a favorite detail: multiple outlets on one switch

 I love lamps.  Nothing makes a house feel cozier.  At last count I was at 39 in the house, not including chandeliers, sconces and picture lights!  For me, a dark house is a sad house...  hence my love of lamps.

When we renovated both the farmhouse and the barn I had the electrician wire multiple outlets to one wall switch -  one receptacle of each double electrical outlet around the room, from locations where I knew I wanted to place a lamp, was wired to one wall switch.  So now in the living room, bedrooms and barn room I can walk in and with one flip of a switch all the lamps in the room come on!    (don't forget that all lamps should be on dimmers- here!)  I have loved having this favorite detail in the house, and wanted to share it with you as I know many of you are renovating/building.

I also wanted to share a favorite lampshade with you, as when you love lamps you also love lampshades!  This large antique Chinese blue and white vase was made into a lamp for the barn room.  It is French wired- meaning the wiring runs down the back instead of through the lamp via a hole drilled in the bottom.  If you drill through the bottom of a porcelain piece you then have to use a base of some sort to sit the porcelain on so that you can angle the wire out through a side exit point to make the lamp sit flat instead of on the wire (in this case a wooden Chinese stand would be the traditional choice.)  I didn't want that traditional look on this lamp preferring a more casual feel, so the lamp was French wired and the vase sits directly on the soapstone topped antique worktable.

 This mica filigree drum lampshade is from Pottery Barn. 

I panicked when I went to PB to link this to the post to find that it said "no longer available", but after calling the store I was told that they have these mica shades in-store only.  They are the same shade, but without the leaf filigree detail.  I highly recommend them as the natural mica casts a beautiful light.  My shade is in "champagne", but it also comes in a darker "amber" color.