New drum shade style light fixture
September 05, 2011
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We had noticed a few weeks ago that the framing around our back door was rotting away. We thought it would be a quick fix, and our handyman did too. That is until he started removing trim and found massive amounts of water damage – separate from the mess in the rest of the kitchen:
That’s a hole in our kitchen floor. For a brief moment in time we had a fabulous source of natural light in the basement. ;) I try to look at the bright side.
I told him to just tear out the floors cause they were going anyway -- thank GOODNESS we discovered this before replacing the floors!! (And no, there’s still no movement on that – hopefully this week.)
The folks who built our deck made it too high – so for six years the water has been flowing into the door frame every time it rained. That eventually ate away at the trim, the subfloor and the threshold.
Anyhoo, our awesome handyman worked from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. and got it fixed up and did a few little changes that will keep this from happening again. LOVE HIM.
So…there’s been a little change I’ve been wanting to make to the kitchen for a while now, and this weekend I decided to do it. Because I needed to do something to the space that would make me feel in control again.
Or maybe I just wanted a pretty new light. Who knows. ;)
Recently something has been bugging me about light over the kitchen table:
I love it! But it felt too light…I don’t know, just not substantial enough. Once I realized what it was that was buggin’ me, I couldn’t get it out of my head. I just wanted something that was a bit more dramatic to fill that “space” in the room.
Enter the Portfolio light from Lowes:
I think it was $140? It was LUUURVE at first sight. I think I gasped just a bit when I saw it in the store, cause I knew it would look so good over our table.
I installed it the other night (with very little daylight to spare – I forget the sun sets so much earlier already!) and I couldn’t be happier with it:
It adds a little contemporary flare to the space:
I love it combined with our antique claw foot table. :)
I think what I love most is that it sends all of the light down to the table – it is SO much brighter under there now:
And of course I have it on a dimmer switch so it looks fab down low or up high. I love it!!
I thought about spraying it black for about two hot seconds, but I think we have enough black going on. (And at night it looks black anyway.) I’m working on some ways to bring some more color into this side of the kitchen, but for now, I love how this has changed it up a bit:
And look how calm our kitchen looks from this side (although you can see where I covered the torn out flooring by the door with the rug).
This side tells the real story of the past week:
This is what happens when your pile spot (your island) is in the office. ;)
So here’s my before and after for this month –- the previous chandelier on the left, the new pendant on the right:
Typically your fixture should hang about 28 to 32 inches above your table and I always end up cutting my wires too short when I install. ALWAYS. This one hangs 32 above the table, which I’m now happy about because any lower would have been directly in the eye line (for me anyway). As it is we can see under it well.
I found an old photo of the light after I installed it last year and it’s fun to see the changes since then:
Including the addition of a cute (rascally) dog. ;) And the removal of a floor. Gah.
I "lurve" your new light, Sarah! It seems like it fits your style perfectly. Love the lines! Can't believe you have to deal with more water damage. :( So sorry!!
ReplyDeleteWanted to thank you for hosting! I linked up my Back to School Crayon Wreath. :)
Oh dear. Here's hoping your water problems will be over soon! :(
ReplyDeleteOn a brighter note, I love the new chandy! There is something about drum shades that make me happy... and the pattern on that one is lovely! (from Lowes? really!?)
Thanks so much for hosting!
Sarah, the light is perfection. I can't believe how a simple change like that just totally transformed the space!
ReplyDeleteGreat job, girl! :) XO
Fantastic! I love the new chandi! Your right - it really does make it more contemporary! Great job! Oh and thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteThat new light fixture is GORGEOUS!
ReplyDeleteThe light looks awesome!! What a difference it makes and crazy to see how many changes you've made in that area, they all look great! Good luck with the floors - what a freaking nightmare!
ReplyDeleteOh! It is gorgeous!! I love it!
ReplyDeleteI love the new chandy! And it's funny because my mom has the table lamps in the EXACT design! I love them, well because I picked them out for her new house. :)
ReplyDeleteOh my god, I love your new light!!! I have been looking for a new light fixture and I have just added this to our list!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE that light and I'm not a very contemporary girl, but it's wonderful. It makes the room look so pulled together and polished.
ReplyDeleteSorry about the water damage, though!
Looks so good! I am always looking for the perfect fixture, and this one is excellent.
ReplyDeleteAnna
That light is gorgeous!!! I love the look of chandeliers, but that pendant really completes the space and ties it all together beautifully.
ReplyDelete*HUGS* on all the crap you've been going through. Water damage is not kind, but I hope things get settled and soon.
