I know, it's kind of an oxymoron: heavy, soft, I get it. But, it's true! Everyone seems to think that in order to plan something out, especially to help you envision your own design, you have to have the latest, fancy interior design software. Unless you're laying out closets (like we used to), or are literally drafting up building plans (hello, Architects!), then you don't need Pro100, AutoCAD, or heck, even Photoshop. Nope! And I'll prove it right here. I used Power Point. Yes, you heard me correctly: good, old fashioned, reliable Power Point. I "drafted" the below elevation layouts in less than 20 minutes yesterday, while waiting for one of my operations guys to figure out why I didn't have certain access within our PO system (corporate MJ talking there!). You see, Tom and I really need to replace our old chandelier. And by replace, I mean it's dying and we gave it a good shot. We paid nothing for it... well, minus the cost of the house. See, our current chandelier is something out of 1990-1995, probably when our "newly renovated" kitchen was done. It was one of those harsh, shiny brass, traditional 12 arm chandeliers, with one of those big ole bulbs with a ring at the bottom. We didn't know yet what we wanted to do with the house, so I decided, instead of spending money and not loving something, I'll take this one down, clean it thoroughly (and Holy Hannah, did it need to be cleaned!!), have Tom chop-off a few pieces (like the bulb), and give it a solid round or two of spray paint. Voila! "Somewhat new" chandelier. What's funny is that, in the past 7 years, we never got around to swapping it out, and it's probably good we never did, as our plans for our little dining area have changed a thousand times over since!

Now that we are 7 years into this house, that trusty little treasure is starting to peter out! At least a third of the bulbs keep burning out on us. At first, we thought it was the type of bulb, so we invested in some seriously nice, and pricey LED candelabra bulbs.... still burned them out. Ouch! So, here we are, trying to finally figure out our style and what we'd like this space to look like. Keep in mind, this is all a temporary-permanent solution, as we will be (God-willing!) gutting and renovating the house from top to bottom within the next year or so. But that's a post for another day....

So, back to my software story... if you're a visual person like me, you want samples and to see everything where it's supposed to be. I can visualize everything in my head, but that doesn't always translate IRL. I can't remember how I started doing this, and likely it was for some type of project for work, but I discovered I could whip up a quick room layout and ideas while sitting on a conference call, or waiting for my boss to sign his umpteenth request. Below you will see the options we are considering. I really do love the look and balance of the lanterns, but my heart has been set on this beautiful Antique Brass Mobile Chandelier from West Elm for almost a year now. I love how it adds the perfect modern touch to our otherwise quasi-transitional-farmhouse-chic motif (if that's even a thing). Leave it to me, to always be doing something sliiiiiiightly different!