Home Inspiration: Add New Wall Sconces & Update Light Fixtures
Updating your light fixtures can have a huge impact on your home’s look., Updating the lighting in your home without a full home renovation and you won’t go broke. New Home Inspiration: Update Light Fixtures with tips to update your home’s lighting!
Are you looking for a simple way to update your home without going spending thousands of dollars in the process? A very easy update, one that will take only a matter of hours from start to finish, is to update the lighting situation in your home. Nothing says old house like old, dated light fixtures. Not only is changing out light fixtures easy - (hey, if I can do it by myself, anyone can do it!) changing old dated light fixtures is a relatively inexpensive DIY too (that is as long as you select economical light fixtures!). But the added bonus for updating light fixtures in your home is that when you go to sell your home, this is the spot where you will see a return on your investment!
Does your home need some newer, fresher-looking light fixtures? I have created this Home Inspiration - Add New Walls Sconces & UPdate Light Fixtures list of the new light fixtures I just added to my home. All my light fixtures were 20 years old, dated, ugly and I really was beginning to despise them! Check out the new light fixtures I just installed in my house on the first floor. These are all budget-friendly, DIY, and they will update your home instantly!
How to Give Your House a Makeover Through Updating Your Light Fixtures
Six Ways to Update Your Light Fixtures
UPDATE YOUR LIGHT FIXTURES WITH A CONVERSION KIT.
UPDATE YOUR LIGHT FIXTURES WITH NEW MODERN LIGHT FIXTURES
UPDATE YOUR LIGHT FIXTURES WITH LED LIGHTS
UPDATE YOUR LIGHT FIXTURES WITH SPRAY PAINT.
UPDATE YOUR LIGHT FIXTURES WITH NEW SHADES OR REMOVE SHADES.
UPDATE YOUR LIGHT FIXTURES BY REPLACING WITH WIRELESS FIXTURES.
INSTALL DIMMER SWITCHES ON AS MANY LIGHT FIXTURES AS YOU CAN.
One of the quickest, simplest and economical ways to update the look of any room in your home is by replacing a light fixture. It is an instant change - in everything! Change a light fixture to a chandelier, or pendant light, put up a wall sconce, install track lighting to a large room, or simply add any other new light fixtures which can perk up and refreshen your home.
I changed all the old dated light fixtures on the first floor of my home and couldn’t be happier! I started in the kitchen and ordered two new modern light fixtures. One pendant light fixture to hang over the kitchen island and one new wooden farmhouse pendant to hang over the kitchen table. I also purchased three recessed light conversion kits to change the recessed lights to pendant lights. This is was the biggest DIY task and it made the biggest change in my kitchen!
Disclosure: Affiliate Links added to this blog post.
CONVERT RECESSED LIGHTS TO PENDANTS
We have five canned/recessed lights in our kitchen and I wanted to change three of the lights to pendants. My husband told me there was no way to do it — I think he said that because he didn’t want to do any DIY tasks. But, I went to my local Home Depot and asked, and sure enough, a kit exists! I purchased three Recessed Light Converter kits and brought them home. These Recessed Light Converter kits are the easiest way to transform existing recessed lighting into a pendant or light fixture. This was by far the best quick and easy home upgrade we did and had to complete no major remodeling. My husband was able to complete all three conversions in one afternoon.
Here are the hanging light pendants I installed in the area where my husband converted the recessed lights to pendants: Industrial Clear Glass Pendant Hanging Light-1 Light (20cm) $49.99
These are also available as 15cm, 25cm or 30cm glass globes. So depending on the size of your kitchen, go up a size or down a size. My husband installed a dimmer switch for these lights and they really work great!
REPLACE OLD LIGHT FIXTURES
Out with the old ugly dated light fixtures and in with the new modern sleek light fixtures! I love all the new modern light fixtures available today AND I really love that light fixtures are so much easier to purchase these days! Where was Amazon when we built our home?! We built our home and all builder-grade brass light fixtures were included. I thought they were the ugliest thing ever and I instantly took my husband to the light store 20 years ago. He refused to pay the exhortative prices for light fixtures two decades ago and he took me to Home Depot. At that time, there was not a large selection. I didn’t like the selection, but I was six months pregnant and didn’t want to argue about it. My husband selected all the light fixtures in our home and had them installed. I never liked them and I finally said enough is enough and went about searching, scouring, ordering, and purchasing NEW modern light fixtures for our first floor.
I tossed those old ones, which I had actually painted white a couple of years ago to change the look of them, I despised them that much. The entire first floor has been updated with new light fixtures — and the best part, is that each one was less than $100 - actually a lot of them were less than $50 each! I already had all the electrical outlets and boxes, so I just needed to turn the power off, removed the old light fixtures, and add the new ones!
The hardest part for me in the decision process was which light fixtures to purchase! It can be a bit overwhelming when there are SO MANY options available today. I wish there had been this many options 20 years ago when I was looking. But, I adore the fresh modern look of my home now and it doesn't look so dated with the updated light fixtures on the first floor!
Here is the light fixture I ordered and installed for the island counter area in my kitchen: Black Sputnik Chandelier 6 Lights Pendant Lighting. I love this one a lot! My husband put a dimmer on it and I used some large round light bulbs to make it extra pretty!
Here is the light fixture I ordered and installed for the area over the table in my kitchen a couple of years ago. This doesn't meet the under $100.00 threshold, but I did replace it in 2018. Vintage Wooden Chandelier Pendant Lamp from Amazon 199.99.
