Quick Fix: Gold Pendant Light Restyle with Rub'n Buff - Plus Stools with My Name On Them
Here's the problem - or maybe I should say opportunity - with our slow-roll home DIY updates... since we're doing these projects individually and not part of a master design or remodel plan, I find myself constantly editing. Good news is, when you change your mind while doing small DIY projects, costs are minimal for a quick style fix.
Enter: our kitchen instant pendant lights. I shared how quick and easy it was to use these instant can light pendant kits on the blog earlier to magically give us pendant lights using the existing can lights. I love how these are as simple as screwing in a light bulb and require absolutely NO electrical skills.
I loved the little black shades at first but as we've started to change out other lighting like the entryway wall sconces and foyer boob light, I felt these didn't quite fit in anymore. Plus, as we've been working on painting more and more, I started regretting all the black that I added early like the black lights and black counter stools. They were cute and quick, but certainly added to the darkness I'm trying to lighten up in all directions.
Instant Pendant Light Shade Update
I love the glass fixtures with the gold, and even little bit of black accents with the lights we've swapped out in the entry, so I decided to start looking for a couple new shades for the instant pendants. That's the coolest part about these light kits is once you've got the fixture and cord, you can go wild changing out the shades.
I found these little glass pendant shades at Lowes. They're a little different with the bubble texture but do help lighten up the overall aesthetic compared to the black.
The glass helps these be a little less of a focal element and blend in. Eventually I'd like to get something a little bigger, but will probably wait until we know what we're going to do with the kitchen cabinets themselves.
Refinishing the Light Fixture - Gold of Course!
But... after some time with the new glass shade, I decided to paint the fixture itself to match the other lights. When trying to figure out the best way to do that, I found a new product online I hadn't heard of before - Rub'n Buff. It's basically a metallic wax that when you buff it, it gets shiny! They have a variety of metallic colors and I chose Antique Gold in hopes that it would come out similar to our pendants and entry light.
I was surprised at how small the tube was but the product really goes far! To get started, I took down the lights and set them up on some paper towels. Here you can see the full construction of the pendants.
The product said you could apply with a cloth or your finger, and since I wanted to apply this without disassembling in some pretty small areas, I opted for the finger method. Rubber gloves being the only real "tool" I felt necessary. And boy were they.
The Rub'n Buff really was simple to apply - squirt out a little bit and rub it together between your fingers to make sure the product is pretty smooth.
From there, you literally just rub the stuff on! I was going to leave the cords black originally, but found it was too hard to keep them clean while moving the piece around so I just kept going and applied the product all the way up and down the cords too.
After applying, you just keep rubbing it and it gets a nice little sheen. This project took me maybe 45 minutes and could have been done in one coat but I decided to go over a few spots again after letting it sit for the night.
Wow. What a difference this made and changed the overall look of these for less than $10! I can see this stuff becoming habit forming... and am already trying to figure out what to use it on next!! Hmm... other light fixtures, candlesticks, hardware, picture frames...
What I like about the gold is they are a little more elegant, but actually blend in more and aren't such a focal point of the room. Plus, they flow well from the entryway down the hall to the kitchen.
New Kitchen Counter Stools with My Name On Them... Literally.
While we are talking kitchen updates, I have to tell you what happened with these counter stools. We moved the black counter stools down to the basement after I found some new white leather ones. They're a little modern, and a little classic... and I may have bought them primarily because they were named KIERSTEN STOOLS! No joke, you can't make this stuff up. The description cracked me up too: "The Kiersten Counter Stool is a luxurious, timeless design for everyday dining at your counter-space. Combining ultra-modern with a sensibility that is soft and chic, upholstered in performance leatherette, the Kiersten will fit right at home..." ha! "everyday, soft and chic" Yep, that's me!
But, what's even crazier is when I was tracking shipping, they originated in Flemington, NJ. The town I was born in! The Kiersten's which originated in Flemington ... so random, but I'm taking it as these stools and I were meant to be!
Another weekend, another fix! Now what else can I turn gold...
Need a fix-up? Here's what we used:
Rub'n Buff in Antique Gold (affiliate)
Clear powder free latex gloves (affiliate)
"Kiersten" Kitchen Counter Stools - inmod
Check out this blog post for the original black instant pendant light kits: https://www.foreverhomefix.com/post/quick-fix-instant-pendant-lights
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