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Pretty please pardon the extra long intermission between powder room posts. I’ve been in Charleston over the past week for my dear friend Gregger’s Wedding Extravaganza. Imagine a south-uhn debutante who hunts, fishes, and attacks every day with unbridled zest and enthusiasm. So naturally, her wedding was a rip-roaring, waterworks-filled great time. But let’s put down the champagne flute so we can pick up where we left off with the bathroom bonanza.

For those of you who wanna dabble in something a liiiiiiiiiiittle more adventurous than an all-white bath, but in an uberchic way that does NOT involve any of that trash can matches the shower curtain / matches the rug / matches the toothbrush holder business (wuf), let’s start by dipping your toe in the shallow end and talking about some lovely lighting.

Modern Pendant Lights via Niche Modern

Lighting’s ability to completely transform a room NEVER ceases to amaze me. I first encountered this when I graduated college and traded in those frosted, $7, crusty ‘ol ceiling fixtures (never without dead bugs inside the glass) for big-girl chandeliers. Wuh-BANG! The second you hang or mount a bomb-diggity light fixture, you turn a hum-drum room into one with effervescence, drama, and ambiance. And in a bathroom, lighting can be one of the easiest ways to make a BIG impact. Looky here:

source unknown

via Coastal Living

via Habitually Chic

via Apartment Therapy

source unknown

via InStyle Home

via Room Envy

Meg Ryan’s bathroom, via Elle Decor. Wassup, Sally Albright!

Let’s start with a few gorgeous little nuggets of inspiration. If you like…

BEACHY

(Clockwise, from top left): Floral Drop Chandelier, $2595, at Jayson Home and Garden. Seaward Faux Coral Chandelier, $1195, through Tonic Home… PS: similar Coral Chandelier at Ballard Designs – it’s not as intricate, but at $299, it’s a fraction of the price. Empire Turquoise Chandelier through Marjorie Skouras, call for pricing. Coconut Bead Lantern, $1075, through Tonic Home.

TRADITIONAL

(Clockwise, from top left): Eliza Smoke Chandelier, $2495, at Jayson Home and Garden. Petite Claire Chandelier, $99 on sale, at Ballard Designs. Anjou Chandelier, $995 on sale, at Anthropologie. Clarissa Glass Drop Chandelier, $319 on sale, at Pottery Barn. NOTE: MOST OF POTTERY BARN’S CHANDELIERS AND PENDANTS ARE ALL 20% OFF THROUGH OCTOBER 27.

MOROCCAN (I love this little guy!)

Tangier Hanging Lamp (Large – also comes in a smaller size), $595, at Jayson Home and Garden.

MODERN

(Clockwise, from top left): Jonathan Adler Meurice, $750, available through George Lowell in Chicago. Edison Chandelier, $319 on sale, at Pottery Barn. Lotus Chandelier by Roost, call 773.404.0700 for store locations. Exeter Pendant, $103 on sale, at Pottery Barn – available to ship after November 29, 2010. If you have ants in your pants over this one, you can always DIY it like-ah-zeese!

ALL-TIME FAVE (as in, I’d trade my first born for it)

ET2 “Jellyfish” Chandelier, through Kenneth Ludwig Home Furnishings, email covetliving@gmail.com for pricing.

Now, granted – some of those fixtures are puh-ri-cey. Different strokes for different folks – maybe they’ re in your price range; maybe they’re not. So, stay tuned tomorrow, cause we’re gonna kick around some thriftier options that’ll give you a similar *WOW* effect, but without you having to mortgage your left nut to get it.

À demain!

Hi! I’m Stephanie, and I live in Chicago. This is me:

And this is how I feel most all the time:

I am unabashedly candid and sillier than I should probably be for my age… as a result of which, my kids will probably end up looking something like this: I have an insatiable appetite for interior design, travel, and all things time-worn and beautiful. These, for instance, are perfection on a stick:

(via Better Homes & Gardens, I think… pardon the handwritten notes, svp)

(via Domino)

(via House Beautiful)

…And things like this make me really, really happy:

(photo I snapped in San Gimignano, Italy last fall)

(via Amanda Wilcher Photography. My darling friend Vani at her wedding. Jai ho!)

I grew up in a small, blue-collar town in Indiana, played kickball with the neighborhood kids every night till after dark, caught lightning bugs, and ate dinner at my grandparents’ house on a regular basis.

(via flikr)

Our hometown looks about like this:

(Ball Jars via flikr. Country Road via flikr. Ice cream stand via Kristen Gray Photography)

In the summertime, this was my favorite place to be.

Later on, I spent a short lifetime leading a cushy existence in Charleston, South Carolina, an idyllic southern town that smells like sweet tea and salt water, and sounds like water lapping on the side of a boat. Thanks to my 10 years there, “y’all” is forever woven into my vocabulary, and I think EVERYTHING tastes better deep fried.

(Hominy Grill via flikr. Charleston marsh via flikr. Sunset via Robert Donovan.)

Last year, I traded up for the Big (but still down-to-earth) City life in Chicago. In my bones, it just felt like the right thing. It still does; I love it here.

Being in Chicago puts me much closer to my family. This is my Mom and Dad. Not sure how I lucked out and ended up as their kid, but they’re both pretty awesome.

I firmly believe in things like always being kind and smiling at strangers, and calling the check-out ladies at the grocery store by name. For instance, I bet this lady’s name is Fran. Or Gladys. Wassup gurl.

(via Getty Images)