Let’s talk about a not so quick fix. Between patio building and kitchen makeover-ing, Sherry and I like to “treat” ourselves to a few quick and easy projects that keep the ol’ morale up and allow us to catch our breath (so we don’t burn out or throw things at each other). And one fast & easy job that we’ve had planned for a while was swapping out the fixture in our guest bathroom for something more us.
There was nothing particularly wrong with what was there, per se – but it was a bit more traditional than we’d pick ourselves (so we figured donating it to the Habitat For Humanity ReStore would give it a second life while we upgraded to something that felt more our style). At first we considered just replacing the shades for a quick mini makeover, but the big and chunky back plate (which was as wide as the fixture itself) wasn’t really doing it for us either.
Here’s a more straight on shot of it, which was impossible to take without getting my whole body in the mirror. On the other hand, if I had just removed my shirt I could have done my dead-ringer Jacob From Twilight impression (note: to those unfamiliar with my shirtless physique, this is a joke).
Anyway, back to our lighting situation. Here’s the new light that we picked up at Lowe’s a few weeks back. It’s one of those fixtures where you can choose from an assortment of covers to sort of “customize” the look. We’ve always been fans of seeded glass, so Sherry snagged these two covers (which are more seeded and textured than this photo really depicts). The total was around $25.
First I had to remove the old fixture. Which was clearly very tightly affixed to the wall. Not. After removing just one of the glass covers the entire thing tipped sideways from the weight of the remaining cover. Awesome.
Anyways, it came off smoothly and I was left with this beautiful site:
Did I mention I turned off the breaker to the entire house before I started? That’s how Captain Careful rolls.
Attaching the new fixture was nothing special – I just connected a few wires (I usually just mimic how the old fixture was connected, taking note as I remove it and duplicating the setup with the new one). Once the fixture was wired and screwed into the wall (about a five minute process), I eagerly readied the wall for its debut. I scrubbed off some of the marks from the old light…
… and screwed on our favorite part of the new light: the seeded glass bulb covers that Sherry picked out separately for a little flair (you could pick from frosted, clear, seeded, and even colored or fluted options).
But when we stepped back and looked at it, something was off. Do you see what we saw?
All we could focus on was how giant and incredibly conspicuous those plastic threads were above the bulb thanks to the choice of the seeded glass cover.
Some of you might think we’re crazy for fixating on that, but it was totally bothering us that the sleek brushed nickel fixture and charming seeded glass covers were interrupted by those big bands of plastic. To us, it made the whole thing look kinda cheap (even though it kinda was, we didn’t want it to look that way). So we were bummed because we otherwise liked how it looked (and briefly considered trying to paint them silver to match but decided that we didn’t want to settle).
Sure frosted covers could have solved the problem, but the whole draw of this fixture was that we could go with the seeded covers that we love (we had one hanging above our kitchen sink in the old house so I guess we were feeling sentimental). Not wanting to stop short of a fixture that we 100% loved, we darted back out to a few lighting places to find a replacement.
This time we had a new direction in mind (anyone else think of Glee when I said “new direction”?). Having been inspired by Lady Bower’s new bathroom fixtures and some of the exterior ones that we already have (seen here and here), we thought we’d go for something a bit more industrial slash retro. The guest bathroom already has that vibe going on with the vintage yellow tile and the old school floating sink anyway. So this is what we came home with, courtesy of the outdoor lighting section of Home Depot (for 29 beans):
With new light in hand, it was time for take two of our light fixture replacement adventure. Which, of course, started by undoing our first attempt and carefully repackaging it so we could return it. And getting a “take two” hand signal from the wife in the mirror.
At this point the scene outside of the bathroom was starting to look a bit like this:
Another 5-or-so minutes later, this puppy was up and the power was back on.
I know he looks a little funny since the rest of the room is so unfinished. But our new light actually gets us excited to let the industrial-ish vibe inspire some other choices in the bathroom (we still need some art, paint on the walls, and possibly a mirror tweak among a few other touches to make it all come together).
Plus, how’s this for a nice bonus? The glass cover is seeded glass. We didn’t even know that from looking at the display in the store or the picture on the box. Total bonus. Like it was meant to be or something.
