Today I am SO happy to be back with my dear blogging buddies Kris of Driven By Decor, Jennifer of Dimples & Tangles and Pam of Simple Details for our monthly My Five Favorites series (three years running this week!) I look forward to this roundup every month and know many of you like it too.
For this edition we’re thrilled to have Sue De Chiara joining us. Sue shares all the details of renovating two homes along with style, art and fashion on her gorgeous blog The Zhush. Don’t miss Sue’s beautiful dining room here and catch tons of design inspiration on the Zhush Instagram – if you are looking for ideas for a new remodel or a room refresh, Sue is your go-to!
Thanks for guest hosting along with us today Sue!
This month we’re chatting about lighting – such an impactful way to add personality or update your home! While I’ve been obsessing over this very topic for our kitchen renovation (oh the decisions to be made!), today I thought I’d mix it up with a few of my favorite affordable ways to light up your home. Affiliate links are included in this post for your convenience. Read more about affiliate links here.
THRIFT STORE LIGHTING SCORES
If you keep an eye out, once in a while you can hit the jackpot with lamp bases that have intact cords. They are usually masked by dust and general grossness and missing a shade. I found a pair of these perfect white ginger jar lamps at the Habitat ReStore, where 99 times out of 100 I never find anything halfway decent in the lamp aisle (but that one time is so worth it!) All they needed were a good cleaning and fresh new shades and they were good to go! (And they are my favorite lamps at a mere $11 each!)
These sweet things below got a quick coat of spray paint for my son’s teen room makeover…..
…but then I discovered they were the perfect height for the settee that is against the half wall in our family room!
To top your thrifted lighting treasures, Ikea lampshades are a steal (see how to make them fit non-Ikea lamps here), Target sells a nice textured bright white linen drum shade and Pottery Barn has the creamy white fine weave linen drum shade (currently on sale) that is in the first thrifted lamp photo above.
This is my all time favorite thrift store lamp makeover by Linda at The Home I Create!! The before is so excellent!
INSPIRED IKEA HACK LIGHTING
You already know I’m a fan of transforming the Arstid wall lights…..
Our daughter’s bedroom lights with metal shades
The same Domino article that shared our “brass” light hack features a few other really clever Ikea lighting hacks that are worth checking out.
PLUGIN LIGHTS CONVERTED TO HARDWIRE
When you’re looking for wall lights for your home, considering the plug-in variety gives you even more possibilities at various price points! I loved the starburst sconce at World Market, an affordable version of the Kelly Wearstler Strada sconce. The World Market one is a cool $400 less, thankyouverymuch.
The affordable ones are plug-in lights, but did you know plug-ins can very easily be converted to hardwired lights? I had an electrician install electrical boxes and convert these lights for me during the One Room Challenge – it literally took him about 30 seconds to strip the cord and voila – converted to hardwire.
(Now if someone can direct me to new energy efficient lightbulbs that don’t have those horrible orange filaments I would appreciate it!)
CONSIDER THE POWER OF PAINT
If your budget is getting in the way of updating lighting in your home, don’t underestimate how transformative a can of spray paint could be!!
Eight years ago when we first moved here, I painted the lanterns by our front door and garage black, and they have held up amazingly through the years even with our Massachusetts winters! They are just starting to develop a little patina.
I was going to change them out when we had our house painted white last year, but I actually still like them. Black lanterns are a classic! (We just got a quote from a local landscaping company to do the steps and front beds in the spring at long last, super excited about that project!)
To paint exterior lights, remove glass (tabs inside the fixture can be bent back for removal), carefully tape newspaper all around the light, add a small bit of tape over the socket, and spray lightly. A couple coats will do the trick.
THE LOOK FOR LESS
I wasn’t looking for a Darlana Linear Lantern knockoff when I bought our dining room light, it was just a great scale for the size of our table. As soon as the more expensive version appeared in a Studio McGee project it’s popularity skyrocketed, but honestly I still love the one we used!
If you find a light fixture you absolutely love but is way over your budget, save a photo of it, then upload it to Google Images to find similar versions to price shop.
I also adore the blog Copy Cat Chic by Reichel Broussard – whenever I’m in the market for something in particular I pop over there to see if there are any interesting looks for less…type in “pendant light” or “chandelier” and watch all sorts of good things come up.
So there you have it, a few ideas to light up your abode without lighting up your charge card!
I can’t wait to see what my design savvy co-hosts have in store for us….let’s go take a look!
Have a wonderful day!
Shelley @ Calypso in the Country says
Great tips, Lisa! I think some of us overlook lamps in thrift stores. After seeing yours painted, I am sold on that idea! I love your sconces too…what a steal! Enjoy the rest of your week!
Shelley
Jennifer Griffin says
Your lighting is beautiful, Lisa, and you always do such a great job at upgrading those thrifted and Ikea finds! Your new family room sconces are my favorite!