Happy New Year!!! (that sentiment will make sense in a little while – hold tight)
The time had come to bid adieu to the fan in our bedroom so we could introduce a light fixture with a bit more interest.
Hold on fan lovers. Put the pitchforks (or fan blades?) down and let me explain. We also removed the ceiling fan in our first home’s bedroom and picked up a high-powered Hunter table fan that did the trick, which we plan to use regularly in the warmer months here as well. It’s not that we’re anti fan – my wife likes to make the beyond corny joke that we’re “fan fans” – but we just like them to be well placed so form and function collide into a big beautiful fan-tastic situation. Like the fan in our sunroom (and the one in our last house’s sunroom) which we’d never dream of removing. But when it came to the bedroom the our big old ceiling fan certainly wasn’t playing nice with Ed the Bed:
As for its replacement, on a recent trip to Ikea we picked up this guy: the Maskros pendant lamp (it comes in two sizes, but the bigger one would have practically been Sherry-sized, so we went for the smaller one that’s still 22 inches in diameter). It felt like a good “statement piece” for the bedroom (and only ran us 50 beans) so we were psyched that we finally pulled the trigger and made it ours after a few months of pining. We realize that this is one of those polarizing purchases, but it makes us smile like crazy so we said yes to something fun.
And although it was quite the statement piece when hanging in Ikea, when it arrived home with us, the only statement it was making was “put me together.”
But first the ol’ fan had to come down. So with the electricity to the entire house turned off (we’re safety freaks like that) I went to work disassembling it – a process that I’m pretty well versed at in at this point in my life. Though I have only recently discovered that it’s much easier to remove all of the blades first (so you don’t end up whacking yourself in the head while trying to disconnect the rest of it from the fixture box).
Unfortunately, removing the fan revealed some less than perfect ceiling behind it. Unfinished paint and what looked like a square patch panel that wasn’t sitting flush with the rest of the ceiling. Bummer.
So I decided to borrow a solution from Clara’s damaged ceiling dilemma and darted out to Home Depot to buy yet another ceiling medallion for $19. You can read more about the super-easy ceiling medallion installation process in this post.
Technically you’re not supposed to attach any of the “spokes” to the fixture until after it’s secured to the ceiling. But since we needed to strategically hang it low enough to sit under Ed’s top rail, but high enough to not look ridiculous, we used a couple of attached spokes to approximate its finished size and find the perfect hanging height.
Oh and Ikea suggests just coiling the extra wire inside of the cup at the top of the fixture, but I opted to cut the wire closer to our desired length by taking some scissors to the cord and then stripping the ends of the now-shortened wires.
So here it is completely hooked up with all of the spokes attached. We realized at this point that we were glad we used the ceiling medallion because it made the fixture look a bit more substantial and balanced, instead of hanging a giant ball from a little nub in the middle of the ceiling. Plus, if we ever paint the ceiling it’ll add even more detail and polish.
Of course we still had to attached the 82 (yep, 82) paper “flowers” that came in the set. They really are just paper asterisk-thingies that are pre-cut and pre-hole-punched to snap into place. So theoretically you could color them or replace them entirely with your own desired shape if you wanted to – and had the patience to make 82 of them. We briefly debated “going rogue” and spraying the back of them a color, but we liked the clean white look (crazy shape and size + classic color = love for us sometimes). Oh and you can also see how Ikea packaged them in small boxes to help curl the edges outward in this pic below:
Here’s the light with the first few rows of flowers attached, starting to look more like what we saw in the showroom…
After about 10 minutes we had all 82 attached and were left with this. Ta-dah! We were more than a little relieved that it didn’t take five hundred years to assemble (which was kind of the fear after we opened the box).
We’ll admit that at first it felt a bit bigger than we expected (it looked a lot smaller in the giant warehouse that is Ikea when we first laid eyes on it), but once we add things like a larger 8 x 10 rug under Ed (instead of three smaller they’re-there-because-we-have-them rugs) and some art on the walls, there will be more scale slash balance going on. And even without future items like a big cushy rug, it only took a few hours for it to totally grow on us. As in every time we walk into the room we grin. And about 50% of the time we actually high five. It’s just so much fun. And if you can’t have a little fun in the privacy of your own bedroom, where can you have it? Wait, that came out wrong.
