Well it feels like we are in a full-on race and the finish line is March Break. Is anyone else feeling the need for a chance to change the pace and regroup? And what are the chances that we’ve seen our last snowfall this winter?…except maybe on the ski hills so the kids can still ski and snowboard during the Break…fingers crossed.
But before we get there I’m hoping to finish up a few little projects in the house. One of them was to switch up the chandeliers in the kitchen and in the dining room. (Let me just insert that I use the term Dining Room very loosely here, as you’ll see if I ever get to the After and then post a Before and After.) As always things get done on a budget around here but that doesn’t mean I don’t like the look of things that are upscale and expensive. So let me show you what I came up with for the kitchen, and see if it doesn’t inspire you to do the same with one of your light fixtures.
I was looking for an oil-rubbed bronze finish to co-ordinate with the rest of the hardware in the kitchen. I also wanted some texture but without adding shades, since I was seriously tired of the dust on the shades of the chandelier we had there previously. So I was inspired by this fixture from Restoration Hardware with the rope accent for $895. My starting point was this chandelier from Home Depot for $154.
One of the things that can make a chandelier look cheap I think is the white plastic tubes that hold the bulbs. Shades help to disguise them, or you could spray paint them to match the metal of the fixture. But for the detail of texture I was hoping for from my inspiration piece, I decided to wrap them with some jute twine to add that higher end look.
Remove the tube from the fixture so it’s easier to work with, and then these are all the supplies you need. I used double-sided framer’s tape which is heavy-duty but less messy or toxic than glue and won’t damage the plastic of the tube at all. Jute twine from the dollar store and a good pair of scissors.
I put tape along two sides of the tube then trimmed the ends to be flush with the edges. Then I peeled off the tape backing and started to wrap. If you start with one end tucked up then wrap over it as you go along it will make for a more finished edge.
Same thing when you get to the end. If you trim the jute a bit longer than you need then tuck it under your last row of wrapping it will make a neat and secure finish. Wrapping all five tubes took me through part of the Olympics Closing Ceremonies and then two episodes of the Gilmore Girls, with only about eight distractions and interruptions before I finished.
When they’re done just reinsert them back onto the fixture and reattach the bulbs. And that’s it. I barely made a dent in the roll of jute and only used a bit of the tape which I already had in my supplies. Even so, the total cost of this upgrade is probably less than a dollar.
What do you think? Did I achieve the look? One more project knocked off the to-do list. (Haha do you see what I did there? Knocked off? Knock-off? Yeah ok, now it’s not funny.) Now let’s see if I can be inspired for the so-called Dining Room as well. Wish me luck!
linked to Thoughts From Alice and A Pretty Life
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