One of the most common questions I get is what specific items I have in my house that are kid friendly.  Today I was gonna touch on that in one area – kid friendly light fixtures.

What are kid friendly light fixtures?

Without hesitation, my reply to is that I try to look for light fixtures that are wood or metal.  My kids have been known to lodge underwear into a light fixture (I blame Captain Underpants and his book about how panties are good for parachuting.  Thanks a lot Cap….appreciate that.) and it can very easily damage delicate crystal or glass or even fabric….but it is a little more difficult (not impossible mind you, but more difficult) to really ruin wood or metal.  And as someone that has four little boys that love launching things sky high, that is something really important.

Of course, I consider my style more of a mix of coastal, industrial, farmhouse and contemporary….so wood and metal fit right in.  But if your style is a little more traditional or delicate, you can find ways to incorporate metal and wood in!  These items are not only kid friendly but they are BEAUTIFUL.  I have determined that light fixtures are investments (throw pillows can be cheap) and since light fixtures are staples year round and are not easily changed with the seasons, they need to be functional, pretty and still neutral enough to go with any holiday decor.  The one that we have in our sitting room is a wood and metal one and I think that is how I got hooked on the look.

I found a more budget friendly alternative here (it’s actually on sale right now)….but I splurged on mine (here is the link) because I loved the beaded details around the metal parts and the color and size of the wood beads was just right!

Aren’t those wood beads just perfection?  For beaded chandeliers it is really important visually to have enough beads without blocking too much light.  This one nails it.

And the one we recently had installed in our living room makes me swoon every time I walk under it!  Good thing there is a couch nearby in case I faint (don’t worry…I know how to bandage a head wound in case I collapse in other places).  Here is the link.

I even appreciate the fact that they didn’t do the standard white on the ‘candlestick’ parts.  It’s details like that that make this look more authentic.

The wood and metal (which are considered ‘masculine’ in design) balance the curved lines (which are ‘feminine’ in design).  That balance of soft and hard is really important in any space.  And it happens to be something that is hard for me personally – I always lean one way too far 🙂

The last one I wanted to share was our hallway light near the playroom.  It’s completely metal and good thing….because it’s near the playroom.  Things are known to be launched.  This one has deflected it’s share of NURF bullets 😛

And this one proves that just because it is beautiful and long suffering, doesn’t mean that it has to have a huge price tag.  World Market is one of my favorite places to get an affordable light fixture and they have plenty of options that would take a beating from Dennis the Menace 🙂

And yes, we keep a lot of christmas cards up all year 🙂

That being said – here is the much requested light fixture round up of ones that can fit in a variety of different places in your home.

FLUSHMOUNTS

BEADED LIGHTS

CHANDELIERS