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by Art By Gretchen
18 months ago in Design Dilemma
We live in a 1955 Eichler. We are renovating it room by room. The current "room" we are stumped by is the hallway. We have struggled to find a lighting solution due to all the beams. Wiring new fixtures is difficult to say the least. Beyond that, we cannot find ANYTHING that works with all our problems. Any lighting ideas??? Drill holes for track in the beams? The current globe lights just don't provide enough light.
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Anne DeCocco http://www.bellacor.com/productdetail/et2-e20521-10-curva-two-light-flush-mount-276886.htm How about something like this? Weird, but fabulous at the same time. Comes in a 1 light, 2 light or 3 light size. Or look for a very clean fixture with a clear glass shade to give off more light.
18 months ago ·
Art By Gretchen This may help too...we have an AMAZING fixture at our entry that is directly in line with the hall and kitchen. The kitchen drop globes we plan to keep. (See pics). I want something "different" from the round globe lights and also something that can light the halllway walls. We (I'm an artist) display a LOT of artwork and the hallway will become a sort of "gallery". Spot lights off a track?
18 months ago · ·
Anne DeCocco Oh baby, that is some fixture! I think your idea of little spots on a track is perfect. Don't upstage the current fixture, so keep the spot heads small and clean.
18 months ago · ·
Art By Gretchen Yeah, I think it's the right idea. But, is it weird to run the track through the beams??? Some (most) of them are NOT structural at all. We wonder why they actually put them in. I really like Tech Lighting monorail systems. Any other suggestions?
18 months ago · ·
Anne DeCocco I forgot about the beams. I don't like the idea of going through them. Can't each section be a short track with two flexible heads on it? Let me think some more....
18 months ago ·
Art By Gretchen Problem is...can't go up...Flat foam roof! No attic. This IS the big issue. We debate it every day! Every time you poke a hole in the ceiling you have "water" issues with the roof. It's NOT a cheap fix.
18 months ago ·
Shawn Lagemann Since your walls are open right now, have you thought about supplimenting the lighting with wall sconces? Then replace the globe fixtures with a semi-flush light fixture with more than 1 bulb. The semi=flush will lower the light from being shadowed by the beams. Another alternative is a hole-in-the wall, literally called that, recessed light. They are very inconspicuious and reflect light up as well as out. When it comes time to paint use a paint with a little sheen to help reflect the light as well.
18 months ago ·
Art By Gretchen We did...see pic 3...walls are closed up now. Sconces are nice, but not so great for artwork. We did scones in our 1st daughters room. Worked great! The beams are such a bummer (and also a cool Eichler feature!) . I keep looking at semi-flush fixtures, but nothing is modern enough and points directional to the walls, etc. At least nothing I've found to date hence the posting to Houzz! ;-) And, the added problem of the hallway connecting to the entry and kitchen...line of sight with the globe lights and entry fixture. I think I see some major roof work in my future! ;-)
18 months ago ·
Mona Ives Use a picture light on the wall - these are appropriate for art work. You can also get wall mounted track lights with directional heads.
18 months ago ·
Art By Gretchen Thanks for all the suggestions. Might be a combo of all of them. The first section of wall near the entry can be accessed when we redo our daughters room on the other side of the wall. Further down the hall, can't do it. That was already 'sheer walled' with plywood for earthquake and the opposite room was just completed. Not sure I want to rip it out again to get lighting. Maybe we can add a ceiling track in that section and tap the electrical from the existing globe fixture box. Eichler's are tricky and full of extra remodeling 'fun'! ;-)
18 months ago ·
Art By Gretchen Found this on Houzz...Klopf did an Eichler near us and ran the track light through the beams. Great solution to a difficult problem. I think we may do this.
18 months ago · ·
Anne DeCocco That looks fantastic!
18 months ago · ·
creekgirl The globe lights are VERY representative of the Eichler look, and very attractive as well. I would replace them with globe lights of identical size, but with a much longer stem. This would offer more light in the hallway w/o losing that signature Eichler effect.

