Beautiful Lighting

One of my Pinterest boards is of light fixtures.  I’m sure it probably sounds weird to some of you, but I love to look at beautiful light fixtures.  There is an amazing array of taste when it comes to lighting, but I imagine there is still something for everyone.

I like to shop for light fixtures at Goodwill and online.  Craigslist is a great place to get them because they are usually inexpensive, but in perfect shape.  Sometimes it just takes a little imagination to see how a light fixture can be altered to suit your own tastes.

Take this chandelier for instance.

                

Although it isn’t the exact one I bought on CL, it looks almost identical to it.  I’m using the one in this picture because I forgot to take a shot of the one I bought.  Mine was less dusty.  And only $20!

I loved the swoopy lines of the arms.  It was exactly what I was looking for in our mudroom.  Just needed a little TLC.  I spray painted it (Rustoleum Heirloom White of course since I have extra cans) outside on a board.  Touched it up after 30 minutes or so and let it dry.

        

Here’s how it looked afterwards.  When spray painting a light fixture, remember to remove the bulbs and those little sleeves that fit over the candlesticks.  They just pull right off.

A few weeks ago, Mrs. Noot brought me a box with several leftover chandelier crystals she had found.  She let me have as many as I wanted! 

I love her.

I knew they would be perfect on this chandelier, so Glenn drilled 3 holes in the cups of each of the arms, and then Alix and I just hooked the crystals into the holes!  The first picture shows the crystals a little more clearly-

                                  

                      While this shot shows how pretty it looks when lit up -

 

      

Next up are these little guys I found early this summer at GW.  They were $5 each!  They didn’t come with glass or anything, and they were a little tarnished, but I thought they might work over the future bench in the mudroom.

      

I used some of Martha Stewart’s Gilded Brass, which is a liquid that you paint on with a paintbrush.  It is similar to a liquid gold leaf.  After 10 minutes or so, they were ready. 

             

The glass globes are some I found at Lowes.  I took the sconces with me when I went to pick them out, so I could be sure which ones I liked the best.  There is quite a variety of these types of globes, or whatever you call them, and it helped me a lot to have the sconces with me.  These were very inexpensive and simple.  And I thought the lines on the glass looked good with the lines on the base and the support of the sconces.  Ta da!  Our ballroom…er.. mudroom, I mean!

Last one!  This light fixture was the easiest one yet!  It was already here when we bought the house.  I just didn’t like where it was or how the globes looked.  But I thought the overall lines of the fixture itself were pretty.  No problem!

  

I’m sure at this point it doesn’t take much guessing for you to figure out what I did!  Well, you’re right!  Heirloom White to the rescue!

 

I bought some chandelier light bulbs and more of those glass globes.  And now I think it makes the perfect light fixture for our bedroom closet!  Don’t you agree?  Looks like a completely different light fixture.

                   

For the laundry room and master bathroom, I used chandeliers that had been in the girls’ rooms in a previous house.  I’m very happy with them!

       

I’m sorry this shot of the laundry room is so dark – but at least you can see the chandelier! 

                              

Ok, I can’t help myself.  I have to tell you the story about when Glenn hung this chandelier for me. 

He stood in the middle of the room and held it up, asking me how high I wanted it to hang.  When I told him where I thought it looked best, he said it was going to be low.  For whom?  I walked right under it and didn’t come close to bumping my head. 

Me:  I think it’s fine.

Glenn:  Well, ok, but then I guess I won’t be coming in here much!

Me:  In the laundry room?  You were planning to come in the laundry room a lot?

Glenn (smiling):  I do laundry!

Me:  You do? Laundry?  Hmmm… well I’ll take my chances.  That is the perfect height for the chandelier. 

And it is.