Young House Love

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Hanging A Moravian Star Light In The Foyer

Dude, things just got real in the foyer.

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We found this light at the local lighting outlet here in Richmond called The Decorating Outlet for $135 (down from $455 at Shades of Light, just because it had been returned). I had always pictured something big and architectural in there – most likely in an oil-rubbed bronze finish because there are a bunch of ORB doorknobs going on in the foyer and I thought it would look nice. Thankfully John was game too since the guy’s down with geometry and shapes and stuff. UPDATE: Here’s an incredibly similar moravian star pendant on Amazon since the Shades of Light version is currently out of stock. 

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Boom. The foyer is now my favorite room ever in the history of rooms. I want to sleep in there and eat in there and braid its hair and tell it all of my secrets.

In keeping it real news, it took us forever to hang. Like the longest it has ever taken two adults to hang a single light fixture. Someone call the Guinness Book Of World Records, for real.

Foyer Light Install

That’s the only shot I got of the process (snapped one minute into things, before this turned into the longest lighting installation known to man) but picture both of us on different ladders next to each other trading off on holding the weight of the light and messing with wires. The hanging hang-up (har-har) had to do with being sure to hang it high enough for my tall hubby to have clearance under it, while still being sure the canopy would thread (if we made it too short, the canopy had nothing to catch on, and if we made it too long, John would graze his head on it). Ten hours later – ok, that’s a slight exaggeration – we’re high fiving under it while holding one arm up with the other one because they were so tired.

I also hung some art and a mirror (the mirror’s heavy so it got 2″ anchors and screws while the art just got a few nails each). This mirror used to hang in our guest room at the last house (from Joss & Main a while back).

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Gotta love when a detail shot reminds you to go dust the mirror.

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I hung an Ikea Ribba frame with some linen-ish fabric and a favorite instagram picture next to the coat closet door.

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Eight of these were over the sofa in our last house, so I let John pick the one he liked best for the foyer. Turns out it’s me in a bathing suit. Men.

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I also hung our favorite swimmer girl next to the door (that’s a print we bought for our last house’s kitchen).

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We also have two favorite paintings by our friend Lesli (one of Burger and one of John’s Granny’s house) that we hung next to the bathroom door.

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And with that, the foyer makes every other room in our house look a whole lot worse by comparison (why do pretty rooms do that to the other ones nearby?!). But we can’t even stay mad. Oh foyer, thank you for making me see stars. Literally. You are the Hershey’s bar to my s’more. I can hardly remember when you looked like this…

Foyer Before1

Love you. Mean it.

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UPDATE: We’ve finally transitioned our entire house to LED lights (they save tons of energy & money, and they’re a lazy person’s best friend because you never have to change them). For anyone wondering, these are our favorite interior LEDs. Their glow is warm & natural (not weird/blue like some of the others we’ve tried) and they use around 90% less energy.

* This post contains affiliate links

Comments

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I think we’re debating a gallery wall in our bedroom, in the hallway upstairs, or in the living room (or perhaps a small one in two of those spaces) so we’ll have to see where we end up! As for the floor, we’d love to work with the slate but it needs some love so the jury is still out if we can salvage it.

      xo
      s

  2. bridget b. says

    i really love that light fixture. i saw it in a room on pinterest recently and now with your foyer, i’m determined to find a spot that it can work in my house.

    love how the blue in the swimmer girl painting picks up the blue in your door as well.

    Reply

  4. Abigayle says

    omg, that light fixture is amazeballs! i don’t have a place in my house for it, but man i want it! good work on the foyer guys! my father-in-law came over this weekend and helped me hang new fixtures over our L-shaped island in our kitchen and i’m in love with them. they’re white and simple, and so much better than the red shades that used to be there. completely changed the whole feel of our home since it’s a full-on open concept and the kitchen is smack-dab in the middle of it all. who knows what i’ll do over the long weekend coming up…

    Reply

  7. Rachel says

    Any tips for using IKEA Ribba frames with fabric as matte (like yours above)? We’ve got a bunch of them that we need to transform. Thanks :)!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I just kept the white mat that came with it and taped some fabric behind it (pulling it taut but not super tight) and taped the picture to it. It has held up for a few years now!

      xo
      s

  8. jen says

    I.love.that.light. I want to sit underneath it and eat peanut butter out of the jar with a spoon.

