The Problem with Ugly Light Fixtures.

I've had an ongoing battle with the ceiling lights in my apartment. I know the webs recommend just switching them out for the duration of the lease but the ceilings in this lovely old building are of a crumbling plaster sort & I'm afraid that if I try to fiddle with them, they'll massively cave.  Even drilling something as small as a little hook causes a massive blizzard of white.

So all my experimentation has been with disguising the existing fixtures.  I'm actually pretty pleased with the most recent incarnations.



In the bedroom, I moved the capiz wind chimes from the corner. I didn't cut the strands but rather looped them up and over, giving the makeshift chandelier a fuller, more even appearance.

before:

The main room has undergone several versions.  Originally, it was the ubiquitous ugly ceiling fan lights.  It looked similar to this:

The triple light feature was a challenging de-uglification effort.
I originally covered it with a fat chinese lantern and added a pretty crystal pull for the fan.

but my taller classmates kept knocking their heads on it.

I then found a decorative brass bowl on clearance from pier 1 and fastened it with ribbon:

But it looked amateur and makeshift and showed off the practical but ugly CFLs.

This last week, when I moved the lion lithograph, I took down the ikea light that had been hanging in the corner.  I decided to replace the bowl with that square paper shade:

It's the 1st that I've been marginally satisfied! I like its simplicity & the natural color blends with my other lamps: