Not-So-Northern Lights

Another important part of Project Curb Appeal was the porch lighting. Our old light fixture left much to be desired, as it was:

• Boring
• Ugly
• Rusted
• Dirty

See what I mean? I couldn't stand it another minute, so I took it upon myself to replace this dated fixture with something much classier.

I spent some time researching what a traditional craftsman style porch light would have looked like. Pretty much all of the sources agreed that it would have been a hanging rectangular pendant, with multiple glass sides, either transparent or semi-opaque. Something like this;

Or this;

The first fixture is from Rejuvenation.com and would have set us back $265. The second is from Craftsman Lighting Universe and costs $140. Neither appealed to me because of the price, and I was at a loss.

But, lo and behold, on one of our daily trips to Lowes, I found a mission/craftsman style hanging pendant for $30 buckaroos. No, that's not a typo, it was really only $30! And the best part was, I actually liked how it looked better than the pricier reproduction versions. I scooped that baby up faster than you can say "Arts & Crafts" and then asked Lover to install it for me. (He's our resident electrician, I don't touch cables.) It took some eyelash batting, but he did it for me, and here's the result!

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Isn't it beautiful? The previous owners made a bit of a mess of the ceiling when installing the old fixture so we're going to need a ceiling medallion, but for now it is perfect and I love it. Have you scored a great knockoff? I'd love to hear about it. :-)

I'm participating in Julia's Hooked On Fridays party this week with my lovely new porch light fixture! Check out the rest of the party here!