Living & Dining Room Cleaning

This past Sunday, I was very lucky to have my parents and sister come over to help me clean both the living and dining room. It is amazing what four people can accomplish in just a few hours. These rooms were VERY DIRTY before we cleaned them. A load of dirt and spider webs had fallen into the room when the roof was being re-done in the past few months and it seemed like we would never have a clean living space. We haven't set up the rooms in the way we want them to look "in the end," but here are some photos of the progress we made in just one day!

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my dad did a great job vacuuming up all the webs on the ceiling

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Spray Painting light fixtures is Fun and Easy!

Spray painting light fixtures is a fun and easy way to make all your light fixtures sorta match. Here's another one - 

This base probably wasn't always white as from what I can tell. The original fixtures are all some kind of metal-tone finish

Since we've chosen to go with a black-spraypainted-decorative-metal theme so far, it makes sense to make this light match the others.

The shade looks newer

Doesn't exactly rock your socks, does it? 

We often shop around at estate sales and a new shade was on my list. I saw a nice looking milk glass shade for $3 so I grabbed that.

Spray paint is almost too easy. Almost

Light is up and better looking IMO

Meeko was watching me from afar

I think it's an improvement

Big, Cheap, Ugly light fixture for the Master Bedroom

Yes, I know... it looks like something people put over their pool tables in the '70s. My friend Dan May, from Dan May estates said to Christina, "Do you have a game room?" since that probably seems like the only reason someone would want this fixture. It actually appears to be exactly the right size for the master bedroom. It makes about a 4.5' triangle shape

looking up pics of "'70s wrought iron light fixture" I noticed it was missing the shade

https://retrophoria.com/seller/SANTACLARASTUDIO/2-Vintage-Wrought-Iron-and-Amber-Glass-Hanging-Lights/

I discovered ours was missing the shade but decided to simply use large vanity globes and ignore the shade for the sake of simplicity.

I got the parts for the base that were missing in the Lamp Parts section of Ace Hardware. The brass thing on the left is just to cover a hole that was probably for a switch (hole on the right). The brass thing on the right is a finial (cap) and lamp nipple (threaded tube) to connect the base to the ceiling. 

The paint was an awful "brown with hints of scratched gold" finish and it needs to be black to match the other black painted metal fixtures and our bed frame. 

WOW it looks so much better in black

It's nice to have the lamp nipple (threaded tube) long enough so you can hold the fixture up while you wire it then tighten down the finial (decorative nut) when you're done. 

I had to touch up the paint with the fixture up there because the chains move around as it settles into place. I had to give it a few shakes and wiggles to get it to sit as the chains and wires can bind together.

The room is pretty dark with the gold curtains so I opted for 2 100W globes

I usually put in a light bulb after I connect the wires and turn on the light to make sure it's working. It also helps to know that the connections are solid while you tighten down the finial because you can see if the light starts flickering. 

It looks pretty sweet like this but I'm going to put the glass back in because it goes with the yellow window glass and gold curtains. 

Time to clean the glass

WOW this looks way better than I thought it would. It's the perfect size and shape and matches the curtains, windows and other lights I've added. $20 plus some small lamp parts, spray paint and light bulbs! Awesome. 

Looks awesome with those curtains which have black fleur-de-lys rod ends

The glass behind the curtains is yellow too! 

While that turned out an awesome success! I might have to bail on the candelabra I was building from scratch... 

It even matches the laundry room light and this wall light I got for $10 that came with the Spanish gothic light fixtures I got for the living room  

Kitchen Track Lighting

The kitchen had a weird ugly greasy homemade fluorescent, wired to one light box off center. The simplest way to get a lot of light in the kitchen in a flexible way is track lighting. Track lighting is a modular system, meaning each piece has a function, as opposed to an "integrated" light fixture where the parts of the light can't be changed or separated.

Because track lighting is modular, you can make the track as long as you want, with as many lights on it as you need. The lights are in a clip on bulb base called a head. 

2x 4' track light kit with 3 heads equals 8' and 6 heads. The track is connected with the little track connector pictured here between the tracks. 

I had to modify the clip a bit and remove the UV glass which you can expect if you get LED retrofit bulbs   

Hey it works! 

Heads pointed at - range, fridge, sink, counter, down and down 

After putting in the heads, you position them.  "Task lighting" is when you have a light pointing at something as opposed to general purpose lighting. 

Now we have light where we need it - and it's a lot easier than cutting in recessed cans and pulling wires for the.