near the ceiling and the bronze… er, well, it looks like a nipple, doesn’t it? My house has a square boob. Awesome.

Since my decision to replace the light fixture in the dining room, I’ve become obsessed with light fixtures. I’ve even created a Pinterest page dedicated exclusively to the whoppers I can’t afford but become enamored with. No joke, as I type this, I have a Shades of Light catalog open and am doodling red hearts all over the ones I need to pin (which has also become an obsession – Pinterest is my crack).

In addition to shopping for lighting, I’m going to Floor & Decor Outlets and will be on the lookout for some modern gray tile (similar to the color I painted on the floor during my “will this paint actually stick?” experiment earlier this year – and if you’re wondering, yes, it does, really well!). Here are some of the top contenders I found doing some online window shopping:

Tiling will be done in both upstairs bathrooms and the laundry room, but I already have the tile for the laundry area (more on that later), so I’m only going to need enough for two tiny rooms. All in all, I think I can get it done relatively inexpensively even if I choose a non-outlet (pricier) tile. Wish me luck!

What are your weekend plans?