Upcycled Vanity Light

                      Source: decorpad.com via Miss B.e.e. on Pinterest 

These were my main inspiration pictures for my master bath redo.

                                             Source: houzz.com via Miss B.e.e. on Pinterest

 

This post is the beginning of a few on one of my most recent personal projects. It's only taken me a couple of YEARS to get it finished (and it seems like that long to post about it!), but hey... I'm just happy it's actually done! When we moved into this house, the master bath only had one or two things going for it. It was HUGE, had a nice tub and separate water closet, which is something I like in a house. The rest was, um, builder grade and boring beyond belief.

Master Vanity "Before"

The house was eight years old and the master still had the builder beige on the walls, gold/brass hardware and trim, glass block window, gray & white swirled cultured marble counter top, basic 12" ceramic floor tile, huge sheet glass mirror, cheap builder grade vanity lights and faucets in a mix of satin nickel & brass (!). Fortunately, the former owner had invested in the items that are much harder to update like the whirlpool tub and shower. They aren't what I would pick style-wise if I could start from scratch, but they are good quality and workable. Eventually I'd like to replace the tub with a free-standing floor model and take out the acrylic shower in favor of tile with glass surround. But, those are two very pricey and in-depth renos that may or may not happen any time soon.

                                                     Source: fortheloveofahouse.blogspot.com via Miss B.e.e. on Pinterest

In the meantime, I have worked on updating what I could on a tight budget. One of the most recent things was to redo the lighting and that is what I'm sharing today. Here's what I started with:

Vanity Light Before

As  you can see, the lights were pretty basic. They could have been much worse, but I wanted a change from the expected glass globe down lights. Initially, I looked for replacements. I found several I really liked and if you followed me on Pinterest you saw me pinning them. Here's a few I liked:

     Source: restorationhardware.com via Miss B.e.e. on Pinterest 

                                                         Source: lnt.com via Miss B.e.e. on Pinterest 

                                                       Source: wayfair.com via Miss B.e.e. on Pinterest

Source: restorationhardware.com via Miss B.e.e. on Pinterest

 

All of these options were still going to run a minimum of $100 each and like I've said before, I'm redoing a house on a super tight budget - one that squeaks! That was a conscious decision on our part for me to be home the kids, so I'm not complaining. They are worth far more than any "pretty" house! That said, I still want my home to look nice so I've become very creative on redoing on a shoe-string, and that creativity was tested to the limit with this project!

After taking down and reinstalling numerous off the shelf options from the local home improvement stores, nothing was working for me. Darn that champaign taste! I knew what I wanted, but couldn't afford it. Then a light bulb went off! One day after starring for "hours" at the old fixtures, it hit me they had a pretty good base shape. It was just the globes and color I hated. Could I recreate a satin/brushed nickel look? I've not liked any out of can options, but decided to experiment. I used both chrome and satin nickel spray paints in layers and got a good match to the existing faucets I was keeping. Bingo!

Now to do something about the glass shades. I wish I could tell you this part was easy, but it wasn't and you won't get a tutorial on this because I'm not sure I'd recommend doing it unless you have help like I did from someone with the right tools and know-how! Long story short, with my dad's help, we took out the medium base sockets and replaced them with candelabras. Goodwill shades found for $1 apiece were wrapped in white organza ribbon and wha-la! I had three light sconces I love for approximately $20 in parts and free labor. Just goes to show, if you are determined enough (read: stubborn) and think hard enough (read: drive yourself & your spouse crazy), you can find a cheap way to reuse more than you ever imagined!

My upcycled vanity lights!

Gotta say, I'm pleased as punch with my "new" vanity lights!