DIY Inspired....

Buying fixtures for Northlake hasn't been the best experience up until this point.  We don't want to spend a lot of money on fixtures for a rental, but at the same time, we want it to look decent and nice.  Trying to go the cheap route via Builders Bargain (the Habitat for Humanity warehouse) seemed like a good idea but all you get are the old brass fixtures that everyone has dumped from their own homes for the nicer, more modern ones you see at Home Depot and Lowes, that can run upwards of $100!  Ouch.  However, in one of the many blogs I follow on home renovations and DIY projects, I read something about painting an old brass fixture to update the look.  Aha!  Thus, I mozied on down to Lowes and found a spray paint called Oil Rubbed Bronze.  I gave it a shot and am pleasantly surprised at the outcome.  Granted, it's still an old style chandelier, but with the new paint job, it's not so dated.  The picture makes it look black, but there is a tinge of metallic bronze that comes through and it is actually very pretty.  I could probably splurge and buy some more modern globes, but decided the ones that came with it will do for now....

If you look close enough, you can kinda see a bit of the brass showing through on the chain...ah well.  For my first project, it's not too bad and it was really fun knowing I was doing something frugal and creative!  So for $27 ($20 light + $7 spray paint), I have a nice dining room light for Northlake.  Thus, decided to do ALL the fixtures that way.  A) it saves money (who doesn't love that?!), and B) they will all coordinate with each other.  Brilliant!

Smaller fixtures for the utility and pantry rooms

The larger fixtures for the down and upstairs hallways