Guest post by Niche Modern team member, Meg Ford:

To many native New Yorkers, anything outside the Southwestern most parts of Connecticut can often resemble a different planet.

Thomas Hooker and Samuel Stone led a group of 100 who founded Connecticut's capital, Hartford, in 1636; 11.5 miles Southeast sits my hometown of Glastonbury. "Glistening Town" from the Anglo-Saxon ties the community to its namesake in Somerset England, and also could be regarded as a nod to its enthusiasm for progressive design. Stone from my town's quarry helped to build the Wadsworth Atheneum, the oldest public art museum in the United States.

On a recent run back up to New England, my companion and I visited Plan B, a bar located in the center of 'the G' (as the town's affectionately referred to), specializing in local beer, bourbon, and beef. Shawn Skehan opened its first location in West Hartford, and was savvy enough to realize Glastonbury, was thirsty for both quality brews, and lighting design that marries classic cool with innovative silhouettes.

Several of Niche Modern's Oculo and Pod pendant lights glowed gorgeously in hand-blown Crimson and Chocolate glass, while we sipped our beer and I digested the thought that, in some small way, my tiny town had broken New York.

Plan B is usually packed to capacity. On a typical weekend, one can only move in increments of inches; you've got to hold tight to the best of luck to even make it near the bar. Fortunately, we visited on a Sunday, and things moved a bit slower and felt much more intimate under the hum of the Edison bulbs' exposed filaments.

The latest installment of Plan B opened September 12th in Milford, welcoming the Minaret to the Oculo and Pod pendants' party. A toast! To the best in inspired illumination found in some of the most delightfully unassuming locals.