When we first moved here 2 years ago, one of the first things on my checklist of things that I wanted to change out eventually was all the builder’s brass light fixtures that were in every single room & closet of this house. Now, I’ve done the shiny brass thing over the years & I don’t absolutely hate brass, but bronze has definitely gotten my attention more in the last 5 years or so. I just love the darker patina & feel it gives in a home, so with that in mind, I’ve managed to change out many of the standard (read cheap!) fixtures in the bathrooms, hallways, spare bedrooms, closets, front porch, kitchen, etc. In fact, with my yard sale prowess, I’ve gotten some smokin’ deals on several fixtures (remember the kitchen chandy yardsale find?) & have shared many of them here with you. So, now there are only 2 major fixtures left in the house to replace, those being the foyer & the diningroom. Needless to say, light fixtures have been on my mind from day one & I’m always on the lookout. The budget didn’t allow me to just go out & replace all of them at the same time, so the yardsale finds have just been a really fun way for me to get my wish & keep the costs way down too. With that thought in mind, hubby agreed with me on taking part of my last paycheck & finally changing out those last 2 fixtures…can you see a happy dance coming here! Without further fanfare, let me introduce our new foyer fixture. And of course, there’s a story here & a deal involved, so I have to share both. I had been longingly looking for at least 2 years at a beautiful drum-shaped lantern style darker bronze foyer fixture with seeded glass at Lowes. Everytime I went in there, I stared up at it, dreaming that when the time came…THAT was the fixture I was going to get for the foyer. So, months went by and I had that fixture in the back of my mind. I was in there around October or so, went to see MY fixture & lo & behold…it was gone from the display! Completely. I was really bummed. I asked at the lighting desk about it, they suggested I look through the Lowes book, so I did. It had surely been discontinued. No picture. I had no idea what the item # was (I should have written it down!). Anyway, I recently went back again & talked to one of the guys in lighting. I described the fixture to him & he did an online search, I even remembered the price $158. He came up with an item #, but no picture, called the manufacturer for me, it wasn’t being made anymore. We weren’t even positive it was the right fixture, but it had been on clearance for $39. I left & he called me a few days later & told me that he had found one left in the Lowes system in Alabama & that they would have it shipped from another city to my store. I could go & look at it & see if it was the right one. If I didn’t want it, that was fine too, they would resell it. Are you still with me?! So, of course I rushed to the store when they called to tell me it was in. We opened the big box & I peered in, hoping it was the right one….and IT WASN’T!
But, I really liked this fixture too & it was close enough to my inspiration fixture that I knew it would work…and it was on clearance for $39! It’s a dark Antique Brass & will flow very well with all my other fixtures too! After I took it out of the box & put it all together, I love it even more. It stands 28″ tall & is very stately. It’s quite a bit bigger than the old one. Our house is a split foyer & when you come in the front door & look up you see the fixture. Here’s the shiny brass one that I’m replacing. Yes, they are both lantern style, but the new one is so much more elegant. Can’t you see the new one up here? And you can see the close proximity of the diningroom fixture too, so I need to find something that flows into there too. These are both old pics of the diningroom, but you can see both fixtures well.
Here’s the 12-light brass chandelier in the DR. It’s not an ugly fixture (and I could paint it), but I really would like to upgrade it to something more stylish, yet classic, since I have those funds put aside.


What a great story, Rhoda! Good luck putting it up. All I can say is – you are both very brave!
xoxo,
Mary
Hi Rhoda, just beautiful..love your foyer fixture. Lighting can make such a big difference. Isn’t it nice you finally got what you had been wanting for a while?? Makes it all that much more special.
Love the new fixture! Be sure to show us how it looks when you get it hung. Loved the RH fixture, too. I am thinking of using that Pot.Barn fixture in our new house. I am having a farm table built out of old wood to seat 20, and I plan to use that over the table. There is one that is quite a bit larger than the one you showed and I think it will take that to look right.
Beautiful light fixture!
I glad it worked out for in the end.
I’m sure you’ll find the perfect one for the dining room, too. And knowing you, it will probably be a great bargain as well. 🙂
Kimberly
Good for you finding such a special bargain! I think that it’s very smart looking! You’ll find the perfect one for the dining room, too!
I also love your red crock-pot! That is downright sassy! 🙂
xo,
Andrea
Love the new fixture! I too am slowly doing away with all the brass in my home (chosen by the previous owners). It’s so fun to upgrade.
PS – I’m new to your blog…found you from BooMama!
Love the lamp, and what a great deal! I’m glad you decided to keep it!
Jen R
Hi! I found your blog via Betty’s…I love your DR decor…and I think the new looks is nice but I still enjoy the black tones from the little chandelier shades. Either way is nice!
~ Jillian
Hi Rhoda! Thanks so much for leaving a comment on my blog…I’ll definitely come back to see what decorating ideas you bring to the table!
I’ve entered you in my giveaway!
Thanks again,
Jillian
I, too, am obsessed by lighting. We are spiffing up our place in anticipation of a mega party in spring (My mom’s 90th b-day and my son’s college graduation.) Luckily, my husband isn’t into lighting, although he gets to vote on room colors! Good luck.
Barbara
Isn’t lighting fun?? I love your new ones (you know you’ll find that second one…you are a master bargain hunter) and I can’t wait to see the finished product!
Have fun on your search,
Linda
xoxo
I’m loving your choices for your home. I’ve been slowly changing out our lighting. We’ve been here 16 years! I have the bathrooms and foyer left to do.
What a pretty home you have. I personally really like the Pottery Barn chandelier, but I suppose hubby deserves a say too!
I, too, suffer from what my husband calls a “light fixture fetish”. What can I say? I think lighting is important and I love getting new ones. I like the bronze look, too. Having said that, I guess I should confess that most of ours in this house are the satin nickel. My husband loves that finish. Me? I’d rather go with the bronze. My favorite light in the whole house is actually in our “toilet” room in the master bath. It’s a glass, beaded, kind of art-deco style light that just really does it for me. Hmm. Maybe I should seek some sort of therapy because it sounds like light fixtures may affect my mood much more than they probably should. lol
Love you new light, by the way and hope you find a great one for the dining room soon!
Kari
I love lighting. I think you got some very special deals. Next time I need new lighting, I am calling you to go with me to shop!
LOve your new light for the foyer….what a great find! I can’t wait to see what you find for the dining room! I’m sure it will be fabulous :o)
~Des
Funny story about the light fixture. What a great guy to hunt one down for you, it’s great looking. It will be a nice improvement over the one in the foyer. I remember those.
The DR one doesn’t look like anything you’ve even had before. I’m sure you will find one at a good price any day now! I’ll stayed tuned to see what you get.
Donna
Rhoda,
Wow, what a sweet bargain, it’s going to look just beautiful, can’t wait to see it hung. I love your choices for the dining room, in fact I saw a show recently where they used the one with the candle looking lights in someone’s living room, and it’s gorgeous. I too have the brass fixture in my dining room and foyer..and I suppose I’ll leave them, but I did change my kitchen to the bronze fixture, and the bedrooms too, I like both. Good luck with your selections, I’m sure they’ll be beautiful as always.
Rose
Hey, there!
I love the lighting you’ve chosen, and I agree – bronze fixtures are really pretty and make the home feel more lived in. I have a question: Is there a type of bulb that I can buy that puts off a more ambient light; say, more of a soft candlelight? I want to put them in our foyer chandelier. It seems like this type color would be a more pleasing color light bulb. What do you think?
Cathy