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Good morning!

I have 2 IKEA pendant lamps as my bedside lamps, and they don't have power switches. So, if I want to turn them on and off, I have to plug and unplug them from the outlet.

Obviously this isn't ideal.

I know I can cut the wire and insert a switch, but ideally I'd love to be able to have some sort of switch at the outlet that I could just turn on and off as needed. A sure protector power strip was the best thing I could think of, but it's certainly not an attractive option!

Anyone have any better ideas?

Surge*

i use an Ikea dimmer switch (which i of course forget the name for right now) for my bedside lamps. it is a small black switch with a single cord coming out of it so it is pretty unobtrusive.

cat -

I like lamp dimmers that have a floor switch, but they also make them with a hand switch. You plug it into your wall, and you plug your lamp in it.

Clap On! Clap Off! The Clapper.

I'm only partically kidding.

:)

partially! ack.

In searching for a link to the cheapie thing I have (an at-the-outlet plug adapter w/ switch), I discovered this:

http://www.smarthome.com/2530w.html

Which is a very cool and not that expensive way to add a remote switch that controls whatever you plug into the adapter.

From the site: Add instant remote-control lighting anywhere in your home without rewiring. The Wireless Decora-Style Plug-In Switch Kit consists of a plug-in module and a wireless transmitter that looks like a standard Decora-style switch but actually uses radio-frequency signals to turn the module's connected lamp or appliance on and off. The Wireless Decora Plug-In Switch is powered by 4 AAA batteries (sold separately).

I may get me some of those!

haha the clapper!
I got a shout out-yay! TGiF!

WOW you guys are great!!!

Curtis - do you have a link to the lamp dimmer you mentioned? I have CFLs in the lamps - wonder if a dimmer would work...

And One Eyed Daruma - that looks great!! That would be ideal. Have you ever bought anything from that website before?

... and now I have the clapper song stuck in my head! :)

Cat - I have not - but it's a Leviton product and you can probably find it in one of the big DIY stores. I'll be hunting for one this weekend! I'll also look for one that, instead of plugging into the wall, screws into a lightbulb socket.

Also, dimmers and CFL's don't mix. (read this:http://sound.westhost.com/articles/incandescent.htm#dim2)

More entries, more entries, more entries!

cat -

Here's a link to some dimmers -- some are table-top kind like I have inside the cubby of my Murphy bed to dim the lights inside it, and others are foot-powered floor ones, like I'm using for a current client to dim her not-hard-wired wall sconces:

http://www.lampsplus.com/htmls/prodlist.asp?Category=Dimmer&Type=table_floor

Hope this helps. But I didn't get them from the place in the link, I got them from local hardware stores.

Anyone ever tried to cover a wall in burlap? If so, do you have any advice? I know I can buy burlap/hessian wallpaper, but it would be substantially less expensive to use the fabric.

correction: I didn't get the one in my Murphy bed from a hardware store, it came with it, but I've seen them in hardware stores.

Harley - I saw it done on a show once and instead of applying the fabric to the walls, they covered panels of plywood with it and then applied the panels to the walls (they were hung with some kind of concealed hardware from the back side).

This: http://koopelektro.nl/shopexd.asp?id=967 would be ideal. It is a plug with a switch opposite the pins and the cord coming out the side. This one is European; I doubt if US models exist as US plugs and sockets are smaller and more flimsy.

That said it would seem the ideal solution.

Thanks, Curtis. Will definitely check those out!

Hi Jute - that would be perfect. Hmmm....

The smallest, coolest contest is making me want to take a sledgehammer to my kitchen cabinets. Can anyone recommend books or other resources for someone exploring a DIY-gut kitchen remodel? (Other than a psychiatrist?)

You guys have a lot of complicated options for switches! Cat, you can get a standard switch that goes in your outlet and lamp. Just go to your hardware store and ask them. They are with the extension cords. No trip to Ikea necessary.

Shannon - I'm not sure exactly what you mean. Can you elaborate?

I've not covered a wall in burlap, but I've pulled burlap off the walls of an old apartment on #E. 89th St. years ago. It was nasty - very, very, very dusty.

Thanks Robyn and Xerigarden. Both great thoughts.

Avocado, Fine Homebuilding's annual Kitchens and Baths issue, winter 2006, had a terrific article on "ballparking the cost of your dream kitchen" which I thought was extremely helpful, in terms of having a checklist for all the things that go into a kitchen remodel, some of which had never occurred to me.

It may be difficult to find in the bookshops right now (it came out last fall) but is still available on the Taunton website: http://www.taunton.com/finehomebuilding/pages/061201.asp

And of course, the library is sure to have it as well.