Actually, speaking of the glass cover – the one thing we weren’t so sure about was the wire “cage” around it. We thought it was kinda cool, but maybe a bit too industrial for our comfort zone at the moment.
So we decided to take it off – just for the time being (since it easily snaps into place – or out of place if you want to remove it).
For now, we think we prefer it the cageless way, but who knows how we’ll feel down the line as we bring more art/paint/accessories into the room and it really starts to take shape. We’re definitely only about 2% done in here. More to come.
And thus ends the tale of our not-so-quick, quick fix. All in all I think it took us around three hours (driving included) so it wasn’t that bad. But we thought it was going to be one of those five minute things. Of course it probably would’ve been a little faster had I not been taking pictures of myself in the mirror every five seconds. Look, I put a filter on this one. You know, because everything looks more gangster with a filter on it.
And yes I am wearing my Dr. Pepper shirt. How you like me now?
Have you guys ever had projects that were supposed to be quick turn into a little something more? Don’t you hate climbing back into the car to grab something that you never anticipated needing? Does your grandma have a sugar bowl that reminds you of the original shades of the fixture that we replaced?
Mine and Sherry’s both totally do.
Heather @ REOlisticRenovation says
That is the same fixture I want for the front of our house!
Shawn says
We also replaced our bathroom lighting. You were lucky, it looks like your wall behind the fixture was actually painted with the rest of the wall. We, unfortunately, discovered the previous owners only painted around the chunky fixture! So now we have to match the paint and hope we get it touched up well enough that no one will ever know.
In the meantime our crisp red walls are beautiful (we have a red and white bathroom), while the square of crazy sponge paint blue frames our nice fixture.
Jenn says
I have that EXACT same light fixture on my front and back porches… never thought of using it inside :) awesome idea!
Sheryl J says
I love the new fixture (love it more with the cage since it looks more industrial, but oh well). Can’t wait to see this bathroom come together!
Julie says
I just installed a $30 outdoor light fixture in our living room and I love it! I just shared a picture on my blog – click on my name above for the sexy outdoor lighting in my living room pics.
I searched for months for all kinds of (expensive) light fixtures to cover the lovely hole in the wall with live wires sticking out that we inherited from the previous owner. I love the industrial look of an outdoor fixture, and you seriously can’t beat the price!
Paige Jones says
love the final decision. I like the industrial vibe goin’ on.
Donna Huebsch says
Well, I really like your second light choice, and yeah, I think I would have totally fixated on the exposed plastic threads, too, although I didn’t notice them until you pointed them out.
And, since you asked, hubby just had a project that took WAY longer than he thought. I mentioned how nice it would be to have a working TV jack in the master while we’re renovating in there so that K16 can hang out with us and not be lonesome. What he thought would take 2-3 hours turned into an all day job…but hey, we now have TV in the master :o)
renee says
I have three of those lights on the outside of my house.
Love them; however my tween/teenage boys have shot out the glass on every one with their silly air soft guns.
I need a Young House Love/Living With Teenagers version of this fine blog!
YoungHouseLove says
Check back with us in about 15 years. Haha.
xo,
s
Kim says
House question: do you guys keep all of your instructions, etc. that come with light fixtures, appliances, etc.? (I’m sure you do). How do you organize that info, and where do you keep the spare parts that come with them (screws, allen wrenches that might come with them, etc.)?
YoungHouseLove says
We keep the manuals and booklets that we’ll actually need in a binder (we just hole punch them and stick them in), but more for things like our grill and our range hood (and not so much a light that we have successfully installed- just because our binder would probably explode).
xo,
s
Rachelle S says
Looks great~ your second choice is what I have on the exterior of my house, so I think its a great choice : )
elle C. says
I like the more industrial light, especially with the cage on. When you mentioned adding some artwork to go with the more industrial style fixture, I immediately thought of some close-up black & white photos of that metal beehive-looking material that they use to build airplanes (since you guys like bees and all). Do you know that stuff I’m talking about? I wish I knew the name of that material, but I was only about 8 when we went on a field trip to see how airplanes were built, so I don’t remember the name of it, but I thought it was SO cool.
