Chandelier Revivals

When we moved to our current home, I had to leave all my treasured light fixtures behind. No biggie, “I can use a change, different is good,” I thought…until I realized the actual price that was involved in wanting to switch out a few all of the light fixtures in the new house. I can completely redecorate a room – paint, bedding and accents for less then the cost of a cute chandelier. This is not right. Something has to be done about this injustice.

My brainstorming really began when I swiped a friend’s old chandelier from her dining room. I saw potential. It was cream with gold sponge paint – hot! Well, not. That beauty got a fine coat of red spray paint and made a brilliant statement in our porch.  I revisited this chandelier project after we moved and began my quest for old fixtures with hidden character. I found a pottery barn look-alike with shades at a garage sale for $5. It worked and was hardwired. Brilliant. The faded black with brown “marble” accents had to go. I thought long and hard about a deep turquoise, but ended up sticking with a glossy black. I removed the shades (actually, I took the fabric off the shades and attempted using only the metal structure – that industrial look that is so fab right now…but it ended up being a no-go) and added round bulbs! Maxie now has this in her bedroom. It replaced a 70’s ceiling mount that faded into the background (but didn’t fade enough, in my opinion) and is now a fun accent on its own.

I think I have a sign on my forehead that reads “I’ll take your old stuff” because people have started offering me their old lights (and various amazing treasures…but that’s another post!). Franny’s room has one from a friend’s dining room. I removed the glass hurricanes and again replaced the candle bulbs with round bulbs. For this one, I chose Martha Stewart Crafts multi-surface paint. It brushes on smooth, but I wanted a little more texture than a flat spray paint.

Our dining room light was a super score. I got it from a family friend…it’s a real honkin’ piece of art. The brass and the etched hurricanes dated this piece, but the lines are fantastic and it is a heavy chunk of metal. Since our main floor is still so colorful at the moment, (pink carpet and purple countertops) I stuck with a classic, glossy black spray paint. I thought I would try out some Edison bulbs on this bad boy, but I decided to stick with the trusty round globes instead. Round has a slightly more delicate look and I thought that complimented the heartiness of this fixture.

So, there you go. The hand-me-down, dated, neglected and unloved fixtures of the past get a fresh start. I have one in the basement waiting to reveal her glory in the playroom and I’m also on the hunt for a mini one for our closet.

A few helpful tips:

–       DUST every nook and cranny before you paint. Although the paint will cover everything, the texture of the dust will be very evident underneath.

–       Tape off the areas you don’t want painted.   Sometimes I leave the cords as is and I always tape the bulb opening.

–       The plastic sleeves hiding the wiring around each bulb can be replaced if needed, who knew?  Hardware stores sell everything!

–       Correctly follow spray paint directions on the can for this project (dry time, spray distance from surface, etc.). The light will illuminate every detail, good and bad, so don’t try to cover the piece in one coat.

–       Be sure that used fixtures have proper wiring, old is usually fabulous in design, but not always safe in function.