For each area I had to make selections for the house construction I made a folder. Then where ever I went: Lowe’s, Home Depot, the lighting contractor, flooring company, paint store, cabinet maker, plumber, counter top guy…etc. I carried my little box of folders with me. I used them every single day while the build was happening. I would put initial ideas in the folders: pictures & prices, where to find it. I also used the folders after I made my selections to refer back to in order to make sure the right item showed up and got put where it was supposed to. It was a bit rudimentary, but it worked for me. 
Here are the actual pages from my “lighting folder”. Yes, I know it’s a bit of a rustic way to share..but that’s what I’ve got.
The day I chose the lighting was a bit overwhelming. When I went to the lighting contractor’s place she handed me about 10 books that I could order from. I intended to stay within a budget allowance and none of the catalogs had any prices listed. EEeek! My instructions were “Pick out what you like and we’ll see what it adds up to”. Really…c’mon! With no other choice that’s what I did.
This is what I chose for the exterior: the front porch and the coach lights on the garage.
Next up – the foyer and dining room.
Which leads us to the kitchen area. The pendants are over the island and the chandy is in the breakfast area. I changed the shades on both to a clear seeded glass to match the hanging light in the foyer.
On the back porch I went with a super simple exterior fan.
I know interior ceiling fans are passe` now, but it’s the South and it’s hot y’all. We put ceiling fans in the family room, bonus room, and all of the bedrooms. For the family room fan, I changed out the shade to the seeded glass to better match the foyer and kitchen fixtures.
For the bathrooms I went super simple. I would have preferred a pretty hangy- down type of chandelier for over the tub, but it wouldn’t pass the building code for this area. I would eventually like to change out that fixture for the Bellora Chandelier from Pottery Barn.
Finally we have the lighting for the closets, hallways, laundry room, and stairs. Except for the sconce, I refer to these as “boobie-lights” 
. I chose the alabaster white shade.
When all was said and done, even after sorting through 10 catalogs, with no prices, I only exceeded my lighting budget by about $75. Not too bad, if I do say so myself. :p Sadly I don’t know who the manufacturers are for any of these fixtures. I do have the model numbers if you’re interested though. Once I made my selections, I just tore the pictures out of the books and put them in my “folder” with my order sheets. Sorry, (bad blogger!).
I really hope the Oil Rubbed Bronze thing doesn’t go out of style anytime soon; because it is EVERYWHERE in my new house.
[...] [...]