Monday, February 6, 2017

Installing a Pendant Light - The Easy Way


I have ZERO electrical skills, little patience and a home upgrade budget to match. 
So when I got the urge to do a little something new to the kitchen, it needed it to be easy and affordable. I have always envisioned a pendant lamp in my kitchen and I had finally found one that I really loved, and was affordable! 



Well.. that's not the one I ended up with.

At the time, West Elm was all sold out :(   so I searched the internet to find something similar. I wanted my pendant to be: Round or bell-shaped, have a clear glass shade and brass hardware. 

I ended up loving this one! And the price was definitely right!



Along with the pendant, I ordered a recessed light converter kit. This kit allows me to easily change any existing recessed light into a pendant light! 




I watched this detailed step-by-step video on how to install the kit. It was super helpful.



Remember how I said I had zero electrical skills? Well, this kit was a cinch to install!( I mean, I have switched light fixtures on my own, like the one in my dining room, but that's about it.) But, yeah super easy. The only issue I came across was screwing the base of the pendant onto the ceiling. The base has the screw on the sides so getting the screws into the holes was a bit annoying and took a few minutes longer than it should have to tighten 2 screws.




After about an hour, my new pendant light was up!











After using the recessed light converter kit, I would definitely recommend it. 

During my online searches for pendant lights, I came across pendant lights that you literally screw into an existing light socket! Sounds a lot easier than the method I used, but the downside is that there is an limited choice of pendant lights. Here are a few that I like:





Decorative lighting really adds personality to any space. It can come in the way of pendant lights, chandeliers, sconces and lamps. No need for them to be super-expensive either. Just do a little searching and I'm sure you can find a good deal. 

Thanks for reading! `Till next time!

-Oscar