This is the closest thing I could find: http://www.flickr.com/photos/oalsaker/2912503704/
YoungHouseLove says
I think I know what you’re talking about! We’ll have to see if we can hunt some down!
xo,
s
Kacie says
I’m seriously going to get this light now!!!! I love the idea of using an outdoor light inside. We are also getting ready to redo our kitchen AND patio. Phew!
Kacie
http://www.acollectionofpassions.blogspot.com/
Heather W says
I love the light fixture and the idea of using an outdoor light instead. Also, the price is right.
I need a new light for my half bath and am debating between nickel and bronze. Any thoughts?????? Would love an opinion the color of the bathroom is very similiar to your bedroom in the first house. Help me please….. can’t decide.
YoungHouseLove says
Can’t go wrong with either! Bronze is a bit more traditional and nickel is usually a bit more sleek looking. Just check out other bathrooms that you love and see if the hardware is nickel or bronze. Good luck!
xo,
s
Heather W says
I know I really like bathrooms with both colors of fixtures. I am planning on diy the knobs in my home bronze and would like walnut floors so was worried might be too much brown with the bronze and the nickel may lighten up. Any thoughts??? This is the biggest decision I am having. It seems so silly I know.
YoungHouseLove says
I think bronze with walnut floors sounds gorgeous! I say go for it and if you have to spray them brushed nickel later it’s always an option!
xo,
s
jeannette says
okay, so this mention of the industrial/rustic vibe is officially a trend, what with your hooker table yesterday and your fab console in the LR.
this guy has just opened an etsy shop, and might be worth looking into.
http://onefortythree.com/home/
also there’s the girls over at “brooklyn to west” who are designing a hip italian restaurant in nocal out of all salvaged wood.
http://brooklyntowest.blogspot.com/
YoungHouseLove says
So cool!
xo,
s
Ange says
I love the cage! I agree it doesn’t suit the rest of the bathroom at the moment, but I hope it makes a comeback when the time is right!
Erin @ One Project at a Time says
Running back to the hardware store is The. Worst. part of home improvement! The other day I realized that our 2 year old son was singing the jingle for our local home improvement store (“You save big money- when you shop Menards” for those of you in the Midwest) They play it on this endless loop in there (it’s the “Small World” on home improvement) and obviously we’ve spent far too much time there lately! :)
KCatGU says
John’s affinity for soda sure comes through in his clothes. Wasn’t he wearing a sprite shirt one day at the Bowers? Hehe
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah- he has two soda-related t-shirt. What’s worse? He wants more.
xo,
s
Allison Andres says
Ha, I totally have this light up on my front porch!! I really need to take it down and paint it black to match our screen door and railing though!
Jennifer says
The new light looks awesome…gives me the inspiration to tackle our fixtures (we have globe vanity lights). I hope you post something about fixing/replacing bathtub faucets or resurfacing a tub since those are on my list too.
Laura says
Love the second light choice so much better! And definitely cage off – very cool! I’m inspired!
Erin @ His and Hers says
That picture of John with the thumbs up to the “tightly affixed” fixture is hilarious. Good choice on the light!
And I wouldn’t normally do this, but we just re-did our bathroom lights and made them out of applesauce jars…and since you guys share credit for the ones that inspired me to have fun (and be a DIYer) with my house in the first place, I thought I’d share. :)
http://his-and-hers-blog.blogspot.com/2011/07/new-bathroom-lights-courtesy-of-wegmans.html
YoungHouseLove says
OH MY GOSH THAT’S THE MOST CREATIVE THING I’VE SEEN IN A LONG TIME! OBSESSED!!!
xo,
s
Erin @ His and Hers says
Ah! That reply made my day! You’re so sweet for checking it out when I know you have a million other things to do. Happy anniversary, by the way! :)
Kim says
Pickle jars, Sherry? :)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, you know I love pickle jars!
xo,
s
Jaimie says
I LOVE the second light. The first one you snagged was better than the original, but this one is way more awesome! And it will look even better once you get to redoing the rest of the room.