btw......globe lighting doesn't have to be terribly expensive. You can find replacement acrylic globes and create your own without a lot of expense.
15 months ago ·
Virgil Carter Fine Art You are probably past your lighting issue in your remodeling, but for the future have you considered low voltage cable mounted fixtures that are just below the bottom of roof beams (or drilled through the beams at a higher elevation)? They can be hardwired or simply plugged into an existing convenience outlet using a low-voltage reostat controller. Very effective flood or spot lighting. Good luck!
9 months ago · ·
bruhaha876 I'm curious what solution you went with in the end. I own a Sunnyvale Eichler, and I too have a long hallway with 2 globes, but without the shadow problem that all your beam sections seem to pose, so the 2 globes are almost sufficient. I've been to many eichlers and I've never seen what you have there. Do those beams run in the same direction as the structural beams of the home? If they don't, they were probably added afterwards and could be removed. (Some might even say they ought to be removed if they aren't original or structural.)
3 months ago ·
Creatively Yours Custom Inc. how about considering a pendant style light fixture that would let more light spread out on the walls and would clear the beams. I am sure some pendant styles would fit with your home style and bring light down to a good level.
3 months ago ·
eagledzines You need light in each beam section just as the picture you found on Houzz. To do that, drop the ceiling just enough to drill a hole in the beam for wiring. Then sheetrock between each bay and put whatever lighting you want in. Then you will be able to have a light in each bay while still hiding the wire.

Or if they are not structural and it's not important to you aesthetically to have them there, just take them out.
3 months ago ·
Art By Gretchen We finished our hallway quite some time ago. We ended up keeping the globes and adding 3 recessed lights. We were able to add the recessed lights because we had to re-foam our roof. They work great and now we have ample light in the halls. And, the beams are original. When we opened the walls we could see they provided structure for the roof in the hall and they run the same direction as the beams in the bedrooms...actually going into the bedroom closets. As for the comment about sheet-rock...that just makes me cringe. Eichlers have tongue & groove ceilings and it's one of the best features of the house. Covering it would be sacrilege. :-)
3 months ago · ·
onthefence Gretchen - thanks so much for that earlier Klopf photo. Our house isn't a true Eichler - but it has some Eichler characteristics. The ceiling is one of them. It sounds like your final solution works well - you still get the visual statement of the globe AND get good lighting from the pot lights. And now you have a new roof as well ;-)

If you're inclined to post more photos of your home as you progress that would be great!

Congratulations on your Eichler!
3 months ago · ·
Dezign Studio Inc If you don't mind , could you upload the after pictures. Just curious.
3 months ago ·
eagledzines Art By Gretchen--I didn't notice when I posted to you that you inquiry was 15 months ago. I would love to see what you've done too if you could upload pics.
3 months ago ·
Art By Gretchen Just took these...hall finished.
3 months ago · ·
onthefence Oh. My. Stars.

If this is just your hallway I can only imagine the rest of the home. That is so very perfect to me. I really LOVE the way you've framed and hung your art. The doors are amazing too and seem very in keeping with the Eichler look.

Seriously amazing job!
3 months ago · ·
eagledzines Amazing!!! Gorgeous!
3 months ago · ·
Art By Gretchen Thanks. I'm trying to figure out how to post all our remodeling pics on Houzz as a project. I have THOUSANDS of pics of every step in the remodel process. We are not done yet, but we've come so FAR from "House of Wallpaper" days. It's been like peeling an onion one layer at a time. :-)
3 months ago ·
Art By Gretchen Oh, and the hall door ARE original. I refurbished them and replaced the inset panels with white acrylic panels. The old grass cloth panels were falling apart and with little kids we needed something a tad easier to clean.
3 months ago · ·
Anne DeCocco You did a great job--congratulations!
3 months ago · ·
onthefence Whimper.....

I'm truly in awe of people who are doing what you're doing - taking a classic and updating it to today but still keeping the original integrity. My hat is off to you!
3 months ago · ·
Dezign Studio Inc It must have required a lot of patience to pull this through, keeping your focus on budget, design etc.
Good job !
3 months ago · ·
Art By Gretchen Thanks. We are trying very hard to honor the original "vibe" of Eichler, but bring the house into this century. All the while keeping within budget (a tight one) and the neighborhood.
3 months ago · ·
onthefence I've just looked at your photos update Gretchen. Man what a project this must be! Obviously a labor of love ;-)

Just a thought on your 'project photos' - would it work to set up each phase you're doing as a project then the before/afters in that project?
3 months ago ·
Art By Gretchen Yes, good point. It's hard to navigate Houzz as well. I have my biz stuff and our house is personal. I wasn't' sure how to go about it. I'll try to revamp later when I have time. :-)
3 months ago ·
onthefence LOL - yep. With kids, a career and a remodel I'm betting time is in short supply ;-)
3 months ago · ·
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