We've been going hot and heavy on the home improvement front and are finally putting the finishing touches on some rooms. The dining room is the most recent room to get the final seal of approval from me and that's because we finally removed the ordinary old fan and replaced it with some terrific, glamorous pendant lights.
Last fall I happened upon these two beautiful vintage lights at an outdoor antique fair and snapped them up for 40.00 (we tried to get them for less but she held firm and I really wanted them so everyone left happy that day). The seller said they were the last pair she had retrieved from an old Hollywood home and I was smitten with the glamorous potential I saw in them.
When we finally decided where they would go (at first I thought the kitchen but I'm glad we waited so I could stew over the plan in my head for awhile) I knew they needed a little sprucing up. This Rust-Oleum hammered paint in silver was exactly what I had in mind. After a couple of coats they looked gorgeous and ready to go.
We bought the hardware for hanging them and it all cost under 30.00. Then it turned out we didn't need the hooks because they were included in the swag light kit (we just couldn't see them right away at the store).
Joey got to work on the wiring and did a fantastic job. Part of the reason it took me so long to replace the fan in here is because of the way the builders had placed the hole for the fan so close to the vent. It made me nuts because it really limited what I could hang there since I didn't want something that blocked the vent. I probably would have picked something different (and sooner) if I hadn't had to factor in the vent location. But we kept the original hole and capped it with the canopy kit and it looks fantastic. And then with the hooks we were able to hang each pendant evenly centered over the table.
I love them. They put out about the same amount of light but it's now focused on where we need it and it's a much softer look. And they're just darn pretty.
Here's a close up. The glass was pretty fragile and detailed so I was very careful while washing them because the inside had lots of pockets and nooks and they were pretty dusty. But I was sure to place a cushy dishtowel at the bottom of the sink so they wouldn't hit the hard ceramic sink if I sadly dropped them (I didn't).
So here are my before and after pictures and you can see why I love them so much. They are so special and unique and really are the icing on the cake after all my work in this room with the curtains and slip covers.
Here's another view. This room is so soothing and dreamy now and it makes me so happy to just stop and stand there looking at it (which I do a couple of times a day). The fan will be used somewhere else in the house since it's a good fan and we can replace one of the cheaper fans in the kids rooms with this.
And here's a picture of how dark and sad this room used to be. It was our tv cave (the tv was on the wall you can't see but you can see Skate sitting there watching it). When I see this picture it reminds me of how sad I was at the time and how dark everything felt in our lives. Sometimes home improvements are born out of life improvements aren't they? When things got brighter I wanted to express how much happier and sunnier I felt. I think I've done that.
And I have been doing a lot of sewing lately so don't think I'm trying to turn into a home improvement blog (but we have been doing some great stuff here and I can't wait to share more of it)! Have a great week and keep on sewing!