    On a less weird note, the hubby ans I have been wanting to replace the light above our table, but neither one of us has any eclectical experience. We want to go from a too long light to a shorter one. Is it a pretty straight forward process to switch them out? Electrical work scares me a bit.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Oh yes, just be sure to turn off the power to the whole house, look at what’s connected to what (maybe even take a picture with your phone, so you remember which wire goes to which wire) and then undo that light and redo the same wire connections as the first one). There are some videos on youtube with lots of info too!

      xo
      s

  9. Teri says

    What a great transformation! I love the idea of the darker ceiling. What about the floor? I feel like that slate is so cold, maybe some nice cherry hardwood to warm it up??? :) Either way I know you guys will have a very welcoming home!!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We like the idea of working with the slate if we can (it’s pretty damaged in some areas so we’ll have to see) but if we can’t we’re dreaming of tile in the kitchen that spills out into this foyer – maybe even with a heating mat under it. And I think we’ll warm things up with a rug too.

      xo
      s

  10. Linda says

    The artwork gives context to the front door so that it doesn’t feel random. Are you planning any type of rug at the front door? Have you made any progress or decisions on the grout? Are you donating the old light or might you refinish and reuse it?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We’re not sure if we’ll reuse the light or donate it so it’s in the storage room above the garage for now. As for a rug, we’d love one (I’m on the hunt) and the grout is killing me softly (I’ve tried two more methods) so we’ll have to see if I can win or if this floor has me beat.

      xo
      s

    • Jill says

      Linda, you’re exactly right. I felt kind of neutral on the door before – it didn’t clash or anything (nothing could clash with such neutral walls), but it wasn’t like angels were chorusing.

      Then with these pictures, I was thinking that the room looked so much better because rooms with art always look better, and the black in the light tied in nicely with the doorknobs. But you are just exactly right. Now that the door’s blue has some context with the art as you say, the door really belongs and gels. It ties the whole room together.

  11. Manda Wolf says

    That looks amazing. So much better than the old fixture spray painted (which was the route I was hoping you’d go). We just changed out our kitchen florescent light for a pendant light (http://ourwolfden.wordpress.com/2013/08/27/replacing-the-overhead-florescent-light-in-the-kitchen/), and man that took a long time. We actually got it all hung and them came back a week later to redo it because it was too low and the original box hadn’t been secured very well and was starting to pull out of the ceiling. It is inspiring how big of a difference simply changing a light can make.

    Reply

  12. Jennah says

    We have low (7.5 foot) ceilings, and struggle finding anything other than boob lights (hubby is also 6’4). I’d really like to switch out our kitchen light, but I can’t find much other than boob or the flush drum shade kind, which I an not a fan of (especially in a kitchen). I’d LOVE to be able to hang something like that beauty!

    Reply

  13. Lex says

    Very Moroccan!
    I live in Morocco and I have to say, fantastic light fixtures are a dime a dozen over here.
    Your exact star shape is everywhere…I love seeing it against a American decorating style. Looks great.

    Reply

  14. Christa says

    Looking good. I like the ORB in there too. Love the pictures you hung up, especially the ones with the blues in them, looks great with the blue door. Your house is really coming along and feeling more like you guys with each post I read. Love following along.

    Reply

  15. Katy says

    That is envy worthy!! Added bonus, Moravian Stars never go out of style.
    Have you guys ever considered going to an auction? I have gotten 9×12 100% wool rugs for $60. I just got a solid wood secretary desk for $20. It is also a fun family activity, but be warned-seriously addicting.

    Reply

  19. Dena says

    Awesome! And, um, can I buy your old light if you’re looking to unload it? It would look killer painted with oil rubbed bronze paint.

    Reply

  20. Megan says

    We’re an Edgecomb gray family throughout our entry room and stairwell and basement,and our sun room is revere pewter with the one shade darker than that as the ceiling in the sun room.
    For my money, Revere pewter is a great color, but the one darker than that reads a little more yellow in our house as a ceiling color, so watch out for that, although as you point out, it all depends on the lighting.

    Reply

  22. Melissa Mitchell says

    I think my favorite part of moving into a new house is seeing the small things- like wall art, take on a whole new life in the new space.
    Like your painting from the kitchen- it looks like it belongs there! :)

    Reply

  25. Patty says

    It looks great. I have a smaller version of that lift over the sink in my kitchen. I get so many compliments on it since they are rather unique. I used to live in the Richmond area – love keeping in touch by following your site.

