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This post is sponsored by Lamps Plus. All opinions are my own.
When we were house hunting, one of my friends advised me to find a house that we could be happy living in as-is. She said, you'll have tons of ideas for projects and home improvements to do, and you may end up doing them all eventually, but for most people renovations aren't a quick process like on TV. It's going to take longer (and cost more) than you think, so make sure you'll be happy in the meantime. That will make the process much more fun, and less stressful on your marriage. I can already see the wisdom in her advice, because even the small changes like painting and light fixtures are taking us way longer than I thought. BUT! We are making progress, slowly but surely, and with every little change I like our house even more. Recently, we finally switched out some of our old builder grade light fixtures for pretty new ones from Lamps Plus...and they look soooo much better. Can I get a watt watt? ;) If you don't have a lot of money to spend on house renovations, but still want to do something that will make a big difference immediately, I highly recommend upgrading your lighting. It will instantly make your house feel 10x more stylish and intentional. Such a big impact for something relatively low-cost!
Lamps Plus is my go-to shop for beautiful-yet-affordable lights in every style, from close-to-ceiling lights to hanging pendants and chandeliers. Here's a round up of some fixtures that I considered for our house, and the ones I actually chose. These rooms are not even close to being done yet (the blank walls are so embarrassing!!!!), but I'm trying to celebrate every little bit of progress. So yeah, here's where we're at. I am CLEARLY not the kind of blogger who moves in and has everything remodeled and styled super cute within a month. I want to be that girl, but hey, life is busy right now...
Close to ceiling lights: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4
For Ian's bedroom, I looked at ceiling lights to upgrade the standard "boob lights" our house came with. I loved the style of #1, the shape of #4, and the price of #3, but ended up choosing #2. It's a simple, classic style, a good size for the room, and a great price at $69.99. I might end up getting #3 for another room in our house though...it's hard to beat a timeless schoolhouse style light for under $30!
Hanging pendants: 1 / 2 / 3 / 4 / 5
For the kitchen, we had already removed some black track lighting when we painted the ceiling, and we needed something to replace it for now. Knowing that we're planning to remodel the kitchen soon, I wanted to pick something versatile since it won't stay in this spot for long. I looooved the look of #1 and #2, but decided to go with #4 because it was less expensive. It looks like it's currently sold out, but you can find lots of similar options under $200. When we remodel, I want to cut another window in the back wall and put a farmhouse sink under it. I'm thinking I will move this pendant to above the sink when that happens!
Lastly, we got a new living room chandelier to replace the boring 90's one that came with the house. It makes such a big difference! I ended up choosing #4 because it was a great deal (on sale for $299) and I love the look of Sputnik lights. It might be a bit trendy and less traditional, but it's really beautiful and it gives off a ton of light. We have it on a dimmer switch so we can turn down the brightness if we want to change the mood.
We still have a number of lights to switch out, so I'm keeping these lists handy for future reference! The next one on my list is the chandelier in our entryway. I did a little Photoshop work, and I think #2 from my chandelier round up would look amazing there. What do you think?
Do you have a favorite light from the ones above? What's your go-to source for lighting that's beautiful but not crazy expensive? I went to this local store that had SUCH gorgeous fixtures...but there were hardly any options under $1000!
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