And thank you for the guidelines on the height, my light fixture has been needing to be swagged for awile, is driving me nuts, and my husband doesn't understand why. I think we're at 22 inches or so above the table? hahaha, so way, WAY too low!
Love the new light! What a good find. Definitely brings a punch of fun into the space. And sniff sniff about your kitchen floor! That just cannot be fun in any sense of the word! At least the dehumidifiers are gone, right? : )
ReplyDeleteThe new light is so fabulous! What a great deal and it looks amazing. Thank you for hosting such a fabulous party, I cannot wait to see all of the fantastic projects!
ReplyDeleteCheers!
Cyndy
The light looks great! I love your style! Thank you for hosting!
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting! I have followed your blog for some time. I'm a first timer linking up! I love your lighting.
ReplyDeleteI like how the round shape of the chandelier echoes the shape of the table and how the pattern in the chandelier echoes the cross backs of your chairs. Great pick!
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting the par-tay! We ripped off some paneling in our basement last night because of long, slow water damage. The baseboards are rotten. I feel your pain! We're thinking we're going to have to get an excavator to dig out around the house to find the water entry. Fun times! Good luck!
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting! Boo to water damage! Ugh. Been there, done that, blocked it from my mind thank you very much. Hopefully, you can do something fun with the new floor. I do really like the light. I am looking at a similar style for our new house. :)
ReplyDeleteI really love your new light fixture! Here's a link to a mini project of mine - http://unlockingthepossibilities.blogspot.com/2011/09/mini-project-my-bedroom-art.html. I linked back to your post. I'm not sure how to link up! Sorry!
ReplyDeleteI love the Portfolio lights at Lowes. They are stylish and affordable. Great change! Love the look. Thanks for the party!
ReplyDeleteSherry
The new light fixture looks great. And you made such a great choice in painting those doors. Especially with the black table, the room looks so much richer now, and not so "builder."
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting, by the way. Enjoy our cool Hoosier weather this week! I know we are!
Your light fixture makes a great statement. Love the design. Thanks for hosting.
ReplyDeleteI was eyeing that exact same light at Lowe's this weekend!! Love it! My dining room walls are almost exactly the color of yours so your pictures are liking previewing what it would look like in my dining room...thanks! LOL!
ReplyDeleteI have a couple of thoughts for you. First, we have the same vacuum! Love that Dyson!
ReplyDeleteSecond, you've convinced me that a good handy(wo)man is worth his/her weight in gold. Glad to hear you have a good one.
Lastly, that light is gorgeous :)
awesome light!! thanks for hosting!
ReplyDelete♥jaime...sevensisters
I love your before and after link ups!
ReplyDeleteGAD - how's your luck lately!? I swear there are times when a handful of things hit all at once. You're about do for a run of smooth sailin' I'd say.
ReplyDeleteIn other news, ahhhhhh, I LOVE that light!!!! I was wanting you to say it was like $20 bucks so I could run there tomorrow and get it for MY dining room! Durn.
P.S. I have all my party places on my sidebar...let me know if you'd prefer the link back in the post as well. :o)
ReplyDeleteLOVE the light!!! My birthday is next month and I know now what I will be asking for!! It's in stock at the Lowe's down the street for my house. I've never liked my builder's grade fixture and this is GORGEOUS!! Love your kitchen, your house and all of your ideas!
ReplyDeleteOh I am Loving your light fixture! We have so many horrible light fixtures (3 which are in the kitchen) and they drive me batty! They're just not the top priority right now...which sucks. You give me hope though. The pendant makes such a difference in your room!
ReplyDeleteThe light fixture you found to replace your previous one looks so good in your dining area! It definitely fills the space very well, and fits in with everything else in the room beautifully! :)
ReplyDeleteI hope you have a great Tuesday! :)
Blessings,
Jenni
Your new light is fab!!! I love it! And what a good girl you are Sarah, you did not paint it black, lol. I think it looks just right as it is:) As I said before, you will magically make your kitchen look even better than it did before the little fridge accident, and here we go: you started already, hahaha! Fantastic:)
ReplyDeleteHave a great day!
I love your new light! Anything with a drum shade just makes me a smitten kitten. :-) I think the shape works really well with your round table too - beautiful!
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great linky party - always so many wonderful projects to see!
I would really like to know what fixes the handyman used to keep it from happening again, becasue we have the same too-high-deck problem. ~Lucy
ReplyDeleteIm so sorry for what going on in your kitchen! But way to look on the bright side (no pun intended) Love the new light, I think it def makes the space look all that much better! Ive actually been contemplating that exact light myself but wasnt sure how it would look. Now I know!!! I better make a Lowes run :)
ReplyDeleteLove the new light fixture. It looks great in your kitchen. The problem with your floor? We had the same problem! Our floor at the door/deck has been cutaway twice and the flooring replaced. I hope it works this time.
