Fusty light fixtures are a surefire way to show that you haven't freshened up your decor in a while. A long while, in some cases. When Kristine, the talented Aussie behind The Painted Hive, wanted to brighten up a little nook off her parents' master bedroom (a "retreat" for her mum), she knew this fixture needed a serious makeover.
It's hard to believe it's the same wall sconce! To create this industrial-chic look, Kristine replaced the frilly glass shade with a plastic safety light cage. She then treated it, along with the sconce arm, with metal effects paint, including rust activator, to give the now on-trend light fixture a believable patina.
What a creative, affordable and attractive solution for an old fixture! Find all the how-to details and more photos at The Painted Hive. Great job Kristine!
(Images: The Painted Hive)
Before & After: Emily Henderson Transforms a Senior's Studio Space
Monica & Austin's Charming Bungalow
Good Food to Share 
The Big Book of Small, Cool Spaces 
Apartment Therapy Presents 
The Eight-Step Home Cure 
White Enamel Four-P...
How to Make Easy 3-Ingredient Energy Bars at Home
True Greek Recipe: Paximadi Bread Salad with Tomatoes, Feta and Capers
That looks awesome! love it
I love seeing this kind of transformation.
That's a PLASTIC cage?!?!? NEED. THIS. MAGIC. PAINT. :-D
Crazy! It looks great!
So what kind of paint is this exactly? I just tried to paint a mirror frame with a spray paint that promised a "hammer" silvery metal finish. I got ... silver spray paint. The look "hi, I'm an object that has been spray-painted silver, perhaps as a stage prop," is not the one I was after. I want a product like the one on this light fixture to produce that "believable patina."
@AngelineTheBaker: Click through to The Painted Hive for detailed instructions and info on the paint!
Amazing!
awesome. makes me wish I had a couple of horrible sconces to redo.
I love this!
Incredible!
Oh boy...I'm on a island by myself. Don't care for either one but appreciate the work.
Excellent and timely info. Thanks!
love this type of paint. i picked up something similar (copper) a few years back at the art/craft store. its one bottle of metalic paint, then you paint a coat of 'activator' over the top which oxidizes the metal. very cool.
Really great idea! You can find tons of those old lights in second hand stores too waiting to be rescued.
Awesome.
Sorry, but this reminds me of Hannibal Lecter or those cages they used to hang bodies in. Too severe for my taste. I seem to be in the minority though...
Unbelievable! Definitely going to do this!
The cage isn't my style, but that painting technique is impressive!
Not in love with either light, really. I wanted to add that Hammerite paint (the 'hammered' finish paint mentioned above) can give a great effect, but only over flat surfaces. I first used it on a large plastic planter and loved it, then I tried it on some wrought iron porch furniture and it really didn't work.
The "after" would be perfect for those who haven't been able to find a fixture that provides enough glare.
The after is hideous. Looks like bad sci-fi.
The after is hideous. Looks like bad sci-fi.
Well, it may not be to everyone's taste, but scroll back and look at the before. Gaze long upon its twee 80s hideousness! Anything, including hanging a dead kitten off it, would have been an improvement!
Personally I think the after is amazing - very steampunk! And so creative!
Neither of which is my style, but I totally appreciate the transformation and I do think it's an improvement and a really cool idea. It looks like it was also well-executed, not just a cute idea that someone threw together. It really works and looks like some real thought went into this one. Well done!
You have adonis blood in you. Great work.
The before was terrible and it is a remarkable transformation. Rust and cages just aren't my taste though.
Naked light bulbs! What harsh lighting they throw!
Creepy. Reminds me of Silence of the Lambs.
Oh, the ideas this gave me! I'll have to look at my horribly dated light fixtures (the home was built in 2001 but the light fixtures are gold and glass etched with fugly florals...huh?) and see what else I can put around them without having to replace the entire fixture.
Sweet! Looks perfect for a dungeon theme.
Sorry, but the "after" looks like it's part of torture equipment.
^ LOL. I think it does look like that.