What would Candice do?

Every time I have a tough time making a design decision, Kevin says to me, 'What would Candice do?'. Candice Olson that is. Candice is my design mentor. Ok, I have never met her, but I just know she would take me under her wing if only she knew me. After all, we are both six feet tall and used to be competitive volleyball players. She has a team of people that make her designs reality, I have Kevin. She makes divine designs and I wish I could. 

I bring this up because I recently decided that although I am happy with our living room configuration, there was nothing that was jumping out as being the focal point of the room. The small convex mirror from Restoration Hardware is great, the lamp from Pottery Barn, the wedding photos and so on. However, none of these stuck out as the centerpiece of the room. And then it happened; I met Pierre. 

There were several suitors first, including the Mansard mirror from Restoration Hardware and the Devon mirror from Z Gallerie. I ended up going with Pierre because I was drawn in by the geometric design and the scale was just right at 34" in diameter. 

Ok, so the mirror decision was not that difficult. Once I had the mirror, I needed a lamp. This is where I ran into trouble. Nothing seemed to work, so I gathered up lamps in the house and bought a few options, then asked myself what Candice would do. 

First up, a lamp from Pottery Barn that was already in the living room on a different end table. Bonus, it wouldn't cost anything. Non-bonus, I would have to replace it. Also, the traditional look of the lamp did not look right next to the geometric mirror.

Next up, a gourd-geous lamp from West Elm with Luster base and Natural shade for $179. I really love it. Definitely a possibility.

Third was an existing lamp that was on my desk. It is a crystal block lamp from Target that was $50 for the lamp and shade. The scale was all wrong, all wrong.

Lastly, another lamp I found at Target that was worth trying. The base was $39.99 and the shade $19.99. I liked this one about the same as the gourd lamp. Therefore, the decision came down to price. Since this one was 1/3 the price of the gourd lamp, it will be living in my house for the long run!

Here is a wider shot. The mirror is now the focal point of the room and the whole set-up works!

Kevin is pounding away outside so we will have another project to blog soon! Happy Saturday!