apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I don't have an answer for this, but I'm going to bookmark this discussion and watch it closely since I've hated mine from the day I moved in here. I'm in a rental and can't decide if I should replace it or not. Can't wait to hear what everyone has to say, and what you decide to do, Kristina.

i an relate to this dilemma. sometimes it's not worth the hassle to replace the ugly thing. i'll never forget the last time i moved. i had taken down an ugly ceiling fan, and when i put it back up i couldn't find one of the screws so i replaced it with a slightly longer one. the landlord took $80 out of my security deposit to "replace" the fan!

Seriously - changing a light fixture is not that hard. Believe me, it's hardly brain surgery. It's just easy to get intimidated and scared because you've never done it before. As long as you know where the main box is to shut off your power, you're golden. (And if you don't know where it is, you should.)

Wikihow has a ton of help, and that's just one site. There are tons more on the internet.

http://www.wikihow.com/Category:Electrical-Lighting-and-Fans

C'mon. Do it!

I am still baffled as to why anybody thought this design back in the day (70s or 80s?), was a good idea. It has to be the most heinous lighting design ever conceived. And the fact that landlords inflict such horrific light fixtures on their tenants is an absolute crime that should be punishable under the law. Not that I have any strong feelings about this....

Well, now that I got my opinion out there... I would strongly encourage anybody with one of these in his or her home to take it down immediately, and find a replacement. (A bare bulb would look nicer.) There are lots of options that don't have to be expensive. Ikea (I know this was mentioned already) has plenty of options for less than $50.00, and a few for less than $20.00. It is worth the investment just for the sake of humanity to eradicate every last one of these hideous chandeliers (even if you end up leaving it behind for the next tenant, for which they will owe you eternal gratitude even if they don't know it).

If you are afraid of doing the wiring, get a friend to help. It is shockingly (no pun intended) easy to do. A few wires (two or three, depending on how old your house wiring is), and a couple of screws and that is it.

You will be amazed by how much better your life will be without this in your home. You will find happiness and inner peace, make more money, and have more friends that want to come over for a visit.

FOr 20 bucks and 20 minutes (OK, plus the 2 hours in the store), you could install a SWEET Ikea light in its place. GO on criagslist under Free; someone's giving away something better than that. you can do it! (please!) (Craigslist/Free is an awesome resource if you're on a tight budget).

If you're that scared, I'll come over and hang it for a bottle of wine.

:)

Yes, it's very very easy to replace a light fixture, but if you really want to keep this one in place...

You can make a pattern for the shade itself. Tape a piece of tissue paper to the shade in such a way that it lets you get a pattern piece from the area nearest the ceiling to the bottom tip (trace, draw, adjust, until you have something accurate). Multiply that by the number of segments, don't assume they're all exactly the same size - do doublecheck, and voila you have a pattern. Because whatever you use will be well insulated from the bulbs by the glass shade, you have many options about materials, so you could cut out fabric or felt (there are some beautiful modern light fixtures made of felt that have been featured here on AT) or handmade paper. Just remember that some options will allow light to shine through easily (also revealing the outlets of that glass shade) while others will block the light and give you more of a pinspot effect on your table. Attaching the segments to the glass shade can be done with the proper glue (match your fabric or paper) - or - by sewing most of the panels together (and making snaps or using velcro for the last panel). Think something more modern for that bottom edge, spiky, curvy, or in the case of felt it could be a torn edge. The only limit is your imagination...

Me, I'd replace the light fixture if at all possible, but I am using some of these techniques to revamp horrific lighting in my own home (but just as a temporary fix until I can purchase consistent lighting for the entire house).

Oops, should say (also revealing the OUTLINES of that glass shade) and I'd make it long enough so the metal bulb holder inside didn't show at all...

Alana - gotta laugh, because I'm usually the one with the tools helping all the neighbors hang curtain rods, shelves and assemble furniture. Don't know why I'm being such a wuss on this!! ;-)

So the only reason we didn't want to take it down is because it's a rental, and we'd have to put it back up. Since my roommate is thinking of buying, we're not even sure how long we're going to be at this apartment (though, this light fixture notwithstanding, I'd stay forever because the place rocks). So...yes. Thus the wanting to cover it up with something - I like Rucy's idea and might try that, so thanks!

