Replacing the Boob Light...

Yes, I said "boob", but there really is no better explanation for the builder-basic flush-mount light that you can find in most any track home built in the last 10 years.  Does it function well?  Yes...  Is it inexpensive?  Yes...  Is it ugly?  No, not terribly...  But, gosh, it's mighty boring and just begs to be something more.

Our house has at least 5 or 6 of these suckers, so I thought we'd try to change one out to mix it up a bit.  My target?  The dining room...which in our rental house can also serve as an office.  I needed a fixture that wouldn't scream "dining room" to the non-design-savvy renter so I decided a chandelier was out, and set my sights on another flush-mount look that would work for dining room or office.

This was my dream fixture from Overstock.com:

The only problem was that it cost over $100 - $130 to be exact - and it only came in the pictured bronze color.  My design dilemma involved the fact that all our other light fixtures (many visible from that room) are brushed nickel.  Booooooo!  After deciding to begrudgingly move on, I took a spin in our local Home Depot and found a dandy alternative on sale for $89.

What do you think?  I think it's much better than the boob light.  I like the drum shade, the three-arm candelabra, and the bit of crystal along the stem of the fixture.  It definitely dresses the room up just a tad and the shape of the fixture plays off the other circles in the room.

I'd say the install was quite easy.  It was a two-person job and my husband opts to lead our electrical endeavors...I wonder why???  Let's just say we have to tape over light switches to keep me from flipping them on when we're working on the lights in the room.

Now, would I still love an eye-catching pendant light or chandelier in here?  YES!  But I must remember that this is a rental and it must appeal to every renter's tastes, not just my own.  (That's what I repeat over and over to myself...)

For other boob light transformation ides, I encourage you to check out Honey + Fitz, where Dina shares a great way to DIY a drum shade over an existing boob light.  She's a true genius - check it out her easy to follow instructions {here}!  When we move this summer, I plan to do use her idea if we have several bedrooms with boob lights in our next house.  -Kristen