I love making lighting updates at home during the winter. Although I can feel the days getting longer already, I’ve made two key updates that were long overdue, and the better lighting will be appreciated the rest of this winter.

If you choose beautiful, quality light fixtures, you’ll enjoy them for many, many years. Light fixtures are like jewelry for your home. I hope to convince you not to wait one moment longer to put in the lighting updates you need at your place.

Winter Lighting Update #1

I’ve been looking for a petite chandelier for my teeny tiny little bathroom for over ten years, I kid you not. I was so tired of that bare bulb! Even in a decorator’s house, projects don’t get finished all on day one. Or even year one. Really, if you own a house, you are never done working on it.

In Homegoods, I found the perfect fixture for under $100. Don’t be afraid to buy open-box light fixtures like this. They are often unique. There it sat on my counter. For months. Then the pandemic happened, and I finally had an extra moment to start the installation. Light fixture swaps can be an easy DIY project.

Well, as often happens in an old house, the project was a little more involved than it should have been, so I had to call in reinforcements. Why call the electrician for one job when you can call him in for three?

I love the fixture. It’s got the antique brass finish that compliments our other light fixtures. It’s got the glitter and shine that I love. It’s sparkly without being frilly.

What I really love, you can’t see until you turn it on…

That shadow pattern is dazzling. I love it. It’s kind of like getting a two-fer. The fixture itself is attractive, and the result is more than just light.

Winter Lighting Update #2

As lovely as that is, another project was on my to-do list for just as long. The sconces in my dining room also needed an update. They were too small, too dim, too brass, and (not shown here) covered with a red shade. You might have noticed there is not much red in my house, so I really can’t explain how they got there.

Here’s a pro tip you won’t hear anywhere else…buy your replacement sconces for an old house (and maybe a second option) and make sure you have them on hand before you invite your electrician over. I went through two sconces before I settled on this one. I even tried to modify my first choice fixture. Some fixtures just don’t work in every situation. Some old houses like mine have direct-wired sconces, which means that the on/off switch has to be onboard the fixture. It was cost-prohibitive to add a wall switch, which is what a newer construction home would have.

Sconces with onboard switches are fairly rare, so this update also took a few months to source (during a global pandemic), but I love how it turned out. These are the Keystick Wall Sconces from Rejuvenation.com. 

They are so much brighter and bolder than what we had before. They also put off the perfect amount of backlight for Zoom calls for one of my girls, who moved her school desk to the dining room. It looks very executive, does it? The fixtures also looked good with Christmas decorations.

Your January Updates

I’ve heard from more than a few of you that you’ve been inspired to do more projects like organizing drawers since I posted last week. It takes a mix of routine organizing and maintenance updates to keep an old house like this feeling fresh. Actually, that’s true of any home, even a new one.

If you think your house might need some better lighting, check out the lighting updates I made a few years ago in the living room, foyer, and basement.

There are only a few days left in this month. I hope you saw my note in yesterday’s article about returning to weekly posts after January. I’m doing my best to inspire you to do something to freshen up your home right now! There is so much you can do, even during winter. I hope to hear from you in the comments below about what you’ve been working on.

See all of my January 2021 organizing articles in one place.