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I'm a sucker for a cool light fixture, but I'm also not wealthy so my lighting budget is under $50 per light. When I first moved in I changed four out of seven light fixtures in here. (There was a ceiling fan in the dining room. How gross is that? Dust blowin' all over your food!) I bought three lights at IKEA and one on craigslist (more on those here, here, and here) but there are still three that I want to change so I'm always on the lookout for cool and inexpensive light fixtures. Here is a list of some super cool ones I wish I had space for.

I love this cagey pendant from Urban Outfitters (here) for $49.00. It would look cool in a kitchen or bathroom. My favorite part is that cheeky red cord.

Sometimes you just need a basic light and I love this globe light from Lowe's for $49.50 (here). Perfect for a hallway or closet.

I think I like this weird acorn/pinecone light from Lowe's for $39.98 (here). It reminds me of my all time favorite light from IKEA (here) that is hanging in my bedroom (here).

My favorite bloggers just released their own line of light fixtures at Shades of Light. My favorite is this small orb light for $69.95 (here) which is a little over my $50 cap but they have a 10% off code on their blog which brings down the price. All their lighting is under $99 which is awesome!

I'm kind of obsessed with this light. I remember seeing it a while back on CB2.com and thinking it was cool but I couldn't justify the $149 price tag. Well, it is now on sale for $49.95 (here)! I'm seriously thinking about getting it for my bathroom. It would add the perfect amount of edge that my bathroom desperately needs.... hmmm this may be happening.

I love this IKEA light, not because it super cool but because it is the perfect alternative to a builder's grade "boob" light. And for only $29.99 (here) it is the perfect light for hallways, closets, and other areas where you want an upgrade without the price tag.

There isn't a place in my current house for pendants but these are awesome and the price isn't bad either. They're West Elm ranging between $6.99 - $34.99 (here).

I don't know how functional these pendants are but they are wooden and that's cool. They are West Elm on sale for $34.99 (here). I like them grouped in a cluster like they are in this picture. I can see them in a nook with a reading chair (although I don't know how you do light clusters... I always see them in magazines but I can't help thinking, did they run extra wiring over there or what?).

This is another good light that is functional, pretty, and innocuous. IKEA for $29.99 (here).

I love vintage lighting. Some people may worry about wiring but I just worry about the way it looks and get a good smoke detector (just kidding). This light from Era Vintage is only $38 (here).

This light from Target also reminds me of my bedroom light fixture (here). This just happens to be extremely cheap at $15.99 (here).

Are you always on the lookout for a good light fixture like me? Or are you satisfied with your current lights? The three lights I haven't changed are so simple that they blend in and are unnoticeable. I haven't rushed to change them for that reason, but now I want to because I found so many good options.

Labels: IKEA, inspiration, lighting, online shopping, shopping, Target, vintage

I did it! This has been on my list of things to do for so long, but honestly I've been very nervous to do it. As I mentioned in this post, when I first moved in I had the three main light fixtures that came with the house changed (entry, dining, kitchen). The other big one that I wanted to change out was my bedroom. I had my cousin do the three lighting fixtures when I first moved in but I'm all about boundary pushing these days so I knew I wanted to do this one myself. The fixture that was in my bedroom was unobtrusive but that isn't really my style. Six months ago I got the Knappa light from IKEA to hang in there, I assembled it and then left it hanging off a chair in the second bedroom this whole time. I told you I was nervous to do it on my own... but today I mustered all the courage I had plus a lot of internet research and youtube videos.

I'm not going to lie, I did run into a few problems because the light fixture I chose didn't come with a canopy (that round cap that connects the cord to the ceiling) and because my house is so old it was just all kinds of gross up there. But this post is in no way a 'how-to' it's more of a 'don't follow my directions just be inspired that I did it and so can you' post.

Let's skip all the boring sweaty parts and just skip to my favorite part, no it's not the finished product, it was shutting off the power at the electrical box. Why was this my favorite part? Because I felt like Laura Dern in Jurassic Park... it was awesome! Remember the scene where she is going through that dark underground compound trying to find the power box? And then she flips all those big switches to save everyone from death by dinosaurs? It was kind of like that except no dinosaurs or dismembered arms.