apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I think that you should go with the Medium nelson ball lamp. the small is actually pretty tiny.
Any lamp will get dusty, the good news is that the nelson is easy to clean. They are made from a plastic polymer that can be gently dusted and even wiped mith mild sope and water. Be careful with candles underneath, I have heard of them melting.

If you are only debating between the small and medium, I would go with the medium too. It would be helpful to know how big your table is though!

I third the medium size....we have a medium saucer hanging over our dining table (the small was just too small). To me the Nelson lamp doesn't attract dust more than any other fixture and it's really easy to gently dust off with a soft cloth. It will definitely be lower-maintenance than the Nova 69, dusting-wise. :)

Thanks for the help. The dining table is the Madison Extension from Crate and Barrel. It is 61.5" wide, to 81.5" with the leaves added. I hadn't even thought about the large bubble...but from what I have heard it is big..about 36"!

Now I have to choose between, saucer, ball or criss cross!

I too have the saucer in medium and I just love it. I have it on a dimmer above the dining table. I don't think you'll be disappointed if you go with it. The criss cross is gorgeous too.

Here's an observation, albeit somewhat unrelated. I think the lamp is competing with the circular decoration (is it a mirror?) on the wall behind it. Perhaps you could rearrange some things to help make the space flow. How about two lamps above the table, one on either side of the wall decoration? Or, reverse that. Purchase only one lamp, but have two wall elements. One on either side of the lamp. I think whichever lamp you choose, a little rearranging would help it become a focal point.

I second the criss cross. The fixure you have now is too small and overwhelmed by everything else going on.

It does look pretty disorganized. The photo was taken during a graduation party. Here is what it normally looks like!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/jjburke/2317750456/in/set-72157604069588155/

I really can't move the mirror. That is grasscloth wallpaper, not paint. So no way to repair the holes!

I will be moving the wine cooler to another room.

thanks for the advice,

jen