It’s definitely the playful wow kind of “statement piece” that we were looking for. And although from the angle above it looks like it’s snuggled right up in Ed’s business, you can see from the pic above that they aren’t actually touching at all. And even though it hangs low in the room (the bulb sits just above my eye level), we love that we can get away with that because it’s an area that we’ll never walk through (because of Ed and the bench at his footboard). Take that 8 foot ceilings! We defy you.
As much as we love how crisp and soft it looks during the daylight, it looks like our own little Times Square New Year’s Eve ball at night. Sherry loves to walk into the room at night and say “3… 2… 1” and flick on the light while squealing “Happy New Year!”
It only accepts a 40 watt bulb, so it’s definitely not something that’ll flood your room with light, but for us it’s the perfect addition to the soft and moody lighting that we’ve already got going on thanks to our recently added side table lamps and the light over the vanity in our bedroom’s sink nook.
Plus, it is soooo cool to look at from bed. We didn’t even consider this POV when picking it, but when our heads hit the pillow it’s perfectly reflected in our bathroom mirror. How’s that for a nice added bonus? Oh, and I’m sorry ladies, but me and my sexy socked feet are taken (Sherry’s a lucky lady).
Oh and the light is centered in the room (and on that doorway and the bed) so the slight left-ish shift that you see above is just thanks to the angle of the shot that I snapped.
So there you have it. The little big slice of “hey now” that we added to our bedroom. It certainly doesn’t make us miss the old fan (which we’re donating to the ReStore) and it never fails to make us giddy. What can I say? Warning: pun coming. It lights my fire. Oh, and we should mention that Clara is crazy fascinated by the flowers themselves. We’d let her get near them if we could trust her not to put one of the paper flowers in a death grip and tear it off towards her mouth. So for now it’s just for looking.
Do any of you own Mr Maskros yourselves? Or are there any other dramatic and large-scaled light fixtures that you’re into lately?
Psst- There have been a few requests for more photos from other angles, so here they are:
Clara likey.
Update: Things definitely take some time to shake out around here. So if you wanna see how Ed the Bed and our new light evolved, click here and here. Ah tweaks. Gotta love ’em!
Lindaroo says
It’s fun to see you enjoying color and big pieces; the training wheels came off when you moved into this house!
cassy says
So cute thanks for sharing! I think it looks awesome in that space.
Tammy Wirt says
Good choice! I’ve been admiring this light fixture every time we go to IKEA and my family thinks I’m completely insane, but it will be mine. I have visions of it hanging in an open foyer one day when my hubby and I buy our new house and rent out the tiny townhouse we now call home(hopefully by the end of the year)!
Bailey Van Druff says
WOW!! This is incredible. What a difference a light can make! I love the blog. Great job :)
Bailey
peaceofpie1.blogspot.com
Kathryn says
Looks so great!!! And it is not too big. I think the size is actually right for the room :)
hdstoker says
There were two items I saw on my last trip to Ikea that I thought, “That’s SOOOO John & Sherry.” Your new light (I’m even considering it for our master – we have vaulted ceilings, so I could get away with something dramatic!) and the blue polka dot curtains in your guest room. So happy you went with them!!
Ok, back to my crystal ball to see what else you have in store… : )
Heather
YoungHouseLove says
Haha, seriously. Feel free to tell us what else we’ll buy next time! Inquiring minds (ours) wanna know!
xo,
s
hdstoker says
Seriously, I was a giddy nerd when I quickly scrolled to see if you had indeed bought the “Happy New Year” light I was thinking of!! So glad it looks awesome in the space. And interesting to read people’s questions about it (dusting, aging, etc.) Now if I can convince my husband that we DON’T need a dark-bladed ceiling fan in our bedroom (I have nightmares about big 5-legged spiders coming down on me!)
Rachelle says
Oh my goodness…I was just up in Syracuse last weekend at a bridal shop where my sister was trying on her wedding dress and the shop had these same lights all over the place….it was amazing. I fell in love right away and vowed to find them online so that I can get them for our place. It looks perfect in your bedroom. I can’t wait to get one…but not looking forward to attaching the 80 paper cut-outs…EEEK! LOL ~Rachelle
Tarnya says
Hi Guys
Do you know that exact same light fixture at Ikea in Aus is 259 beans, outrageous!! Yours is a bargain.
xx
YoungHouseLove says
Wow- that’s crazy! But you guys do have gorgeous scenery and weather and kangaroos! Can’t have it all I guess. Haha.
xo,
s
Tarnya says
No sorry the smaller one is 149 beans, sill outrageous!!!
