barn lights and a beam shelf

This winter, my mother added two new lights to the barn's main room. This shop light was picked up at a yard sale. The wires are threaded through a galvanized pipe. It hangs high above the kitchen sink, so it was hard to get a good shot from the floor. I stood on the counter so you could get a glimpse of its patina.

And look over there... do you spy a bookshelf in an unusual spot? My mother has a huge collection of cookbooks and finding a place to store them, but keep them accessible to the kitchen, was a huge challenge. And then we came up with the beam shelf. Small spaces can feel very cluttered with too many bookshelves lining each available wall. Taking to the rafters is a nice solution. It utilizes untapped real estate, while raising the eyes to create the illusion of more height in any room. A huge beam separates the kitchen ceiling from the rest of the room. It was added to the barn during renovation for stability. Here's a photo of it with the old tiny sink light to give you perspective. By putting a bookshelf on the kitchen side of the beam:

• the books are hidden to the rest of the space
• the visual impact of the beam upon entering the room was kept intact
• and access was perfect with help from our favorite slim fold footstool

Galvanized pipes and flanges hold the shelf, keeping the hardware in the room consistent, while doing their job with strength and honesty.
Hey- there's the other new light!

My mother had originally gotten the light to hang outside. It didn't attach well to the chosen spot, and sat in the shed dejected for two years. I think its new home is just right, don't you? Exterior (industrial) lighting works very well in the inside of a barn/home.

I might have to go sit under that light with a stack of my mom's cookbooks... and plan some delicious meals to get us through the rest of this snowy winter. I'll let you know if I come up with some winners. I was quite thrilled with how many of you made last week's lentil miso soup! It's the simple things... it really is.