Monday, March 27, 2017

New Lighting

I needed some electrical work done in my basement (more on that later), and decided to have the electrician replace some light fixtures while he was here. The fixtures in the hall, entryway, and stairwell were essentially ugly white blobs.

For the hall and entryway, I chose to use the same fixture that had taken the place of my gold UFO-like ceiling fan in the dining room. It's black, resembling wrought iron, with a swirled white glass shade.
https://www.amazon.com/Hardware-House-544882-Lighting-Textured/dp/B0018OXZGS/ref=s9_simh_gw_g60_i1_r?_encoding=UTF8&fpl=fresh&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=&pf_rd_r=WANS86ZP5ZKZQHRXP6CM&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=781f4767-b4d4-466b-8c26-2639359664eb&pf_rd_i=desktop&th=1
For the stairwell, I chose the matching sconce.
https://www.amazon.com/Hardware-House-544882-Lighting-Textured/dp/B0018OXZGS/ref=s9_simh_gw_g60_i1_r?_encoding=UTF8&fpl=fresh&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=&pf_rd_r=WANS86ZP5ZKZQHRXP6CM&pf_rd_t=36701&pf_rd_p=781f4767-b4d4-466b-8c26-2639359664eb&pf_rd_i=desktop&th=1

The new fixtures don't create a dramatic transformation, but they certainly do look prettier than the old white blobs. They also provide much more light as they hold two bulbs instead of one.
hall - old light
hall - new light
entryway - old light
entryway - new light
The sconce in the stairwell isn't very visible, which is too bad because it's pretty. And it's a legit wall fixture, unlike the white blob fixture which was never meant to be mounted horizontally. It was mostly luck keeping the glass from falling off. 
stairwell - old light
stairwell - new light

While those fixtures are very nice, what I'm really excited about are the three new pendant fixtures in my dining room.
https://www.amazon.com/Nuvo-60-386-Hang-Straight-Alabaster/dp/B002MR4H1W/ref=pd_sbs_60_19?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B002MR4H1W&pd_rd_r=YQQF7VDXEZ6691RYK77W&pd_rd_w=FTzoz&pd_rd_wg=mGTc0&psc=1&refRID=YQQF7VDXEZ6691RYK77W

The two-bulb ceiling light was the only lighting fixture in my dining room/living room, leaving the area rather dim. To get enough light at the dining table where I craft and sew, I hung three IKEA "light bulb on a string" type lamps. They solved the lighting problem perfectly, but I didn't love the cords strung across the ceiling and down the wall. And the only switch-controlled outlet was on the other side of the living room, requiring a 40-foot (about 12-meter) extension cord run along the bottom of the walls.
dining room - old lights
Now, I have upgraded to hardwired fixtures. :D The electrician installed three hardwired pendant lights which are controlled by a switch in the dining room.
dining room - new lights

Of course, habit still causes me to walk across the living room to turn the lights on or off... But I'll soon get used to this radical concept of having the switch in the same room as the lights it controls. ;)

10 comments:

  1. Definitely better than the old lighting.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thoses new lights looks lovely.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ooooooo! It all looks so pretty! *gasp* Where did you get the tree that's in your entryway?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you! I bought the tree at a Michael's craft store during the Halloween season a few years ago. It has purple LED lights. :D It's supposed to be a Halloween tree, of course, but I love it and keep it out all year.

      Delete
  4. It didn't look horrible or anything before, but it does look so much nicer with the new fixtures. And yes where did you get the tree in your entryway? I have a much smaller one similar to it, but it's table top size. Like miniature ornaments size...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks! See above comment re: the tree. :)

      Delete