MISS MOOX: Lighting

Ahhh lighting!...One of the most important (and one of my most favorite) parts in designing a space as lighting enhances a room by greatly changing the mood-not only with actual light but with how the materials and finishes play off each other. We recently had the opportunity to visit an amazing lighting company, The Urban Electric Co. and it left us feeling OH. SO. INSPIRED!



Where all the magic happens...

The Urban Electric Co. was founded here in Charleston in 2003 by Dave Dawson who had a clear vision for the company as well as a strong passion for design and craftsmanship. Dawson personally oversee's the entire process from the in-house marketing campaigns down to the way the products are shipped, this quality-control over his brand is what has made Urban Electric the company that it is today.

All light fixtures are handcrafted by local, trained artisans who take pride in each step of the process while making these gorgeous works of art! They are made from the finest materials which makes them not just pieces you will have for a few years...but investment, heirloom pieces that you will enjoy for a lifetime!

Team of artisans hard at work

Athena Pendant in the making...

Baxter Wall Sconce

Shade for Metro Wall Sconce

Another interesting feature about The Urban Electric Co. that you need to know...all of their light fixtures are totally customizable. Need a different color, size, finish?... They can do it! That makes Designers like me really happy! In fact, most of their designer collaborations came about due to Designers/Architects customizing some of their pieces and The Urban Electric Co. enjoying what they were creating! Some of these collections include talented Designers like Amanda Nisbet, Tom Scheerer, and Amanda Handegan. Here are just a few of our favorites...

Above images via

View all of the collections here!

So, do you need to re-think some of the lighting in your home?
Go check out The Urban Electric Co!

Eclectic is a Charleston, South Carolina based full-service boutique interior design firm in specializing in the design of residential projects including entire homes and the styling of individual rooms. We also offer virtual e-design services. Please email sidney@eclectic-idg.com for additional information.

Eclectic is a retail shop/design studio located in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina (just over the bridge from downtown Charleston, South Carolina) selling an array of vintage mid-century pieces, repurposed items, new products and locally made art with a fresh Modern meets Coastal aesthetic.

I'm loving all these interesting sphere-ical pendants!

I especially like them hung in pairs.

Ok, the six year old boy inside of me sooo wants to make a crude joke but I will refrain. Instead I will just show you this pic and hopefully give you the same laugh...

Hee Hee

via everythingleb

via myhomeideas

via younghouselove

Better Homes and Gardens

Yesterday I did a little sofa surfing. I was hoping for rain so I wouldn't feel guilty being lazy but instead we just got sunshine and heavy winds so I opened up the French doors to let in the fresh air. I have a capiz chandelier hanging in the sun porch and with all the wind it makes for really peaceful windchimes!

Amidst my laziness, I finally caught the show Secrets of a Stylist that I had on dvr. Emily Henderson is precious! She is a magazine and lifestyle stylist (my dream) and blogger who won HGTV's last Design Star and now has her own show (my other dream). Tune in and support her!

I am obsessed (OBSESSED-whispered like the son on the show Middle) with art lamps especially the swing arm variety and especially in unexpected places like this brilliance...

via Pink Wallpaper

Elle Decor

Elle Decor

Domino

House Beautiful

I put one in my powder room over the rustic wood mirror and it is pretty badass. I would take a photo but it is hard to get a good picture in a tiny powder room of a light and a mirror...something I have yet to master. I hope that a nicer camera and photography classes with combat that one day. Until then just picture my powder room being a total badass.

Shades of Light
(Mine is hardwired)

With this mirror...

On top of this grasscloth...

Badass, right?

Oly is a Berkely based company started by Brad Huntzinger and Kate McIntyre in 1999 which boasts a product line full of gorgeous home furnishings, lighting and accessories that have an updated take on classic pieces. As described by Elle Decor, Oly's look is "sexy French meets postmodern organic." Yeah, that is what I meant to say. Some of my all time favorite pieces are...

