Let’s talk about lights. Every single time I go to the hardware stores, I am so disappointed by their lighting selection. It’s not their fault. They’re just carrying what’s popular. They’re just trying to give the people what they want. Apparently I’m not people, because I just don’t want what they’ve got.

The people that owned our house previously decided to give it a nice facelift by putting in stainless finish doorknobs, light plates and light fixtures throughout the house. That’s awesome; there’s nothing wrong with that. Unless, maybe, your whole house is gold and black and white and there isn’t really a need for stainless anything (except the kitchen sink). Yeah.

This was the light in our dining room. Really just not my style and even with a coat of spray paint, there was no saving it. I shopped for months online looking at every pretty brass fixture to cross my path and they all had one thing in common, a huge price tag. I know, Jessie J…’it’s not about the money, money, money’… but it sort of is. I wasn’t trying to break the bank here.

I came across this chandelier one night at Menards and got an idea. What if this was gold? and instead of those shades, it had giant lightbulbs? Could it look like all those expensive pretty lights that I had been ogling online?

The answer was yes.

I literally started jumping up and down when I finished installing this because of how pretty it looked! For real, I couldn’t stop staring at it all night. It’s the perfect fit for the dining room and more importantly, the budget. (More heart-eyed emojis here.)

Thanks for reading,