Brass Be Gone – Improved Lighting Situations

We’ve come quite a ways in our kitchen since we bought our home just over two years ago. Can you believe that it used to look like this?

But we’ve still had this little guy hanging out over the sink. In all of its brass glory. And you probably have figured out by now how I feel about brass. Remember when we un-brassed the closet doors because I thought that they were so lovely?

I’m kind of embarrassed that we’ve lived so long with this guy, actually. I recently found a beautiful pendant light at Lowes and knew that the time had come to make the switch. I had been looking online for something industrial, but not too industrial.

I was learning the hard way that to have the cool Edison bulb look would be expensive. Like, around $100 expensive. Light bulb not included. And just one light bulb was going for $15 on Amazon!

And then I scored it. The perfect light at Lowes for $52, and the Edison bulb was snuggly packed inside the box. Double-bonus? I really liked the light!

It had a cool glass shade that would allow the extremely over-priced Edison bulb to be seen in all of its goodness. It would be a shame to pay a small fortune for something and then hide it away.

This is it! I guess a picture of the box would have been helpful, but I was too busy turning off circuit breakers to get this started before dark. It’s very difficult to switch out a light in the dark…

Do you like it? Kind of farm, kind of industrial, but not screaming too loudly about anything. I love it! Let’s put it up!

 

Just like everything that we’ve discovered in this house so far, the wiring had been done incorrectly on the previous light. How hard is it to use the grounding wire, people?! So Hubby made sure that everything was right before replacing the brass with this goodness.

 

Getting there! The final touches are made. Let’s see if it can hang…and it can! Ta da!

Well, I love it. I was surprised at how low the lighting level was, since all of the reviews online said to buy an even dimmer bulb because this guy puts out so much light. I guess we’re going more for ambience in here now.

And we decided last night that we will be just fine with a normal bulb in here when Edison finally dies. It will give the extra light to which we’ve grown accustomed in here. But for now, it’s working great for us.

I really like it. I love the look and the height from the sink. It’s perfect, really. Lowes lighting section scores again! That’s where I got our new bathroom light a few months ago, too!

The Edison bulb is pretty nifty. I guess the glass shade is supposed to look a little aged and dirty, because I’ve scrubbed it and it still looks like this. Oh well. It’s for ambience, right?

I realize that it is almost the same color as the cabinets. Originally, I was thinking something yellow and bright and fun and happy in here. It was pretty easy to hang, so I can always change my mind about spray-painting it later. This kitchen just needs more color!

I’ve been wanting to do a green glass tile backsplash but was hoping to replace the countertops first. Since our big project this fall is redoing our back yard, my kitchen color may just have to wait.

But I really love the change. It’s the first thing that I notice when I come through the garage door.

It’s warm and inviting. And Hubby was a rock star to help me figure out the perfect height for it. I probably could have changed this out without his help, but what fun is that?

Brass be gone, and I couldn’t be happier about that executive decision.

Now, when we’re doing dishes in here, it feels like we’ve gone back in time a hundred years. Luckily, it doesn’t hum. I don’t think that Edison would last long if that was the case. I’m really happy with how it looks and how little money was taken out of my purse to achieve such a neat solution for us.

What bright ideas have you had lately? Any easy changes that made you wonder, “Why didn’t I do this forever ago?!”