Happy Tuesday, Friends! Yesterday was spent preparing for the electrician to come and install a few light fixtures for us in our new house. I can’t tell you how pleased we are with the first one he installed! Come see what a difference a chandelier makes!
Our new house has so many lovely features. We love the fact there are no formal spaces in this house yet we don’t think that should alter our decorating style, which leans a little formal. The original light fixture is attractive, functional, and very high end, however it didn’t put off much light and was facing in the opposite direction than we wanted.
We brought with us one of our favorite chandeliers from our last house. Ironically, I bought it in North Carolina and installed it in our home in Pennsylvania. Now we (and she) have come back home to NC at last! My husband bought this amazing ceiling medallion ( Ceiling Medallion ) for me last Christmas and we knew it would look perfect in the new house along with our crystal chandelier ( Crystal Chandelier ). Here is mid-installation yesterday.
It proved to be a bit tricky because the hole in the center of the medallion was very small. The electrician had to enlarge the hole in order to reach the wires and securely install the light. Happily you can’t see the larger hole since the canopy covers the opening. Also, we lucked out because the medallion fits perfectly in between the reclaimed wood beams ( Reclaimed Wood Beam ) in the ceiling. Whew!
Here is the chandelier waiting in the wings. A few of the leaves got a little bent in transit but they are easily bent back into place with pliers. My chandelier is most delighted she got to come live with us permanently versus staying in our former house with complete strangers.
After the electrician finished installing the chandelier came the fun part. Adding the crystals! I labeled each group of crystals as I was taking them down which helped as I put them back into place. I polished each crystal with Sparkle Plenty ( Sparkle Plenty 32 oz. spray bottle ) and used a lint free micro-fiber cloth ( Microfiber Cloth) to buff them dry.
Here is the dining area with the new chandelier in place. I love the formality of the crystal chandelier paired with the rustic beauty of the reclaimed beams and table ( Reclaimed Wood Dining Table ). We are on the look out for a few captain’s chairs for each end of the table but we don’t want to rush and end up regretting our decision.
Meanwhile, my sparkly crystal chandelier makes me very, very happy. One more item to check off of the list!
I ended up adding larger crystals on the bottom portion of the chandelier. I thought the ones I had there previously were just too small for this large a light fixture. And you know me, more is more.
After the electrician left and all of the crystals and furniture were back in place, my sweet husband added a dimmer switch to the chandelier. Now, it is perfect!
And while he had his tool belt out, he installed a dimmer switch on this beauty in the Great Room as well! Isn’t lighting the best when you can control the intensity? I believe every light should be on a dimmer if possible. We bought the dimmer switches at Lowe’s for about $30 each ( Lutron white dimmer switch ). We purchased white Lutron dimmers to match the color and style of the switches currently in the house. It’s tricky sometimes because there is such a slight difference between pure white and off white. But oh, what a difference a dimmer makes!
The electrician is coming back tomorrow to install a few other chandeliers. It hasn’t been quite a month since we moved in so we still have a long way to go with unpacking and decorating. But we feel good that a few big ticket items are complete. And now the house is starting to feel like our own!
Well, we are off to tackle more boxes. Our children are coming in soon for a visit and we need to clear a path to a few beds for them. I hope you have a great day! Thank you for stopping by and can you do me a favor? Please share me with your Facebook friends! I so appreciate it! Until next time, xoxo Dell