What about placing a drum shade (with a large enough diameter) around the entire light? Just make sure the height of the shade is bigger than the fixture height. You could even close off the bottom with the correct sized circle and then none of it would be visible. I'm sure there are lots of sites to find inspiration, but off the top of my head West Elm would have some sort of drum shade (single or multi-tiered) that could be used as a guide. Many craft and fabric stores sell shade "skeletons" that could be converted.

I saw something on a design show once where they made a shade by bending wire into two rings, one on top and one on bottom, and you can either choose any fabric you like or (like they used) some sort of thin bendable plastic to make your own shade to go right over the exsisting fixture. ...Although if it were me I would have no idea how to go about doing it and take up the person above on their offer to to come over and change it for some wine. I got a huge paper lantern online for $19 and a gorgeous ceiling medallion on ebay for about the same, and it looks awesome for less than $40!

Maybe you've already tried this, but have you considered asking your landlord to replace the fixture? It might be something they've been meaning to do for the last 10 years, but since nobody asked, it keeps going to the bottom of the to-do list.

They might also be open to you installing a new fixture, and not make you put the old one back when you leave. (This assumes you leave the fixture you install in the apartment--possibly a small price to pay for a life free from that eyesore.) Or splitting the cost of a new fixture with you, etc etc etc. You won't know until you ask what they might be willing to do.

Good luck!

We definitely asked, but the landlord explicitly stated that we were to replace that thing when we moved out. Given the rest of the light fixtures (not pendants, but definitely equally ugly), I guess that's just her style, though it makes me think of both The Ice Storm and Boogie Nights for some reason.

What if you asked her, "How about we buy a new light and leave it behind when we move as long as you promise that you will NEVER inflict that crime against design on another innocent person ever again?"

Or not.

Yikes. I had the very same dilemma when I moved into my otherwise charming, pre-war apartment. The hideous lamp my landlord selected in the '80s when he renovated the place had to go! I'm convinced, since it's the first thing you see (the apt. opens on the dining area/kitchen) that it turned off other potential renters. The first thing I did when I moved in was suck it up and pay an electrician to make it go away and install a relatively cheap ($69 at west elm) beautifully mod, hanging lamp. It is the best improvement I've made to the place and I admire this central piece every day.

It's worth it to me to look at something pleasing and artful day after day rather than be repulsed by the ugly, ill-conceived choice of some dude who just had no sense about these things (or concern, since he ain't livin' with it). The thing was pink and gold for chrissake!

Anyway, I know it's not the cheap or DIY solution you're lookin' for, but, man, so glad i did it!

I guess the real question is what is your style? There a lot of things you could do!

For a modern deconstructed soft look you could just drape a large hemmed bit of linen or muslin or felt over it and pin it together (with a old-fashioned safety pin if you like the look). If you make it long enough it will even cover most the view from below as it drapes inward... So it looks sort of like a soft cone hanging from the chain...

You could also look at place mats- especially grass or twig ones. Put one or two end to end and wrap it around the outside edge of the existing shade so it looks like a hexagonal upright tube. Maybe attach a strip underneath if the bottom is still viewable from below. (Low enough so that it doesn't create a fire hazard). You could probably use electrical tape to secure it in place. (Which should be able to come off when you leave- you may need to use a little goo-gone to get any remaining residue off).

Or remove the glass part of the shade and zip-tie antlers all over it?! :)

More romantic look- rig a parasol so that it is hanging upside down under it. Chose a large enough parasol that no one really sees the actual light...

Or wire a lightweight (like a cheapo one from Target) milkcrate to the outside of the light fixture. (Run the wires from the top sides of the crate to the chain just above the fixture). Cover the outside and bottom of the crate with rice paper. So the light will shine through the rice paper where the cutouts are on the milk crate... Choose a milk crate with decent looking cutouts for a nicer look.

*Lots* of options...! :)