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    Emily Fazio

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A Twisted Light + A Refresher

June 9, 2011

I had an urge to update the front porch light yesterday. It was just one of those totally-out-of-the-blue idea initiated by a realization that the existing light needed a good cleaning – I’m weirded out when bugs die inside light fixtures and then bake by the lightbulb as they lay on the glass.

Focus in on the light above the porch. And then say Hi to Codester and admire my reflection in the glass. Wait a minute, why would that light ever be installed at an angle? This makes no sense. Yes, I really did just notice this as I was taking the shot. It’s not close to being aligned with the beadboard ceiling and not close to being at an even 45-degree angle. What gives?

Twisted light from beneath. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, I don’t know exactly why the old homeowners made some of the fixes they did (interior doors serving as exterior doors, floor trim as door trim, oddly angled porch lights, etc). Anyways, I was taking the glass off to clean it up and de-bug the whole situation (and simultaneously paint the black frame to give it a little somethin’-somethin’) but once the encasement was removed I realized I could probably adjust this light easy enough by myself.

Light fixture encasement, down.

I guess I lucked out though, because as I was prepared to take the whole base down and reinstall it at a new angle, I realized I could just twist the base an inch counterclockwise and fix the problem. And throw a new energy efficient bulb into the mix. I also removed some of the crumbling insulation, and by remove, I mean to say that it spontaneously self-ejected itself from the lamp base all over my hair and tank top. Itch city.

Twa-la. Same light, new angle. But as I was sayin’, I really did want to give the newly straightened out and cleaned light a little boost, and like many projects, that boost came from a fresh coat of paint. The same Behr Exterior 2-in-1 paint that I used on the front door, actually. A little matchy-matchy idea that I wasn’t sure would fly, but it was just paint, so why not try? (Rhyme-y!) If you want specifics, this is Mixed Berry Jam (UL100-21) in an oh-so sultry satin base.

Purple paint going onto the old light. Lots of blue exposing itself along the rim of that paint lid, huh? I wish I had an in-house paint mixer (not just shaky arms).

And within just a few hours (it was humid so it took a bit longer to try) it was back up. Looking fresh, right? There’s seemingly nothing I can do to hide that loopy bulb… besides maybe finding more foggy glass. At least when the light isn’t on you can’t see it so obviously.

Updated light, back up.

I love the power of paint. It does look kind of dorktastic matching the door like this, but I’ll leave it for a bit and see what happens.

Purple light, purple door.

 

 

 

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DIY  / Entryway  / Lighting

Emily
I'm a home improvement enthusiast, living a very merry DIY lifestyle. You can find me writing for HGTV and DIY Network, follow me on facebook and instagram, or drop me a note if you'd like. I love notes.

11 Comments


Cait @ Hernando House
June 9, 2011 at 9:14 am
Reply

Cute update!



    Emily
    June 9, 2011 at 9:28 am

    Thanks :) I think next time you see it, it’s going to be gray. :-/

    Cait @ Hernando House
    June 9, 2011 at 10:28 am

    Haha, well at least you tried it that color?

    Emily
    June 9, 2011 at 10:38 am

    Yes – paint is fixable!

    Cait @ Hernando House
    June 9, 2011 at 10:46 am

    Completely agree!

Ashley @ DesignBuildLove.co
June 9, 2011 at 3:57 pm
Reply

it looks great! maybe a bit matchy, but you can always throw in some surprises with decor/plants around the doors so it isn’t so matchy. BUT, in all honesty… I’m a bit matchy-matchy to the core. (guilty face)



    Emily
    June 9, 2011 at 6:06 pm

    True that. I’d die for some pretty planter boxes on my new railings; flowers to offset the matchy would be wonderful. Maybe something to add to the to-do list.

Colleen @ Mommy Panda
June 9, 2011 at 10:57 pm
Reply

What if you just applied a frosting paint to the bottom panel of glass? That way you wouldn’t be able to see the bulb, but the light wouldn’t be (as) diminished since the sides would still be clear.



    Emily
    June 10, 2011 at 8:24 am

    That’s a great idea. Each panel is etched, but an extra layer of frost might do the trick. Thanks Colleen!

Gloria
July 12, 2011 at 1:27 pm
Reply

How about painting it WHITE the next time?? This way, it would just all blend in with the white porch ceiling! But I do like the matchy matchy berry color :)
Best,
Gloria



    Emily
    July 12, 2011 at 1:37 pm

    Yeah, that’s the plan when I get around to it. I had thought it would be OK and more interesting painted an unexpected color! :)

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