Young House Love

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Replacing An Old Bathroom Light

We don’t talk much about our hall bathroom. In fact, in 17 months of living here, it’s been the subject of just two posts (knocking down a towel bar and fixing the toilet). And since we later used almost the same color as the inspiration room in our guest bedroom, we’re no longer planning to use that color in here, so we’re kind of back to square one. But we finally made a little lighting progress, as today’s title suggests.

Hall Bath 1 Before

There was nothing especially offensive about the existing fixture – nor anything especially exciting about it. It felt sort of builder basic to us. And kind of “backstage make-up room” to us thanks to the long line of bulbs (long vanity + long mirror + long fixture = lots of long things). So we always told ourselves if we saw something that we liked better (maybe with more height and less width, without looking too pidly and delicate over such a large vanity and mirror) we’d upgrade and then donate the original – since we’re sure someone else might love it more than we do.

We randomly checked out a few home improvement stores over the past year and a half, but nothing really got our figurative motors running. That moment finally came about a month ago while Sherry was on Joss & Main and saw this:

Bathroom Light Joss Main

We obviously liked the dark bronze finish and also liked its sort of industrial / outdoor feel. It was mildly reminiscent of both our guest bathroom light (an outdoor fixture we installed inside for that industrial feeling) and our front porch light (which came with the house).

Bathroom Light Inspiration

And at $60 (down 40 bucks from the original $100 price) it was less expensive than a lot of the alternatives we hadn’t liked as much at the home improvement store. So we pulled the trigger.

The breaking news is that we finally got around to putting this baby in (first it sat on the counter for a few weeks, taunting us). Thanks to the position of our mirror, I had the pleasure of photographing myself a lot in the process. And thanks to the bathtub being in my way, I also got to play the role of the tripod a few times. Apparently my head isn’t very level…

Hall Bath 2 John Tripod

You guys have probably seen me remove a light before, but if not – after turning off the power to the whole house (our fuse box isn’t labeled carefully enough for us to trust it blindly) I carefully removed all of the glass shades and bulbs (I’m a smidge accident prone around those things) and unscrewed the fixture from the wall.

Hall Bath 3 Unscrewing

That revealed this big metal plate that was secured to the wall… along with lots of nasty dust (hence my expression).

Hall Bath 4 John Gross Remove

When I unscrewed the plate I was left with this imprint of what once was: some unpainted areas, a bit of rust, more dust, and some old paint drips.

Hall Bath 5 Gross Wall

After Sherry broke out a lead paint test stick (we got a pack of them from Home Depot about a year ago and they’re still coming in handy) we were relieved to get a negative result so I broke out my cheery little palm sander to smooth out those ridges left by the previous paint job so that our re-paint job will have a better chance of looking seamless. But re-painting’s a future task since we still have to settle on a color for this room (but you know we’ll keep you posted!).

Hall Bath 6 Sanding

With the old fixture successfully down, we brought in the new guy. Here’s what he looked like out of the box.

Hall Bath 7 New Light

I screwed in the mounting bar (a simple task that took longer than usual because the included screws didn’t fit my junction box so we had to run to the hardware store to get different ones).

Hall Bath 8 Screwing In

Then I attached the wires and screwed the new fixture in place. Pretend that giant unpainted spot isn’t there.

Hall Bath 9 Attaching Light

Once the metal shades were affixed and the bulbs were back in place, we had our new and improved light ready to go. My head-tripoding skills also appear to have improved.

Hall Bath 10 John Tripod After

We’re charmed by the extra bit of character this light brings to the otherwise still-ignored bathroom. Thankfully, the two 100 watt bulbs are more than enough to illuminate our small bathroom, and we’re excited about how the dark color of the fixture balances some of the dark accent tile around the room. We also like that it looks sort of old (like our house and many of the other industrial lights we’ve brought in). We have big plans for framing out the mirror, painting the walls, painting the vanity, getting new vanity hardware, doing something to the window, hanging some art, etc. So although it’s not looking too amazing right now, we’re inching towards something that might look cool someday. We hope. Haha.