Tarnya says
Not sure about that at the moment, the weathers a bit crazy and Kangaroos you can have them they are crazy too – jumping out at you in the night and scaring the living day lights out of you, specially when you hit them – in the car that is. LOL.
YoungHouseLove says
Holy cow- er, kangaroo! I guess I never thought about them hopping in front of cars. Scary!
xo,
s
kristel says
this reminds me of when i was in nairobi a few months ago — we went on a day trip, about 3 hours outside of the city and on the drive home at night, in the dark, a zebra ran in front of us to cross the highway. i couldn’t get over the idea that at my funeral, in canada, they would have to say that i died in an accident with a ZEBRA.
YoungHouseLove says
That’s fantastic. Not fantastic that it ran across the highway, but just fantastic that you’ve seen a live wild zebra. Amazing.
xo,
s
LauraC says
Hey, not that it matters (at all), but I wanted to throw in another vote for “liking” the light. I’ve wished that we could get one of those, because I think they’re so pretty, but we have only 8′ ceilings (even a few inches shorter upstairs) and I’ll only admire them from afar. But I actually think Ed helps balance the light because they’re both large, and without the bed the light would be way more visually heavy. But big box Ed contrasts nicely with the big round sphere of a light!
P.S. You warned everyone yesterday that it was “daring” and not everyone would love it. Not too hard to predict the future, huh? ;-)
YoungHouseLove says
It’s true! We knew some people would think it was ca-razy but we can’t stop looking at it. Admiring it right. at. this. moment.
xo,
s
Cat says
that looks awesome and totally goes with the room. ps…wheres the ottoman from?
YoungHouseLove says
We got that from Target a while back. Hope it helps!
xo,
s
Kaity says
I like it :-) It makes me think of snowflakes, which is nice considering the heat here.
kim says
OH. MY. WORD!!!!!!!!! You guys are amazing!! I agree with several previous posts…loving the new bold choices and LOVE the new light! *sigh* I strongly disagree with the post claiming you guys have been off lately!! I told my hubby that we are going to copy your house to the ‘T’ when we get our own place!!! So please, keep the good stuff comin! :D
Holly Austin says
LOVE! It’s looks amazing, I can’t wait to see the rest of the room come together!
Jennifer says
I’m definitely not loving the light with the bed. I totally appreciate the bold choices… it just seems like there are too many statement pieces so close together and it doesn’t flow at all. I’m really surprised you guys don’t feel like its off so it must look way better in person. I do agree with the above commenters- that fixture would look awesome with your dining room table.
PS That Clara is so stinkin cute!
anissa says
I am not a fan of these medallions. The medallions really do not complement either of the fixtures you have used them with. These are very contemporary fixtures and these medallions are traditional and look like they should be in a colonial renovation. Plus you two are DIYers! Why not patch the crack and touch up the paint??
YoungHouseLove says
We wanted to give medallions a spin and we’re glad that we did! Of course we don’t expect everyone to love every choice that we make in our home (how boring would life be without different senses of style anyway?) but we personally like both of the medallions that we chose. And it’s our house so we like to think that’s what matters. Haha. Hope that makes sense! Just do whatever makes you happy in your own home and you’ll love coming home to it. At least that’s our philosophy!
xo,
s
kathleen says
I love the fixture but don’t love where you’ve put it. It needs distance since it is such a large, dynamic fixture, and it is really crammed in with the poster bed. Not a fan, sorry.
Amanda says
Love it!
Annoyingly, the same lamp here is $149!!! I hate that our dollar is almost equal (Australia), but we’re still forking out double the price! Silly economy…
Also, thanks to your inspiring bold coloured walls/ceilings in this new house, I’ve decided to do the same thing in mine! I’m sick of safe and boring options! Time to step out and be crazy!!!
Thanks so much for all of your inspiration!!
hillary says
This is my all-time favorite Ikea light fixture. I’m so glad you worked it in to your home design! I get some of the other people’s hesitations (one of my first thoughts was, “they’ll probably want to ‘neutralize’ that if they ever sell”) but it’s so warm and whimsical in your space. If you can’t have fun in your own dang bedroom, where can you? Anyway, I really like it. Maybe you could get the “big sister” fixture for your dining table!
Chicago CC says
Very different looking. Great addition.
Tanja says
Love the light in the room, I have the same light in my dining room. I hesitated keeping it due to the wattage limitations and we use our dining room a lot (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snacks) since we don’t have an eat-in kitchen.
