5.02.2011

{renovate} let there be light

Happy Monday! Hope you all had a great weekend!

We had a busy weekend working on little projects around the house that we'd like to finish before spring actually hits and we don't want to be inside any more. The room that dominated our attention this weekend was the living room. As a reminder, here is our living room as of Friday.

In all the living room pictures I've posted, I've never shown the ceiling. While I'm sure no one's even thought twice about this (because really who care about a ceiling?), there was actually a reason.

We had this lovely character hanging smack dab in the middle of the room. From this angle it doesn't even look all that bad. In reality, it's electrical wires that have been taped over with blue painter's tape and then painted to match the ceiling. That's how we roll :).

See? Here's Chris removing the blue tape. 

Exposed live electrical wires = bad news.

We've talked forever about hanging a drum shade from the ceiling. First we talked about buying one, and when that proved to be more money than we wanted to spend, we talked about the best way to make one. But making one takes time and it hasn't been a top priority.

A couple months ago I ran across the Eden Pendant Lamp from CB2, I knew it would perfect for this space: afforable, stylish and had incredibly high reviews online. I've also noticed it  looking amazing in a couple other bloggers' homes and that sealed the deal. It needed to come home with me.

We knew we wanted the shade to sit close to the ceiling, so we had to create our own system for hanging it. First, we installed a box and a light bulb hanger (technical term, obviously). We ran into a slight problem when we found the ring that holds the shade up was actually a little too big for the hardware we had installed, which made the shade wobbly.

But it was nothing a little tape couldn't handle. MacGyver Chris simply wrapped the ring with tape to add bulk and make the opening more snug.

Which worked perfectly! Once the shade is all put together, you can't see the tape.

And here it is all installed. I love this shade because the bottom pops out incredibly easy so you can change the bulbs. It's also a great size for this room. It's over-sized, but not massive.

I don't know how often we'll use the light. I shy away from overhead lighting in general, but it's incredible how *finished* it makes the room look. Plus, it's a whole bunch better than the painted painter's tape :).

How was your weekend? Have you replaced any lights lately? How do you feel about overhead lighting?

9 comments:

  1. Cute! Our really long living room (and hallway) do not have any overhead lighting to speak of. We have lots of floor and table lamps to make up for it. If we owned the place, I'd definitely be putting in some overhead lighting (especially for use at night) :)

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  2. Chris should come rehang the light in our breakfast nook. No matter how many times we've tried (read: 3) it's still crooked.

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  3. love the ceiling pendant! and beautiful living room!! i love how light and airy it feels! so glad you found my blog and i found yours!

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  4. Jenn, the turquoise lamps looks so great in your living room! your new pendant seals the deal with it's glorious warm light. nice touch and the perfect thing to put there.

    i'm all about lighting and really prefer the warm ones, Sean made a mistake a while back and bought us a whack of those energy saver blueish toned ones from Cost Co. arg! they make my bones almost feel a breeze ; ) this is the extent of my lighting capabilities i'm afraid. can i come over for a lesson from you home reno stars? puleeeeze! ♥

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  5. I looove overhead lighting! Any extra light makes me happy! even though natural light is my fav, pretty artificial light fixtures do the trick too! I want a chandelier soon... *dreaming*

    xoXOxo
    Jenn @ Peas & Crayons

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  6. Love the pops of color with the soft neutral base of this room. The ceiling pendant is perfect as are the bold turquoise table lamps, nice work!
    Cathy

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  7. my god i love your living room. have i told you that before? if not: my god I love your living room. there, i've told you twice :)

    very nice add on with the drum shade! I know exactly what you mean about things not looking bad from a-far (or in pics online ;) ) but when you knowingly walk by it in person, you just stare at that which you want/need/must fix. good on ya girl!

    ps: i FINALLY updated BB. ppl started to ask if she was dead! EEP! thank you for your unwavering encouragement :) xo

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  8. Love the new Eden pendant! I think it's the perfect size for your room and I'm digging it really close to the ceiling like that.
    Of course I'm gonna love it because we have 2 of our own, but three cheers for the Eden!

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  9. What a gorgeous and nicely bright light for your room:)

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