Easy Lighting Update!

I was looking for lighting options over the weekend, and I came across this idea via Country Living: 

via here

Of course, I could simply paint the candle sleeves to look like the photo above, but once I visited the Kaarskoker website, I had other ideas in mind: 

These are just a few of the MANY options kaarskoker has to offer! Most of the sleeves are $12 a pair (a lot of them are currently on sale for $9 a pair).  I've been wanting to take the brass chandelier that I painted white along with us to Indianapolis; if I do, I'm absolutely buying some fun sleeves for it! 

Have a happy Monday!!! 

Lighting Tour

I decided to post some photos of the lighting on our first floor. Aside from one light, we've replaced all of the fixtures on the first floor since moving in! I'm happy with most of our purchases, but of course I've changed my mind on some others... 

Entryway via Garage:

Outdoor Lantern from CSN; Very happy with this purchase! 

1/2 Bath:

Sconces from Lowes: I believe theses were $19.99 for both. I'm not sure what I was thinking!!!! 

If we're in this house long enough, I'd like to replace them with something like this:

via here

Or this: 

via here

Above Our Kitchen Table:

From The Great Indoors. I absolutely LOVE this light. Still. 

Above Our Island:

Also from Great Indoors. I'm not quite as happy with this one. I think the buying decision had something to do with me spending way too much on the light above the kitchen table, so I had to find a really inexpensive one to keep Mr. Frankel at bay. 

They don't look bad together though:

If I were to redo another kitchen right now, I'd go for something like this:

Two of these above the island:

via here 

And something like this above the kitchen table: 

via here

 In our Living Room:

From Home Depot; we used gift cards to buy it. I really don't like this light anymore. It's fine by itself, but I'm just not happy with it in this room. 

I'd love to replace it with something like this:

via here 

 In our Dining Room:

This is the only light that we haven't changed. I believe Christopher's parents spray painted it before I moved in. I actually really like this light, but if I were to ever replace it I might go with something like these:

via here 

via here

In our Family Room:

From the Great Indoors. Is it just me, or is it really hard to find decent- looking fans?! I like this one a lot, but I do wish we had put recessed lights in this room when we were dry walling. The three little lights on that fan try their best, but they simply don't add enough light to the room! Over time I plan to add a few lamps instead! 

I still haven't finalized my decision for our office, and you probably remember the new light in our entry:

There you have it: the lighting on the first floor of 1551. The only thing I left out was our laundry room; it's too terrifying to post on Monday morning!!! 

XOXO,

Kelly 

Light Switcheroo

About a year ago I got really luck and found this beautiful chandelier at the Pottery Barn Outlet. It was a total steal, and we were in need of a new entryway light. I didn't think too much of it when we first installed it, but once a few of our taller friends and family members came to visit and knocked their heads on the crystal balls, I realized we had a problem.

Fast forward one year: I finally found a semi-flush mount that I like! It's really difficult, I've learned, to find flush and semi-flush lights that are aesthetically appealing and reasonably priced!

Before:

*I'd like to officially apologize one last time to anyone who has bonked their head on my crystal ball chandelier!!!

AFTER:

The moravian star pendant obviously doesn't give off as much light (1 bulb vs. 5), but it makes up for it in character!!!

I laid on the floor to take this shot; I love the pattern it casts on the ceiling. Luca was jumping on me and licking my face at this point, so I'm pretty impressed with how this shot turned out!

In case you're wondering where the Bellora light is now:

It's not really this bright; I'm just terrible with lighting and photography!

Happy Friday!!!!

XOXO,

Kelly

Guest Bedroom Transformation

Here's another update for you. Like Picasso, I am in the midst of a "gray" period (his was blue, but I've never been a fan of that color). The location of this update is one of our three guest bedrooms. It's the largest of the three, and we've left it white for now because someday it will most likely be a nursery, but in the meantime I wanted it to still look inviting. However, it's hard for a room to feel "inviting" when you open the door and see this:

It's a built-in shelf that I used to store old towels in. Ugly, ugly. It has the same wood paneling that used to be in our office as well. Last Saturday I was walking around the house looking for something else to cover in chalkboard paint, and I decided it was time to do something about this sad, little shelf instead. I took out all of the shelves, lightly sanded, and primed them. Instead of chalkboard paint, though, I decided on some leftover paint from our dining room.

Here it is now:

It's not perfect or anything, but I don't roll my eyes in disgust now every time I open the door.

I'm still playing around with what I want to keep in these shelves now that they look halfway decent:

I tried putting an old painting in the shelf to add some color. I have mixed feelings about it, so I took it out. What are your thoughts??

Here's the shelf as it is right now. I need a photo for the frame. :)

And in case you're wondering what the rest of the room is like:

My dad hung this light for me over the weekend!! I'm so happy to have a light in here! It's an old, brass light I bought off Craigslist, and just spray painted white.

Before:

What's that in the corner? Could it be??? Another one of Dad's waiting room chairs?

Why, yes, it is!

I would like to find a white gourd lamp from HomeGoods to put on my Craigslist steamer trunk (which is now functioning as a nightstand). I'd also like to get two sunburst mirrors to hang above each bed (also probably from HomeGoods). Something like these, I'm thinking:

Lastly, I'd like to get these quilts (in sandalwood) from Pottery Barn to replace the comforters. I won't get them until they go on sale or I find them at the outlet.

That's all for now. I started making a Christmas wreath tonight. I'll post finished pictures later this week, but here it is so far:

*One more thing, if you like what you're reading, I'd love for you to follow my blog!!! Thanks for stopping by!

XOXO,

Kelly