Jill says
what do you guys think of this light fixture for a bathroom? http://www.lowes.com/pd_203290-76219-GKX1691A_4294857032+4294867539_4294937087_?productId=3265165&Ns=p_product_prd_lis_ord_nbr|0||p_product_qty_sales_dollar|1&pl=1¤tURL=%2Fpl_Wall%2BFixtures_4294857032%2B4294867539_4294937087_%3FNs%3Dp_product_prd_lis_ord_nbr%7C0%7C%7Cp_product_qty_sales_dollar%7C1%26page%3D5&facetInfo=Wall Fixtures
YoungHouseLove says
I could definitely see that in a zen-like space (soft green walls, bamboo floors, clean white basin sink, reclaimed wood sign on the wall as art, etc).
xo,
s
KristenG says
I used that exact same fixure in my bathroom remodel, last summer. But the glass globe was too glare-y for me. I solved it by applying a coating of matte finish Mod-Podge and then spraying with poly to fix it. It softened the light just enough, you can’t see the bulb up close and personal, but you still get the nice seeded glass effect.
Great job, guys!
MJ says
I’ve come to expect an extra trip to the store mid-project. Just went to Home Depot this morning covered in expresso coloured stain!
I also vote cage… loved the idea of bringing the outdoors in. Very cleaver!
Jen says
I don’t think it’s physically possible to do a DIY project without multiple trips to the store.
Karen Maia says
It looks great. I have the same light fixture outdoors on my lamp post, in black. Love the style.
Karen M.
Karen says
I think light fixtures are always the worst offenders, especially in an old house. Check out my hallway light issues on my blog: http://yearofserendipity.wordpress.com/2011/05/16/light-fight/
P.S. I love that light!! Is it an exterior fixture? I’m coveting it for my front door now.
YoungHouseLove says
Love the new fixture! And yes, that was originally an outdoor light. Works inside too!
xo,
s
Pamala says
I was just checking out the blog and noticed how alike your new bathroom fixture looks to your front porch light fixture. Is it just me, or is it just the way it looks in the shot?
Great job, as always!
YoungHouseLove says
Totally similar! They’re like brothers- or cousins. Haha.
xo,
s
Plein Jane says
So with grey and yellow, are you planning to use that sweet yard of fabric you got not long ago?
YoungHouseLove says
Am I blanking out? Don’t remember that yard of fabric? Did we just show it and not buy it? Maybe it was for Clara’s weekly pics? Hmm, off to look at my fabric pile…
xo,
s
Amanda says
Pretty sure they are talking about the fabric you bought at your favorite fabric store when you went to visit the Bowers.
YoungHouseLove says
Oh- riiiight! I have big plans for that as art in another room of the house. More on that soon!
xo,
s
jenny says
LOL Sugar bowls :)) you’re so right, I see it now!! she totally does :))
Michaela says
We had planned on replacing the laminate in our bathroom with pretty ceramic tile. So we got all of our tile and tools…and then my husband ripped the vanity out so he could tile underneath it…and that ruined the drywall. So we fixed that, then decided to paint… and get a new vanity… and a new light fixture… and new switch covers. It was the longest “quick” project ever!
Jillian says
I’ve been eyeing this light fixture at HD for awhile now. I’ve seen some more pricier versions (that I do like better). But I keep coming back to this one, because it fits what I want and is a great price point! I am planning to put this or a similar light in my front porch! :-) Well done!
Meagan says
Ok this is totally unrelated to this post. This weekend I was at my parents’ house for the 4th, and my mom is slowly updating the room that was mine as a child. We bought some white vivan ikea curtains for the room. I opened the first pack and held one of the curtains up to one of the two windows and just one panel alone could have covered the window. So I suggested we pull a “John and Sherry” and cut the panels in half and make 2 curtains into 4 and return our other pack. It was a success. Thanks for saving us $20.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw – so glad!
xo,
s
Nevin says
Hate to change the subject – check out Pottery Barn’s fall line. Search for Equestrian Horse Hook – so you Sherry!!!! It’s small, yet it’s only $10!!!! Gotta have it for somewhere! :)
YoungHouseLove says
Love it! So much like this one we got a while back: https://www.younghouselove.com/2011/02/12-things-23-if-youre-an-optimist/
xo,
s
Tania says
I love the final fixture…
When building my new construction, I ordered an expensive fixture from allmodern (~$300, I know, what was I thinking?). It was okay, it just didn’t go well with the mirror, I loved the mirror so changing that out was not an option.
