Customizable Lights Fit Every Space of New Home with Ease
One of our favorite trends to follow this year has been the conversion of old barns into new living spaces. Back in March, we shared the story of how Brooke and her husband admired a classic New England barn in East Burke, Vermont, for years. The barn was renovated into a home in 2007, and when they saw it listed for sale in 2018, they jumped at the chance to own it.
Our first post on the renovation focuses on the kitchen while the second post explores the office, a bedroom, and game room. Once spring arrived in Vermont, Brooke turned her attention to the exterior of their home and a small barn they built in 2020 which serves as a workshop and storage area for their tractor and tools.
“The most important thing was finding high-quality lighting that complements our New England-barn style,” Brooke says. “The ability to customize was important too. It allowed us to find the perfect fit and ensured that our lights would be unique.”
One of the biggest changes Brooke wanted for the exterior was a new front door. The original front door led directly into the great room and the combined living, dining, and kitchen spaces. Brooke wanted a mudroom to collect the shoes, snow boots, umbrellas, and coats and serve as a transition space.
“My husband built the mudroom then added a porch,” she explains. “This new door is now the primary door leading to the mudroom.” Brooke wanted to stay with barn-style lighting but was looking for something a bit more elegant. The Syracuse Vintage Industrial Gooseneck Light checked all the boxes. Brooke customized this fixture with a 14″ handspun steel shade, porcelain enamel Black finish, and a contrasting Galvanized gooseneck arm. She also chose a wire guard and clear glass.
“I love the look and the shine of the porcelain finish and I think the Black really pops against the white siding,” she notes. “The flared shade and the wire guard make it a little less rustic and a bit more elegant. And the gooseneck arm fits nicely under the angled porch roof.”
For the nearby barn, Brooke wanted a classic RLM-style fixture to highlight the rear doors, the side door, plus the carriage doors which were restored from an old barn on Cape Cod. She chose the Bomber Gooseneck Light for all entries but customized the lights to fit each space. For the double doors, she selected 17″ shades, a powder coat Black finish, and G64 chain-supported gooseneck arms.
“I chose the Bomber because they are simple, rustic, and very cool,” Brooke says. “For the front, I wanted something that would provide good projection, be large enough to fill the space, and add a finishing touch to the barn. I saw the chain-supported goosenecks and knew right away they would be perfect.” Brooke also opted for the decorative backing plate for a more finished look.
For the side door, which is enhanced by stone steps and a portico, Brooke used a smaller 13″ shade and a G1 straight gooseneck arm which provided the perfect size and clearance needed for the space. The shade is finished with the same powder coat Black finish.
In the rear of the barn, the entry to the tractor storage area is highlighted by another Bomber Gooseneck Light. This fixture features a 15″ shade, the powder coat Black finish, and a G11 gooseneck arm.
“The 15″ is a good fit over this door and the G11 arm fills the space above the door nicely,” Brooke says. “I really like the ability to select a style of lights that work well together but be able to add small changes and enhancements to make them stand out. They all work nicely together and yet they are all a bit different.”
Photos courtesy of the homeowner