Cheers, Tanja
SBE79 says
Canned air will dust that baby right up.
YoungHouseLove says
I love that idea. Call me a dork but that sounds like my idea of a good time!
xo,
s
Christie DeSilva says
I tried canned air on mine. It blew the thing apart. Hahaha. It actually ripped the paper petals. We’ve had ours up for a year. I take the long duster on a stick it up the center (think spearing a corn dog with the stick) and just give it a shake. It has no cobwebs and such and looks clean to me!
YoungHouseLove says
Ouchie! Good to know. Thank goodness for those extra petals they give you, huh? Love the spearing a corn dog method. Will have to give it a try!
xo,
s
Jacqueline says
I really appreciate your receptiveness and positive response toward the more critical comments. It makes me so happy to think of what gracious behavior you are modeling for your sweet girl.
Whether or not your readers agree with your decorating choices is irrelevant. I can only speak for myself, but because of your blog I’m more confident in my DIY abilities, more adventurous in my choices, and more reverent of my home.
YoungHouseLove says
Aw thank you so much Jacqueline! Clara is the best thing that ever happened to us (and Burger!) so we try to be good people and set a good example. Corny, I know. It’s not that we were evil without her (haha) but she keeps things in perspective. A happy and loving home is all anyone needs! So we’re all about embracing things that make us smile from the moment we walk through the door. And we can totally appreciate that people like different things. Different strokes for different folks!
xo,
s
Melanie says
Looks amazing!!
But, that’s gonna be a bi-otch to clean/dust! (this is where my mind goes immediately, sorry!)
YoungHouseLove says
Haha ours went there too. Thankfully we hear that feather dusting works (and things like canned air or a hairdryer on a cool low setting can work too). Should be interesting. We’ll keep you posted!
xo,
s
KathyG says
I’m actually GLAD some people don’t like it. I don’t want everyone to love everything I have in my house and run home to get it in theirs, and I imagine you feel the same way.
YoungHouseLove says
I like the way you think. I definitely smile to myself when my mom doesn’t feel the same adoration for certain things that I gravitate towards (it might scare me if she liked everything, haha) so there is definitely something to be said for items that aren’t safe or universal enough to be loved by all! That’s probably why we’re such strong believers in the to each his own theory. Just do what you love.
xo,
s
Nicole says
Love the look. How pretty. You two are very creative and think outside the box, which I love. Don’t change a thing.
Jamie says
I love the Maskros. I live in Kansas City and lugged mine all the way back from LA. I love how it looks in my eat in kitchen and it casts great shapes on the wall.
Misty says
Hey Sherry! Off topic again..Seriously, Im like your worst ADD reader ever.
I did look, but couldn’t find one..Do you have a post on how to pick the correct sized rug? Like for dimensions of room, furniture, etc??? If not, I’d really love one!
YoungHouseLove says
Hopefully this post will help: https://www.younghouselove.com/2008/10/rug-rules-101/
You can also tape off shapes on the floor to visualize different sizes. Good luck!
xo,
s
Lyndsey says
What a festive light! Just a thought on the idea to blow on it to remove dust … your breath contains moisture. Moisture + Paper = Bad. Even the little bit from your breath. We have paper blinds in our house for 5 yrs. Loved how they looked new and for the first couple of years, but they haven’t aged very well. Hopefully, you’ll have better luck w/your light. It’s so fun and it seems to make you so happy so even if it doesn’t last maybe it is worth it just for the number of smiles you get out of it every day.
YoungHouseLove says
A few people have recommended everything from a feather duster to canned air and even the cool setting on a hairdryer – so we’ll have to take a few methods for a spin and report back how they work (and how it ages) over time!
xo,
s
katy says
I love it….and I love the Greek sounding name. Your furnishings not only have names, they also have nationalities!
brigwork says
We hung a large Crate and Barrel pendant light over our dining room table recently. It’s size was pretty intimidating when we pulled it out of the box, but now that it is up…we love the large scale. It is truly an attention grabber. See it here:http://settlingwest.com/?p=802
Regina says
I love large “funky” light fixtures. Here is the one I put over our kitchen island instead of the usual pendants. It is my favorite part of my entire house! (and definitely a conversation starter!)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/59488336@N03/5492852649/
and this one I snatched up from West Elm before they were no longer available, in one of the bathrooms:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/59488336@N03/5493417372/in/photostream/
tam says
First off I love your blog!