Here is the light fixture I ordered and installed in my dining room and it is so gorgeous! Champagne Gold Chandelier This is my favorite light fixture I have updated so far. I had already installed the ceiling medallion 20 years ago when we first changed the light fixture to the one my husband selected. I painted it white two years ago to try to update it a bit, but I still just did not like the dated look of it and enough was enough. Maybe now I will actually finish putting up the wallpaper on the ceiling! (which by the way is extremely difficult!) LOL
Champagne Gold Chandelier for $129.99 available in Gold or Champagne Gold or in Iron. I ordered the Champagne Gold and it is gorgeous! There is a very similar light fixture in Brushed Brash with three arm lights, and there is also a similar light fixture with six arm lights, but strangely, it is more expensive than the eight-arm light fixture at $159.99? My husband also put a dimmer switch on this light fixture as well and I put in some fancy small round bulbs. Seriously, spend a little bit extra money on nice bulbs and your new light fixtures will look even better!
Here is the light fixture I ordered for our back door area/mudroom: Farmhouse Semi Flush Mount Ceiling Light Fixture for $34.99. Last year I installed ceramic tiles on the floors and added shiplap on the walls. I recently added in corner moulding and ceiling moulding to make it look a bit more finished. This mudroom is very small and there is not much we can do with this area due to the size. But, a new light fixture updates the look for sure!.
Here is the light I ordered first for our back staircase: Sputnik Chandelier 6 Lights, Black Pendant Light Fixture for $109.99 - I had to return it because it was too large for the area. This Sputnik Light Fixture is available in Black, Chrome, or Light Brushed Brass.
This is the light fixture I ordered and installed on our back staircase since the first one was too large: Industrial Hanging Pendant Light Clear Glass for $75.99. This Hanging Light Pendant is available in Clear, which is the one I ordered and installed or it is available in Silver, Mirrored Glass for $69.99. My husband put this one on a dimmer as well. I also purchased a very large, very cool light bulb for this light fixture.
I also ordered and installed a new light fixture that sits at the top of our basement stairs. The one that was there was once again, very dated, 20 years old and I was sick of looking at it! This 1-Light Matte Black and Antique Gold Wall Sconce for $32.97 and is super modern and gives off a great amount of light. I bought it at Home Depot and have been impressed that they are finally updating their lights to a more modern feel.
I also ordered and installed a new light fixture in our powder room on the first floor. I had also painted the existing light fixture white a couple of years ago and I couldn’t stand it any longer, so a replacement was in order for sure. Here is a similar light fixture, Black Bathroom Light Fixture, Industrial 2-Light Wall Sconce Vanity Light, and another similar one, Zeno Globe 2 Light Black Wall Sconce.
The first one I purchased was from Cost Plus World Market, the Black Metal And White Glass Globe 2 Light Finley Wall Sconce for $69.99 (also, here is a tip, if you order online for curbside pickup, you get 10% off the purchase price). However, it was not a hardwire, but instead needed to be plugged in and that is not what I wanted in the powder room. They told me it could be converted, but it was just too much work for this fixture and left a big gaping hole where the cord was and I knew I could find something that was hardwired and very similar, which I did.
The one I purchased and installed was from Home Depot. The Lewis 2-Light Matte Black Plug-In or Hardwire Wall Sconce with 6 ft. Cord for $39.98. It was easy to convert to hardwire by simply pulling the plug through and replacing it with a screw.
Recessed Lighting Updates
We also updated all our old can lights by swapping them out for LED can lights! What a huge difference this made! We had six can light in the kitchen and I had my husband change three of the recessed lights to pendant lights. It was very simple with the can light conversion kit! He changed the other three can light fixtures to the LED can light fixture - what a difference - let there be light indeed! We have a couple of hallways in our home that he also changed out the old canned light fixtures to the new LED light can fixtures. In our basement, we only have can lights throughout since the ceilings are only eight feet high. He changed all the can lights out in the basement and I can actually see where I am going now when I go downstairs to do the laundry. I can’t believe we waited so long to switch these out!
My husband changed out 20 can light fixtures in all and updated them all to LED can light fixtures and it only took him one afternoon. Switching to energy-saving LED lighting and picking out a more up-to-date lighting design and fixtures can add so much brightness to your hallways and areas with canned/recessed lights. Not only will you be saving on your electric bill when you make the switch to LED, but your home will also look so much more aesthetically pleasing.
Paint Old Light Fixtures
The last update I completed was the huge light fixture in our foyer. I really DO NOT like this light fixture at all. It is dated, I never liked it from the beginning and it has hung for 20 years and made me wince every time I look at it. My husband refused to let me spend the money I wanted to spend when we first moved into our home and get a beautiful light fixture installed. He selected this one from Home Depot and had it installed. Our ceilings are 18 feet high in our foyer, so there is no way to update the light fixture myself.
I simply grabbed a can of black paint that I had in my storage and a huge ladder and painted the light fixture black. I also took off all the glass shades that were a huge eyesore and dated the light fixture. I also changed out the light bulbs to large round bulbs to improve the look. I don’t love the light fixture, but it is a huge improvement!
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Are you ready to update your light fixtures for a new Spring Home Project?
I will be moving to the upstairs and updating the light fixtures in the master bath, the kid’s bathroom, and the master bedroom. Since my husband already upgraded all the recessed lighting in the hallway, we are half done with the upstairs update!
