Makely

Let's Make Life Awesome

Mastering the Master Bedroom {Updating an Outdated Light Fixture}

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It’s been a while since I’ve updated you on the progress in our master bedroom.  It’s been slow going, but we are thiiiiiiissssssss close to being finished.  Today, I’m going to show you my little chandelier that now hangs in our bay window.

A few months ago, my sweet friend JJ from Blah Blah Blahger came to visit, and we hit up some thrift stores looking for a project.  I needed a small chandelier for the bedroom, and she had the brilliant idea of gutting this early 1990s brass beauty that we found at the ReStore for about $15.

I’ve shown you that photo before, and several readers have emailed that they have the exact fixtures hanging in their entryway and want them gone.  Have no fear!  I can help.

The process I used to transform this outdated fixture is very straight forward.  I simply unscrewed the pieces until I was able to separate the glass enclosure from the chandelier.  I then took apart the top section of sockets from the bottom section so that it would be easier to paint.  When I am taking apart wiring that I want to put back together, I always take pictures so I’ll know how to reassemble it.

Once I had it apart, I spray painted the pieces I was reusing – the 2 sections of lights, the socket covers, the pipe that holds them together and the pieces you use to connect the fixture to the ceiling.  I spray primed them with gray primer and spray painted them a black gloss.  Then, I used the new Krylon Glitter Blast in Starry Night on just the main part of the chandelier.  I also sprayed the Glitter Blast clear sealer on it so that the glitter wouldn’t flake off.  I’ve been wanting to try the Glitter Blast for a while, and I really liked the look it gave the fixture (although I wish the glitter was solid black and not black and silver – there’s currently no solid black option).  You can see that it’s not incredibly sparkly, but it glimmers in the sunlight, which is perfect for my space.

I rewired the chandelier back together (here’s a step by step tutorial if you need it) and hung it using a new black chain that I picked up at Home Depot.  My sweet husband had to add a box in the ceiling for this since there was no place to install it where I wanted it to go.  At one point, he was hanging from a ceiling joist in the pitch black attic with one arm, looking for a tiny LED light and hoping not to fall through the ceiling.  He’s a good man.

In the end, it looks so charming hanging in our bay window by day…

…and by night.

Next up, accessories and non-temporary shades.  I can see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Have you ever taken apart an old light fixture to create a “new” one?

What to do When Temporary Shades Become Permanent

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When we moved into our home several years ago, we hung temporary shades on the five large windows in our bedroom.  Our intention was to use them for some privacy for the few weeks before we could hang some custom blinds or shades instead.

Well, those “few weeks” sped by fast.  And then a month passed.  And suddenly, I realized that those temporary shades had been hanging there for 9 months, and I could no longer refer to them as temporary.  Yikes!  I tore them down and hung curtains that we just opened each morning and closed each night.

This past March, I took those curtain panels down, too.  The old panels no longer fit the vision for my master bedroom, and they have been relocated to a friend’s church.  I turned to temporary shades…again.  And they are still there…again.  Do you see a pattern here?  Temporary shades are meant to be temporary, and apparently no one clued me in on that.

Our windows are very tall, which is wonderful for the natural light that pours into the room.  However, it’s awful when you have to buy blinds and shades because they have to be custom made.  As we all know, custom usually equals much more expensive.

I found a place online that had cordless Top Down/Bottom Up cellular shades for a great price.  But as with any purchase from an unknown online retailer, I was concerned that the quality or experience would leave a lot to be desired.  So, I just ordered one as a test.

Yep.  So now, instead of having 5 temporary shades in my bedroom, I have 4 temporary shades and 1 fabulously priced cordless Top down/Bottom up cellular shade.  I am getting ready to place my order for the 4 other cellular shades, because the quality is so top-notch.

I wanted to wait until I had my one test shade installed before I told you about Payless Decor, the online retailer where it came from.  They don’t know me at Payless Decor, don’t know that I have a blog, and certainly never asked me to write a post about them.  I just couldn’t help but share their site in case you are looking for new custom blinds or shades for your home.  Compared to the other retailers I received quotes from, I think I paid about 30% less than the other places (even when the other retailers were running 50% off sales!).  From the free sample swatches, to the quality of the shade, to the personal email I received as follow-up, I was very impressed with the entire process.

If your temporary shades have become permanent, I would definitely recommend you checking out Payless Decor.  I can’t speak for anything other than the cordless shades, but they also carry faux and wood blinds, roller shades, bamboo shades and drapery.  I’m looking forward to replacing those other 4 almost-permanent temporary shades.

Oh.  Are you wondering about that oddly hung chandelier in the photo above?  It has a whole back story which I’ll get to next week.  Obviously, it’s not staying where it is.  My five year old son has helpfully pointed out that it is too low and that I need to move it.  I can’t wait until he starts telling me how to dress.