Hall Bath 11 After

We like how our new fixture better fills the space above the mirror (thanks to more height, which balances the ceiling-height shower curtain on the other side of the room). And we’re actually really happy with the quality of this light. It looks a lot more expensive than 60 beans, just because it’s not flimsy and the dark color is really matte and authentic looking if that makes sense. The little distressed areas don’t feel too country for our tastes, but they make it feel less mass produced and more “oh this old thing, we actually inherited it from Uncle Merlin and it has some great story to tell” – even thought that’s totally not the case.

Hall Bath 12 After Close

And we already dropped the old light off at our Habitat For Humanity ReStore, so the switcheroo is officially complete. Hopefully we’ll have another update post with a paint color sometime soon-ish. And that giant mirror will look a heckova lot more legit once it’s framed out. But at the rate these hall bathroom posts have been appearing so far (along with posts about the guest bathroom, the playroom, and the sunroom – which are our other virtually untouched spaces thus far), I probably shouldn’t make any promises. We’ll get there someday!

What have you guys been hanging in the bathroom? Art? Lighting? Mirrors? Any favorite bathroom paint colors to share? Do you get nervous ordering a light you haven’t seen in person? We must admit we were a little sweaty when we clicked “buy” but we’re glad we took a chance.

Comments

  2. emily says

    Do you have any plans to have an electrician come in and get your fuse box labeled correctly? My rental apartment is the same way, but I know my landlord wouldn’t spring for that repair. It seems like it would make anything involving electrical work that much easier…

    Reply

    • Robin @ our semi organic life says

      I would get so annoyed turning it on and off personally. Every time the power flickers it takes me days to change all the clocks back! Also don’t alarm systems usually reset or not work in such times? My dad just had an electrician come redo their fuse boxes – an old house had crazy stuff going on there, he had to just get a second box.

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We have little power outages in our old neighborhood all the time, so we must just be used to it! Haha. The only clocks we have to reset is the stove and microwave (takes 30 second, maybe?). The rest are wall clocks or things like the cable box/computers, which do it automatically). Our alarm also has a backup system, so if the power is cut off (by us or a sneaky robber) it still runs!

      xo,
      s

    • Lindsey says

      Does labeling a fuse box really require an electrician? We have always just had one person at the fuse box flipping switches and another person stationed in the house with all the lights/radios/TVs blaring to figure out what turned off with which switch. Takes about 30 minutes to an hour to label the whole fuse box. (Tip: use the clock on the stove or turn on the light inside to tell that one).

    • YoungHouseLove says

      That can totally work! Just be careful about oddly wired things that make no sense (ex: our dishwasher runs on a fuse from our basement and everything else in the kitchen runs from a fuse in our laudry room, so if we had switched off the laundry room fuse box and assumed it was connected to all kitchen things and then tried to install a new dishwasher we would have gotten hurt!

      xo,
      s

  3. Lori says

    Looks great, especially with the dark trim tiles! Are you thinking of gutting this bathroom one day like you did in your first house, or just working with what you have?

    Reply

  7. Crystal @ 29 Rue House says

    It looks great! I think breaking up all those long pieces was a good idea! We painted our bathrooms white when we moved in (our 1/2 bath has same white tile with black trim and the other bathroom is green with black trim) – someday we’ll get to a full remodel. I definitely like to see and touch things before buying so I can understand that anxiety!

    Reply

  10. Ann L. says

    This post makes me wish I had an Uncle Merlin. In my mind he’d have a long white beard and spectacles…very Dumbledore-esque.

    Oh yeah, and great light fixture too. ;)

    Reply

  12. Allyn says

    Oh Uncle Merlin, he always had the best stuff. Love the light, makes a big difference, can’t wait to see what color you paint the room!