I finally took it down, put up $49 broadway lights from home depot which are just perfect with everything else.
Haven’t donated the expensive mistake yet, holding on to it for now, bf is a carpenter, he may be able to use it in a client’s bathroom redo but if not, its going to habitat.
Amanda says
Great job…you’ve inspired me to finally change our lighting fixtures. I think we are over the whole golblet and brassy-finish lighting. :)
Nikki says
I love the industrial look! You gave me inspiration for what to put up above my bathroom mirror too! Sending warm fuzzies and good vibes your way : )
Katrina says
Please, oh please, oh please buy our vintage Edison bulb for that bath light. Would look so much more fab!
http://www.shadesoflight.com/40-watt-vintage-edison-a-light-bulb.html
YoungHouseLove says
Love that!
xo,
s
Liesl says
Your post brought back memories of my dad’s change-a-toilet-seat-turned-entire-bathroom-remodel :)
I do like the new light! Seeded glass is so pretty!
Ann says
I definitely like the light!
Nothing is ever simple in our house. We wanted to switch out the house numbers and ended up buying a new drill (because ours broke) only to find out we needed a hammer drill to get through the stucco. Fortunately, the owner of the hardware where we purchased the drill also rents out equipment. He felt bad that we broke and purchased a drill in the process and let us use the right drill for free. I love happy endings.
Kelly says
Q: And yes I am wearing my Dr. Pepper shirt. How you like me now?
A: Same as before, which is a lot, though maybe just a smidge less than Sherry. But don’t feel bad, it’s just that Sherry is extra awesome. Fine, you’re both awesome.
Q: Have you guys ever had projects that were supposed to be quick turn into a little something more?
A: That describes most of the “quick” projects I’ve ever done.
Q: Don’t you hate climbing back into the car to grab something that you never anticipated needing?
A: Yes, but I’ve come to expect and accept it as a part of my life.
Q for you: I’m surprised to see you are using incandescent light bulbs – what’s up with that? CFLs use only one-sixth as much energy, they are pretty cheap these days, and they even come in formats that hide the swirly tube inside an oldschool-shaped bulb if that’s the issue.
YoungHouseLove says
1. You’re hilarious.
2. We use CFLs in about 95% of our lights/lamps, etc. Just clear glass bulbs in the very few fixtures where you can see them (like our old seeded glass kitchen pendant). We figure stuff like our rain barrel, one-car-household-ness, and compost bin hopefully make up for one or two glass bulbs while the rest of the house is illuminated CFL-style.
xo,
s
Kelly says
Good to hear. I didn’t mean to bash your eco-cred. You’re very green, and a couple incandescent bulbs are not going to tip the scales. Oh and speaking of such things, have you considered getting a home energy audit? Our electric company subsidizes them and ours was super helpful and interesting. http://diynot.tumblr.com/post/6868762658/home-energy-audit Maybe your city has a similar program – if so, highly recommended.
YoungHouseLove says
Yes- we’d love to get one! We wanted to get one at our last house but that ship sailed, so we better get on it now that we’ve moved!
xo,
s
Lydia says
Totally gangsta!!!! Haha love it!
Relevant Notes says
I love both of those light options – much better than what you had before!
Amy M says
Not be completely off topic, but I recall you being madly in love with a mirror from West Elm… was this it? Just saw it on sale and thought of you.
http://www.westelm.com/products/round-coco-mirror-w522/?pkey=call-sale
I know it’s still expensive but there’s got to be some kind of coupon somewhere!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much! Wish it were a tad bigger (no place for an 18 incher, but lots of room for a 30″ dude!).
xo,
s
Krista says
Can you paint tile? Just wondering….
YoungHouseLove says
You can get it professionally reglazed. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
SallyHP says
That plastic would have been screaming at you every time you walked in the door and flipped on the light! I love the second option, and think that wire cage will be snapped back in when you finish decorating. I love it!
Hollie @ I'm Busy Procrastinating says
Liking the new fixture, WITH the cage. It’s a fun change from a traditional bathroom fixture, and a huge upgrade from the Granny’s-candy-dish fixture you had in there before!
Kristina Ramaker says
That’s pretty much how all of my projects go :)