Replace an outdated chandelier with a modern pendant light fixture.
Modern lighting trends as of 2010 include funky shapes, colored glass and an emphasis on green---in the environmental sense, not the color. To update your home or office lighting with do-it-yourself techniques, just use basic electrical safety practices such as shutting off the circuit breaker before accessing wiring and always working with another person around. You can change out old lighting fixtures for more modern looks with a few simple fixtures that may even lower your electricity bills over time.
Instructions
1. Shut off the circuit breaker to the light fixture around your dining area. Remove any screws that hold in the globe or cover and any others that hold the fixture to the wall. Pull the old fixture away so the wires are exposed. Twist the wire nuts (plastic caps connecting the wires) counter-clockwise until they come off, then pull away the old fixture and remove the base that holds it to the ceiling. Screw in the base for a new pendant light fixture, then twist its black wire with the black wire from the ceiling and secure them together by twisting the wire nut back on in a clockwise direction. Do the same for the white wire and any green or copper wires. Screw the pendant light's cover plate onto the ceiling base and switch the circuit breaker back on. Pendant lights add elegance and can create an intimate feel in dining areas.
2. Remove outdated globes covering standard bulbs in any ceiling lighting fixture. Replace the bulbs with LED or compact fluorescent bulbs, which use less energy, last longer and generally produce a whiter light that brings out colors better than standard tungsten light bulbs. The eco-friendliness combined with longevity makes these bulbs a lasting trend, notes Decorati Access, an interior design blog. Instead of putting the globes back on, find asymmetrical colored glass globes at your local lighting or home improvement store, or try cut metal fixtures made from brushed nickel, steel or copper.
3. Place desk and floor lamps, using units with brushed metal and frosted or colored glass, near the commonly used places in the room. Lighting distinct areas for specific activities, known as "task lighting," is a growing trend, notes Margaret Morgan of the New Jersey Newsroom. This modern update to any room requires no wiring skills and can be updated easily as trends or tastes change.
Tags: , colored glass, light fixture, pendant light, black wire