    Reply

  13. Jen says

    At first I was skeptical but it looks great. Just wondering, why are you using 100 Watt bulbs instead of energy savers? You often talk about trying to be environmental and wallet friendly and 100 Watt bulbs make me cringe.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      It’s all about balance for us. We use CFLs and even some LEDs in all of our closed fixtures, (and compost, drive one car, have a rain barrel, use cloth diapers, etc), but for the few bulbs in our house that are totally visible, we tend to prefer something a little softer (CFLs would add a whole bunch of “modern squiggle” to this fixture, so it wouldn’t align with the old look at all). But we hear they’re making stealthier LEDs and CFLs that look more and more like regular round bulbs, so we can’t wait to check them out!

      xo,
      s

    • Jen says

      I hope you didn’t take offense to my question, I don’t want to criticise your behavior, it just stood out to me based on your past philosohies. Thanks for the feedback.

  14. Amy @ this DIY life says

    I’ve hated the lights in our main bathroom from day 1. First there is the 1987 track lighting and then there is the 4 foot medicine cabinet. I could never put my finger on the reason for my overwhelming disdain…it’s the backstage makeup room! That’s it. Now I know. Thanks for putting a name on it :) LOVE the new light…wonder if it would fit in our half bathroom….

    Reply

  19. Taya says

    Having the same light problem in our full and half bathrooms which have similar lighting to your old vanity fixture. Eventually we will find some lighting that works for us, too. Can’t wait to see the mirror framed out! Good luck!!

    Reply

  20. Betty says

    Please tell me that’s some sort of artwork leaning against the back of the toilet – and not a mirror – from the angles of the pictures, I kept thinking it was another mirror, and that really didn’t make sense :)

    Reply

  22. steoh says

    Actually we are so excited! We finally have a bit of inspiration for our half bathroom- we priced out beadboard, a new vanity and paint. All we need to do is pick out some tile and we will have all the materials set to reno the space! So far, with the vanity, paint and beadboard, we are coming in around $320. We really want to keep the whole project around $400….. so we may need to revamp our plan a bit to cut cost but we are getting there!

    Reply

  26. Betsy says

    The light is fine, whatever, I just had to comment to say that John is looking smokin’ hot. Is that appropriate for your blog? Not sure, but I’m saying it, anyway. Good job, Sherry!

    Reply

  27. Sandy Acree says

    I like it but I have to say I prefer the original one myself. But I know you’re not done in there and you probably have a vision of what it all will be when it’s done that I don’t.

    Reply

  28. Sandra says

    I love the look of the new lights! Have you thought about moving the lighting to the side of the mirror instead of always keeping it above? It’s supposed to give you better light for make up and what not. It still looks great though!I am always terrified to purchase home items online. What if my monitor is wonky and that green is actually a blue? or the material is cheapo looking….. These things would keep me awake at night!

    Reply

  29. Amy S says

    Can’t wait to see what color you paint this room, as I have the same exact bathroom (same wall and floor title exactly), and have left the walls white for the past 8 years for lack of any better idea!

    Reply

  31. MomHomeGuide says

    Congrats! I’m still afraid to install lighting myself. Everytime I get a new fixture, I call in an electrician, and waste tons of money! I still have some fixtures to do, and was wondering if I should try it on my own…but I am very accident prone!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      What about getting a friend or relative with a little experience to come over and help? Or maybe watching a few youtube videos about it before you start, just to get some more info? You can totally do it! Good luck!

      xo,
      s

  32. Rachel C says

    I love the new light. I’m trying to convince my husband to let me replace the boring builder fixtures in our two bathrooms.

    Please frame out the mirror soon! I had a HUGE builder mirror (notice a pattern?) in my master bath that I want to frame. A YHL tutorial would give me the guts to try!

    Reply

  33. Ginny @ goofymonkeys says

    Glad you guys jumped back into the hall bath – I had forgotten about that space!

    I think the light is great – it is definitely smaller than the looooooong light that was there but isn’t puny or undersized. It’s just right.

    Reply

  34. Zoë says

    Love that light! And the floor tile in that bathroom is one of my favorite patterns.

    Right now, we have a cast-iron tub sitting in our carport (it shipped way earlier than expected), and a toilet, vanity, two types of tile (subway for the bath and hex mosaic with black dots for the floor), 2 gallons of paint, a light fixture, and other bath accessories sitting in our den. Luckily the contractors should be showing up TOMORROW to start. So yes, you could say we have plans for our bathroom. I wish we could do it ourselves, but two full-time jobs, and 3 kids don’t mesh well with a complete bathroom reno. Now I just need to find a mirror to hang over the vanity. Who knew finding a plain, black framed mirror would be so hard?