And the light looks great in your bedroom. We bought the larger version for our 2 story entrance and it’s the perfect wow factor. And I love that it didn’t cost an arm and a leg.
katie says
ooo…i have been pining for this ‘dandelion’ lamp (as i’ve been calling it in my head) since i first saw it a few months ago — our nearby ikea has it on display in the first vignette you see when you enter the place, and it’s stunning. we have a very modest 1-bedroom apartment, though, and it seemed like it would overpower any of the rooms. i didn’t realize that there was a smaller version, though, so it may still happen. =)
YoungHouseLove says
That’s so funny! We learned today that Maskros (the Ikea name) actually means “dandelion” in Swedish. How awesome is that?!
xo,
s
michelle says
I personally didn’t love the look of the light until I read how excited you all were about it…and that made me excited about it!! I mean, New Year’s Eve EVERY night..AWESOME!
I wish I was as excited to turn on my bedroom ceiling fan light…
Angie S says
I didn’t even read the whole post when I had to “clik-n-rite”. I LOVE THE LIGHT! I put this in my office over my desk (also IKEA). I found it so easy to put together. I did it while talking on the phone. I turned my into a plug-in and it still looks great. Good luck with your next project. So far everything else looks fabulous!
penny says
ooh! its pretty at night but im loving seeing it in the daylight!
Mary says
i love that lamp! my ikea has a “room” with three of the large ones clustered like a massive chandelier. i’ve always wanted to see on in a normal room – and it looks awesome!
Robyn says
I’ve been in love with these ever since I first saw them in Ikea. It’s definitely on my MUST-HAVES list when we move into our own house.
It looks fantastic!
Tanya says
You’re being cruel now! First the medallion in Clara’s room and now the Ikea light fixture I’ve been lusting after?!?!
It’s like you’re eavesdropping on all of the decorating disagreements my hubby and I have, then implementing every one of my vetoed ideas! I love it… nice work, guys!
~Tanya
Necessary Pleasures
YoungHouseLove says
Aw so sorry Tanya! Maybe your man will surprise you for your b-day or something. You never know!
xo,
s
Amanda says
I love this!
And it makes it so the bed doesn’t look “too high” (as it did in the post that you showed your “new” night tables and lamps.
Emily says
I haven’t read through the other comments, so I don’t know if someone else has told you this already, but I can let you know that the Swedish ambassador to the US has two of these awesome lamps in his residence in Washington, DC. I’ve seen them with my own two eyes. :) Excellent taste! (And isn’t it cool that the ambassador isn’t too fancy for IKEA?)
YoungHouseLove says
Wow! The Swedish ambassador sounds like the coolest guy ever. Haha.
xo,
s
Olivia says
I adore this lamp, and it look so cute with Ed the bed and your white mirror!
Jess says
This looks amazing! If I didn’t desperately need a ceiling fan in my room in the summertime I’d be on the Maskros like white on rice.
Kel says
I’ve been eyeing that light off for ages and wanted it for my house too but BF didn’t agree. And as we have the same policy as you guys i.e. both must love it to buy it it has remained on the shelves in Ikea. Can’t believe it only cost you guys 50 beans. It costs $149 here in Australia.
YoungHouseLove says
We’ve heard about the price difference in AU- how crazy is that?! Someone in the US should start buying Ikea stuff and eBaying it to Australians to bridge the price gap (you know, just make a small percentage more while selling it to you guys cheaper). But maybe Ikea AU would get mad? Or shipping would be super expensive. Hmm.
xo,
s
Becca says
I have recently come across your blog and LOVE it!! Thanks for doing what you do and inspiring us all! This fixture is fantastic!!!! I wish my husband would go for such a bold statement in the master bedroom.
Megan says
I am jealous. Every time we go to IKEA, I wish I could buy that light fixture but I couldn’t live without my ceiling fan. Our bedroom gets much too hot without the fan. It looks great in your room.
Selina says
Decor is so subjective and I usually totally love most of what you do, but I think it’s too big and too low for this room. I think it could have worked if you didn’t have a canopy bed. But sounds like you guys love it and that’s all that matters!
Melissa says
Not to be Debbie Bowner, I’m really just curious- is that paper, paper? What about dust? Can you buy replacement petals?
I really do love it! We are huge ikea fans. We live in Moscow, RU right now and our apartment looks like an ikea floor model!