The $40 Solution

Although our initial attempt to replace the kitchen lights ended in failure (but no head trauma, thankfully), we found that we were unable to ignore the original lights any longer. Well, perhaps I should clarify—not original to the house but installed by a previous owner.

They were more of the shiny bronze we found throughout the house and the decorative glass gave everything a little-old-lady feel. Given that Jonathan even changed out the hinges and door stops to match our new oil-rubbed bronze doorknobs, this mismatch was grating.

Coming to our rescue was the Home Depot Saturday circular, advertising $10 light fixtures. They were flush with the ceiling, they matched our other fixtures, and in what we believe is a first, they were actually within our budget. Jonathan was able to install all four before breakfast Sunday, despite some interesting wiring decisions by a previous owner.

We also discovered the ceiling of the office (once the utility porch) was a horrible mix of brown, pink and orange (I’m convinced they simply mixed up a bunch of leftover paint and had at it). It must have clashed wonderfully with the mint green trim.

We love the new lights, and not just because we finally found a project that was both easy and inexpensive. What I think we love more than anything is that they fit with the rest of our house so well, we hardly notice them any longer. Eventually, we’ll do a complete kitchen overhaul and when we do, we’ll likely change these out but for now they’re just right.