When
we moved in to our first home, I wasn’t willing to settle for the floor plan
that the previous homeowners had set up. Everything was in a weird place,
making the house feel cramped and messy! In the second livingroom area, they
had workout equipment and an enormous aquarium. Then, they had their table
shoved into a tiny nook in the corner! I couldn't handle it and decided that my
dining area needed more space. The problem: the light fixtures reflected where
they had placed their things. A hanging light fixture in the corner and no
light fixture in the large room! With my big farmhouse table being a staple in
my home, I wanted it to have a place of glory. But how could I arrange my home
the way I wanted without being left in the dark?
Well,
after switching out the hanging light in the corner for a more modern fixture,
I began to feel like one heck of an electrician. So I thought that installing a
light box couldn’t be too hard, right? Wrong. After some research, I gave up on
that DIY project, because the process was tedious and complicated. How about
calling an electrician? Yeah, for a few hundred bucks I could have it exactly
the way I wanted. There was no way I was going to spend my tiny home decor
budget on that! So how could I light up my dining room without spending a
fortune or electrocuting myself?
My
inspiration came in an antique store, but I wasn't interested in their
merchandise. While shopping one afternoon, I wandered into one of the
stores,but instead of looking around, I happened to look up. There, hanging
from the ceiling, were 20 or so light fixtures that reached from the sides to
the middle of the store supported by antique pulleys. It was clear that they
had the same problem I did! Certainly, I could pull off this magic trick
myself!
The
key to keeping it in budget was finding a pulley that wouldn't cost $30-$40,
which is how much you usually see them for in antique stores. I hunted for a
while before I could start my project. One on Facebook Marketplace for $10?
Yes! It was pretty nasty and needed a good cleaning, but for that price, I
didn't care!
Now,
to buy the fixture. I found many on Amazon and chose the one with the longest
cord. However, I knew I would need an extension cord to make it to the plug, so
I didn't stress too much about length. The one listed below is even better than
the one I found on Amazon. It comes with the bulb, cage, cord, and hooks! And
at only $20, it's a steal!
Next,
lace the cord through the pulley and hang the pulley up. Make sure it is in the
center of your space so it hangs evenly over your table. Now, you have to
decide how high you want the fixture to hang. I pulled the fixture up and moved
the table back so I could vitalize where it needed to be. Once I had it at the
right height, I tied it firmly to the hook on the wall. All of the weight of
the fixture should be supported by now, and you can plug it in (whether you
need to include an extension cord or not).
Here's
my finished product...
What
a change! I am so happy with the outcome! However, I do plan to eventually
change the low watt Edison bulb out for a brighter one to give us even more
light. Have you ever worked with lighting? Have experience with lighting up a
difficult space? Tell about it in the comments below and keep creating!
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