ReplyDeleteThat light makes such a huge difference!!! Great find...and choice!
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting this fab link party...such great ideas! There goes my morning....
Stop the world. That new light is fantastic! But you said nothing about that fabulous bell on your wall -- I LOVE that! It's the cute little things like that that make a house a home. Everything you do is brilliant, Sarah. I hope your bad luck ends soon!
ReplyDeleteI would never have thought of changing out your old fixture, as I too loved it. HOWEVER, you had vision and your new fixture is fanfreakintastic! I love how you showed your previous look and what an impact a couple of black doors can make! It makes the space so much richer and classier!
ReplyDeleteI love your in light.....I have the table lamp and love it.
ReplyDeleteOh, I lurve that light, too! So perfect - echos the roundness of your table and the x on the back of your chairs.
ReplyDeleteWhat a gorgeous way to shed a little light.
ReplyDeleteThank you for hosting.
way to look on the bright side of things...isn't it priceless to have a truly handy handyman? love the new chandy...thanks for hosting a fun fall party!
ReplyDeletealison
Looks great and love your lovely blog! Good luck on the floors!
ReplyDeleteWhen I first saw the pendant light, I kind turned my nose up at it but when I saw the before and after pictures...you won me over!!! I really like the light fixture and it does look great! Good job :) Now for the rest of the kitchen...what a mess!!! I know, you don't need to be reminded, huh? Sorry :/
ReplyDeleteSo sorry to hear of your water woes. LOVE the new light fixture! It's perfect in that room.
ReplyDeleteJane
frugalfineliving.com
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That light is STUNNING! I can't believe it came from Lowes!
ReplyDeleteHow did I miss this post yesterday? Love the new light - and of course now I covet it like crazy!! Thanks for hosting - popular party too, I am number 282!!
ReplyDeleteI love that light fixture! There are actually a lot of similar fixtures at Overstock.com, with different patterns on the shades, about the same price, maybe a little cheaper. Check them out! http://www.overstock.com/Home-Garden/Chandeliers-Pendants/Pendants,/category,/34/subcat.html?TID=VS:Lighting:A2
ReplyDeleteThat light is perfect. I liked the old one, but the new one is even better!
ReplyDeleteWater problems - GRRRRRRR! Sorry to hear it!
ReplyDeleteI loooove the light- very chic!
Thank you for hosting!
Kerry at housetalkn.blogspot.com
Thank you for hosting this party;)
ReplyDeleteI`m your latest follower!
Lovely greetings...
http://pudel-design.blogspot.com/
I just love your blog! I was also wondering about the giant fork and spoon over your pantry door. Care to share where you got them? Good luck with all your water mess. That just plain sucks!
ReplyDeletenickiwintch@hotmail.com
New lighting really rocks!
ReplyDeleteWow! You've had so much going on this summer, but the kitchen fiasco is a total mega bummer! I'm so sorry y'all have to go thru all of this. But you're right--you have to roll with it, because what else can you do? Hang in there, Sarah! Try not to get hives.
ReplyDeleteGail D.
love love love! excellent choice :)
ReplyDeleteSarah you are too darned cute with the :gasp:
ReplyDeleteI love the light too!
I love this light fixture Sarah! Love the shape of it a lot :)
ReplyDeleteIf only I could change out the lighting in my apartment...
Can't wait to look through some of the other before and afters linked up!
P.S. Sorry for all your water drama! That's no fun :(
I love the new light fixture! I've grown tired of mine too... hmmm. Lowe's huh?
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting the party each month. I got totally thrown by Labor Day, so I am late linking up! Great projects here.
I LOVE that fixture! It is amazing how something so relatively inexpensive can do so much for a space!
ReplyDeleteI’m really liking this blog
ReplyDeleteits really inspiring my to experiment in home decor!
will be bookmarking
The new light is just so much... righter! :-)
ReplyDeleteLove love love the new light - Definitely worth the investment in my opinion!
ReplyDeleteThe new pendant looks absolutely gorgeous!!! Luurrrvve it!! ☺
ReplyDeletejust hopping around different blogs this morning, looking forward to more of your posts!!
your newest follower!
The light makes such a big difference. Also looking at the before and after pictures I love how the back door looks painted black. Seriously considering doing mine just like that.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad I ran across your blog. That light in the store was missing the diffuser on the bottom and seeing it in action in your photos made up my mind. Bought!
ReplyDelete