Luca Dining Table

Robert Side Table

Jenny Chandelier

They just opened their flagship store in Manhattan. (see below) Heavenly. Coming next: jewelery, candles, fashion and even music. Er, music? Hmm. Whatever they do I am guessing it will have their signature style.

~Images: Via olystudio.com and Elle Decor

Madison is one of my favorite towns in Georgia. It has so much character and charm! I try to stop by there on my trips to/from Atlanta if I have time because there are some cute little antique shops and I love the drive into downtown which is filled with beautiful old southern homes. I would love to get my hands on some of those houses that are in disrepair and bring them back to life! But I digress...

I went this trip but I was pressed for time but I did manage to stop by one of my favorite spots, the Interiors Market located at 144 Academy Street. It is filled with booth after booth of delicious goodies! But this ain't your average antique mall filled with junky leftover garage sale stuff nor is it vomiting monogrammed or bedazzled goods, there are some well put together booths with some interesting one-of-a-kind pieces.

I especially love all of these found objects turned into lighting. Take a look...

Here are some more things I wanted to go home with...

Vintage Wicker Shade

Four corbels put together as an art piece

Zinc Drum Table

Cool Rattan Chair

This old stocking form because it reminds me of the lamp in
A Christmas Story!

If you are even in the area, I encourage you to take some time and explore the town. If anyone has any other information on Madison, please leave me a comment! And if you want an easy and fun read, check out Hissy Fit by Mary Kay Andrews. It is about an interior designer who lives in Madison, Georgia!

Another one of my design crushes is Kay Douglas owner of South of Market. If memory serves correctly, she fell into design after a trip to Europe where she bought so much stuff that she had to buy a container to get everything back to the states [my dream!]. This sparked her to open her store [ my dream!] and from there a design business grew.

Kay's design aesthetic is simple, clean lines with both French and Belgium influences. She is quoted in a House Beautiful article as saying "You know how some people are not comfortable with silence — they have to fill it up with words? The same can be said for a house. Some people think it has to be filled with stuff to be beautiful. It doesn't. That's what I think this style is all about." I dig that! Check out more on her House Beautiful article here.

Kay masters the look of mixing old industrial pieces with clean, modern lines brilliantly! Her stores (located in both Atlanta and Charleston) are filled with neutral linens, iron lanterns, old wood and/or metal furniture with occasional pops of colors in pillows or art. Like this...

Kay loves to repurpose objects like turning this simple industrial object into a piece of art.

Or this basket into a pendant light.

Coastal Living also featured her vacation home in Rosemary Beach, Florida. Take a look at some of these amazing photos!

Read more on Kay in this article featuring her Atlanta home in Traditional Home Magazine.

~Images: 1-5) House Beautiful April 2005 6-8) southofmarket.biz 9-12) Coastal Living

A friend of mine's husband just built her a daybed suspended by chain on the porch off of their master bedroom. It is heavenly (well, it will be when the weather is cooler)! We were discussing ways to "dress" the bed and the idea of covering the chain in rope came up, much like designer Suzanne Kasler did in the Watersound showhouse pictured above. It got me to thinking of all the cool uses this heavy, nautical inspired rope could be used in decor...

I am not sure if they originated the idea, but I know Lee Kleinhelter of Pieces Inc. and Kay Douglas of South of Market, both use the rope to cover electrical cord when converting items such as baskets into light fixtures. I especially love the raw, texture mixed with industrial pieces!

The guru of creative thinking Martha Stewart has many ideas for using rope in decor. On her site you can find tutorials on creating a nautical inspired lamp and barstools. I have also seen rope used to cover the arms of a chandelier, as the "frame" for a mirror and wound around a cyclindrical table base. [I don't have time to search for these images but I promise to attach later on if I come across them. My apologies!]

And if you aren't excited by the raw look of the rope, try painting it! You can get the wonderful texture while achieving a much sleeker look! Do you have any other creative uses for rope in interior design? If so, let's hear it!
~Images: 1) Coastal Living Oct 2007 2) Suzanne Kasler 3) Pieces Inc 4 and 5) South of Market