Slippery Slope - Changing out Brass FIxtures in Kitchen

16 years ago

I am so bummed. I was previewing a LONG message when my computer crashed as I was trying to resize these pictures! So I apologize because I will be brief, and my pictures will be BIG!

Here goes again:

I posted last month about the slippery slope of making a change, and how it leads to another, and another.. well we loved our new Provinical floors so much I thought why not update the rest of the kitchen.. so I purchased the ORB knobs and pulls from Cripes.. love those. And am switching out the pendants and table fixture. Oh, and switching from a cinnamon wash to, are you ready: Clinton Brown (HC - 67)

I would love your advice: Does the chandelier I picked go with the mini pendants I fell in love with? I could have 'matched' the pendants with a bigger drum fixture, but it was too pricey and too matchy.. it had to be one or the other.. I chose teh mini pendants.

Please tell me what you think.

Here is the old fixture, and new fixture:

Here is the old fixture with sample of Clinton Brown:

a href="http://s296.photobucket.com/albums/mm174/norasnews/?action=viewÂ¤t=DSC_0386.jpg"; target="_blank">

old pendant and new mini pendant side by side (I will have three minis):

new and new side by side:

I am addicted to this forum,and I hope I have not been too much of an "idiot"! Thank you for your thoughts and comments!!!

Here is the rest of my kitchen with the new knobs:

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Comments (9)

les917
16 years ago
I think the new chandelier is very nice, but once all the walls are dark brown, you may find that the chandelier just kind of visually disappears with the brown wall in the background. Can you get a similar one in a silvery finish, more like the mini pendants (which are wonderful!)? I think that might show better with the dark brown walls, and add a little touch of metallic sparkle in the room.

Your kitchen is very nice. Do I see a dark green stripe around the crown of the cabinets, and the island? If so, and you are intending to keep that, I would be sure that you have some touches of that green in the room, perhaps in artwork or a collection of interesting vases or something.

I would love to see some interesting chair cushions on the stools, in a cool brown print of some kind, to bring some of the darker feel to that area of the kitchen.
norasnews
Original Author
16 years ago
Thanks Les, I love the idea of a shinier fixture..at the very least, shiny champagney type shades...

And yes, that is a circa 1995 forest green stripe. It seemed like such a good idea at the time! I was hoping it would disappear with the dark walls. But, will definitely pull some green into fabric/art etc..

we have the option to paint the cabinet crown, (but not the counter.. can't paint corian!) do you think that would be a good idea? Or will it look funny only having one stripe in the counter?
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Please be a good seller and replace the light fixture before you list the house. It would be crazy (although not unheard of) for someone to buy, or not to buy, your house because of one or two light fixtures. As a seasoned buyer, I would not accept a credit (hole in the ceiling scenario) nor an unseen replacement (once got a $5 tin pie plate with a bare bulb that replaced a lovely chandelier that the seller was upfront they wanted to keep, but I didn't think they'd be that cheap in replacement), but I've been around the block a few times now. You might try faucet.com - I've bought faucets from them with great service, great prices, and they have a pretty big lighting section. When I was comparing specific lighting with the big box stores, they had better prices. My RE instructor said to imagine picking up a house and shaking it - whatever falls out you can take. Anything "held" to a house by a simple plug counts as falling out, such as a floor lamp. But anything that is wired in, like most ceiling lighting, doesn't fall out. And changing it without telling the buyer up front is "bait & switch" for sure. I think telling the buyer that you're keeping something such as a chandelier that's an heirloom (or whatever) just calls too much attention to it. I'd switch it out beforehand to avoid the issue. Simply saying something is "removable" is subject to far too much interpretation. Geesh, the front door is "removable". Of course, there are still some tricky "fixtures". I can picture a fridge falling out of the tilted house, unless it's got an ice maker, well then you start getting tricky because it has plumbing attached to it. Most dishwashers are mounted as with some microwaves built-in. Curtain rods and window treatments can be tricky, but I've been told that if they match the wallpaper/decor, they're supposed to stay (i.e. we had a model home where one room was covered in the same pink floral - so we left the matching duvet and throw pillows to go with the wallpaper - all 4 walls - and curtains - yikes it was ugly). I know there have been other threads regarding bathroom mirrors, since people stopped putting up plain square glass wall mirrors and now hang framed picture mirrors. Okay, off my soapbox now.
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Thanks for the responses. I could do a test in the future, right now the fixtures are in storage. Our contractor grossly under estimated our light fixture budget. All fixtures are supposed to be replaced (insurance) but there is no way we can do that on his budget, so I am trying to figure out how to save some of them and still have them work with the new colour-scheme, etc. I'm not even sure if they can be salvaged as water was pouring through them. I know he is required to eat the cost if he underestimated, but he has been really wonderful so far (fingers x'd) in trying to get us what we want within our budget (while still making money himself, of course). I'd rather be creative where I can rather than just insisting he take a hit on it. Graywings, thanks for the links. I have spray painted fixtures in less public rooms, but this would be in our kitchen and dining room, so I don't think I'd be happy with that option. I may just have to spend the summer searching for deals.
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norasnews
Original Author
16 years ago
I found these doing a quick search.. could these add a little sparkle.. or are they too fancy for a kitchen?
Only $23 for 5 and I need 5, how perfect is that?
lebwhite
16 years ago
I love the mini pendants, could you give details about who made them and where you can find them? Thanks,
I also agree that the brown may blend too much with the wall color and you may want to look at other finishes.
Happyladi
16 years ago
I think your kitchen is lovely. I actually like your present wall color, but maybe you are tired of it.

Did you know how easy it is to spray old fixtures to make them look brown? We did the outside light and house numbers. They were shiny brass, but all discolored. We spray painted them a hammered brown color and they look new! It would be easy to do your present light if the only thing you don't like about it is the color.
mlraff53
16 years ago
I love everything but I also agree that the chandelier might get lost in all the brown. I like the shades. Are you opposed to painting in green (BM Baby Turtle) a brownish green? I'm kinda partial since that is the color of my kitchen :) but that would tie in the green stripe and let the chandelier stand out.
I think the chandelier looks great with your table and chairs.
norasnews
Original Author
16 years ago
The pendants are made by Uttermost, which is a very reasonable company.. but, made in China...I think each pendant was about 80.00, so just over 200 for the three...

I am in love, love, love with the Glass Bell Jar Pendants, but couldn't find those for less than 400 each.

The drum fixture is beautiful as well, but just too much drum for us.

Here is a link that might be useful: Mini Pendant
denali2007
16 years ago
I love Uttermost Lighting. I bought an Uttermost Chandelier for my Dining Room and love it so much. I had been on a search for a new chandy for years. A lamp store in my area carries a lot of them. Before that I had never heard of them. Almost every chandelier and lamp I was attracted to in that store was from Uttermost.
norasnews
Original Author
16 years ago
Look at this beauty. A little too modern for my house, but I think it is so pretty:

Slippery Slope - Changing out Brass FIxtures in Kitchen

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Slippery Slope - Changing out Brass FIxtures in Kitchen

Comments (9)

les917

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