    Reply

  26. Jane says

    Such a Fabuous Foyer transformation, Sherry and John! I know what you mean about being in love with it. I would want to drag in a chair and just sit in there for a while to soak it all in and reflect on how much work you two did. Tons of painting, but what a pay off and the light fixture is the best!

    Job Well Done,

    Jane

    Reply

  28. Caroline W says

    I’ve been in love with that star light for-evah. One of our local Mexican restaurants has the mini version and I realized then how much I loved it.

    I just might have to stop in at that outlet when I drive through Richmond in October.

    Beautiful job as always!

    Reply

  29. Allison says

    I totally “get” the whole marathon installation thing. My husband and I just closed on our first house on Friday and on Sunday it took us at least 3 hours (no exaggeration there) to install a new kitchen faucet–an hour of which I was under the sink holding pliers above my head. It’s definitely an arm workout. Oh the joys of home ownership. It’s all a sweet adventure, though.

    Love the new light. It looks great in your big foyer!

    Reply

  31. Anne says

    I’ll come over and paint its toenails. LOL! What a beautiful front entry way. Just love the swimmer next to that door….so fresh and so clean, clean!! ;)

    Reply

  32. HeatherB says

    I… it… I am… uh… WOW! Speechless! and not totally sure why…nothing is a huge change, but WOW!!! What a HUGE change! I’m just loving it. I can’t put my finger on any one thing, but just gotta say “WOW”. And stare dreamily.

    Reply

  33. Renee says

    Ah! We have two of the moravian star lights in our entry and my husband and father in law had the WORST time hanging them. I swear I heard more cuss words come from that than the crown molding in all four bedrooms! hahahaha

    Reply

  36. Suzanne says

    Silly question … but how do you hang your Ikea Ribba frames? I just bought three and was surprised by the hardware included. I’m not sure what to do with it!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I use the wire included and those two clips and I hang that over two nails about 3″ apart on the wall (both level with each other). That seems to give it some nice stability (one nail can be tipsy).

      xo
      s

  37. Em says

    It looks good, I like how it’s open and airy. Don’t mean to criticize at all, but I would think about maybe taking some things off of the console table. I think it might look a little cluttered. Just an idea!

    Reply

  41. Courtney says

    Love the new light and the overall look of the foyer. You guys rocked it! When you said that you were thinking about painting the ceiling, my mind immediately went to a haint blue-type of look, (like you mentioned for your porch ceiling). Maybe a 50% version of your front door color? My two cents worth!! :-)

    Reply

  43. Andrea says

    I audibly gasped when I opened your post this morning! In a good way :-) I absolutely love it! Sorry it took you so long though! We were hanging a light fixture in our daughter’s soon-to-be big girl room last night and it took us FOREVER. Probably because it was like 1AM and we were both tired and cranky and couldn’t think straight (but we just HAD to finish it, haha!). Nothing good happens after midnight when it comes to DIY :-)

    Reply

  44. Sheena says

    Wow! The power of paint is unreal! Your hallway looks at least 3 ft wider than before & I would seriously just hang out in that foyer all day! Beautiful!

    Reply

  45. Jennie says

    Looks great, you guys! I love my Moravian star light … I searched for it for the longest time to find the right shape (and price!) Right now it’s hanging in my kitchen, but in about a week, my back kitchen wall is going to come crashing down as we push our way out into our (in progress!) new addition, so my lovely light is going to have to find a new home very soon!

    I love how clean and bright your foyer looks now. It’s quite welcoming!

    Reply

  46. Dina says

    Same light!! Same place!!
    Haven’t installed it yet (cough-lazy) but wanted to tell you that you and your hubby have excellent taste

    Reply

  50. Kat says

    Holy starlight! Do you have a vaulted foyer ceiling? I looked at the exact light at the SOL outlet last Monday, but the helpful staff convinced me it would be dangerous for my 6’3 beau to try to walk under with 8′ ceiling. :( (Silly tall people!) Swung by the store off Broad, and grabbed the floor model of the flush mount for a great deal! Love the shadows and ambience!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Our ceiling is 8′ (maybe slightly higher like 8’2″) and we could only get 6’2″ clearance, so 6’3″ with an 8 foot ceiling would probably be too tight. So sorry Kat!

      xo
      s

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