Happy Hump Day, everyone!
Remember that post I did a few weeks back – the one about the ubiquitous “boob” light, and how hard it was to find somewhat-unique (read: cool) flushmount lighting?
Well, if your memory serves you correctly, I was on a quest to find statement entryway lighting. And, I finally chose one… but the results might not be what you’re expecting (they certainly weren’t what I was expecting). I ended up choosing … the Lana Flushmount from Pottery Barn.
I had this whole post ready where I was going to reveal the beautiful light I chose, and rave about its beauty and how it was the ‘perfect’ choice for my entryway. But, it’s not gonna happen. Not this time.
I’m going to be honest: I’m pretty disappointed with the light I chose. It fell short in several categories, the first being scale. Though I measured it and mocked it up using a paper cutout before I purchased the light, the actual light fell short (or rather, small). After it arrived, and I had assembled and installed it, the actual light looked slightly too small for the space. Maybe if it had a few extra inches on either side?
And then there was the quality. When I drop $300 smackers (Ok, I used a gift card- but what if I had used real money, like most people?) on a light fixture (also, did I mention the light fixture actually cost $500, but was on sale for $299?), I expect the quality and the overall look to be spot-on. No “I like it, but…” or “Shouldn’t it have…” or “Maybe if…”. I ALSO expect it to look exactly like the product image on the website once it has been assembled. But this was not the case. Instead, there were huge gaps in between the glass flowers that exposed the black metal structure underneath. And the gaps weren’t consistent, so they looked like an accident (which is exactly what I believe they are- a design accident).
I’m being frank with you guys because there is no sense in being anything else, really. Sometimes, you can research all you want. You can plan all you want. You can even budget all you want. But things don’t and won’t always turn out like you hope. Sometimes, certain design decisions just don’t work. And there’s no refund for the actual item, or for the time and money you spent to buy it.
I guess you just have to roll with it, and say, oh well? That’s what I’m doing, anyway. So my search for the perfect entryway flushmount light continues. In the meantime, the Lana light from Pottery Barn will stay exactly where it is, until I have the funds and time to replace it with a better one.
Even though I’ve pretty much made up my mind about this piece, I want to hear from you guys- am I being way too picky? Is there any merit to my rant at all? Should I just keep it and get over myself?