    Reply

  35. Ellen says

    I bought an old brass chandelier at the ReStore a while back and spray painted it turquoise. Haven’t hung it in the bathroom yet though. Hmmm, it’s been months since I painted it. Perhaps this should be one for the “Dude, get on that, already!” file.

    Reply

  36. Jenni R says

    I cannot wait to see how you guys frame up the big ol’ mirror! We have them in each bathroom in our house and I cannot wait to frame them but don’t know where to even start!
    Love your blog – look forward to it everyday!

    Reply

  37. Pamela @ Pink Hammers & Sippy Cups says

    Oooh I absolutely love that light! We’re in the market for a new light for our bathroom (well, basically we’re in the same boat as you with needing a frame, paint, etc haha). This will definitely give me some inspiration to go off of! I love the industrial vibe!

    Reply

  38. Ryan says

    We rent a house here in Hampton and our only bathroom is extremely unfortunate. (Think the 50’s but pastel-ed. It’s salmony wall tiles, minty-aqua accent tiles, and a grayed-teal, seemingly random, small floor-tile design.) Too bad we can’t do anything. Living vicariously through you two!

    Reply

  39. Kris Lapota says

    The mirror is a problem in my bathroom too…reminds me a a piece of cardboard with “reflective” qualities just stuck to the wall. Would you eat fries without ketchup? French toast without syrup? Can you imagine a tree with no star? But…I digress…A mirror needs a frame…and since I’m at that part of my bathroom remodel,(hence the big build-up) could you toss me a link of how you framed out your mirrors from your “Days of Yore” file?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We sort of listed things on our mind for the room in this post (painting the walls, the vanity, switching out vanity hardware, hanging art, framing out the mirror, doing something to the window, etc) so I guess we have a vague list that will probably evolve as we go!

      xo,
      s

  41. Dara says

    Oh I LOVEEEEE the new fixture. It looks so great in that bathroom. I thought you were going to order two of them for in there, but one looks just as good. The dark finish does pull out the tile in the floor which is amazing. Great find on that one! I can’t wait to see the transition of the bathroom.

    Reply

  42. Liz E. says

    I love it!

    I have to admit it’s funny that, although you say it “isn’t looking too amazing right now” it looks 100 times better than my main bath ever thought of looking! (giant unpainted spot and all) =)

    Thanks for all the inspiration!

    Reply

  44. Jennifer says

    Isn’t it amazing what a difference just changing the light fixture can make? When we moved into our first house last year, light fixtures and doorknobs (lol) were the first to go and made such an impact. I am excited to see what paint color you decide on. :)

    Reply

  46. Kinley says

    Hysterical timing – I spent hours yesterday pulling together a list of lighting options for our half bath. Here’s what I’ve come up with: http://pinterest.com/klwelly/powder-room/. I’m leaning toward one of the Schoolhouse Electric options on sale (has anyone ordered from them? If so, were you happy?) and the Benjamin Moore Sheep’s Wool paint.

    Reply

  47. JMB says

    Very nice!! We bought our house just about a year ago and, long story short, the seller was supposed to leave behind a dining room light fixture and didn’t. We ended up taking the plunge based on online photos only and ordered the new fixture from Overstock. Still love it! Though you would think with all that lovin’, I would dust the cobwebs from it a bit more…life goes on!

    Reply

  50. Nikki says

    I’ve almost completed my bathroom re-do, (and I really love it, whoo!), so I thought I’d share a color suggestion. The walls are a warm mid-tone grey with lavender undertones. The color is ‘Chinchilla’ from the Martha Stewart line at H.D. I picked the color chip up with a bunch of others. It really isn’t a stand-out at the store, at least not for me, but on the walls it is deliciously perfect. My bathroom has ORB’d elements as the dark value, and silver as the light value, with pale teal/aqua/silvery grey striped fabric. The wall color connects across them perfectly.

    Reply

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