Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Lamps Plus. As always, all words and opinions expressed in this post are honest and my own.
If you missed the post a couple of weeks ago, I shared the new lights from Lamps Plus we installed in our hallway. You can find that post HERE. As a recap, we swapped dated, single-bulb lights for THESE beautiful star-shaped lights with six bulbs each! The difference was amazing. You can never underestimate what good lighting can do for a space. With that success under our belt, I was eager to change out the exterior light fixtures of our 1970s ranch house. I know “original lighting” sounds charming, but these were builder-grade, cheap light fixtures that had lived a good, long life. They no longer added to the beauty or charm appeal of the house but detracted from it.
There were six of them to change, though, and I knew that would take a chunk of time. By myself, it might take an entire day. I have learned over the years that changing light fixtures is something better done with at least one other person. In this case, I had my two awesome parents working with me. At the beginning of the day, it felt like making this a three-person job was overkill, but we all ended up contributing and the project went faster and smoother because of it.
The first job was turning off the electricity to the lights, so we could safely work with the wires. We recently had the original electrical panel (with old screw-in fuses) replaced, which isn’t a glamorous project, but a necessary one. Having a new panel has been great, but the guys labeling it didn’t do a very thorough job, so my dad and I spent several minutes on the phone as I went through the switches. “This one?” “Nope, still on.” “This one?” “Nope, still on.” It became almost comical at times, but it beat having to run up and down the stairs to check myself.
We were replacing the fixture with black carriage-house-style lanterns. I felt like they would work with the traditional style of the house and the black would complement our new roof (which is a dark gray), the planters I just bought for the porch topiaries, and pop off the brick. The exterior of the home was lacking contrast with the old roof, shutter color, and brick all sitting in the same value range. Adding some contrast is making it more interesting and boosts the curb appeal.
We went with the series of lights, exclusively offered by Lamps Plus.
For the front porch, I selected the larger 22″ Stratton Street Outdoor Wall Light. It’s the only light on the porch, so it needed some presence.
My mom’s job through the operation was to open the boxes. This sounds like a small job, but it was so helpful! She got all of the pieces out and ready for us, put the styrofoam in a trash bag, and broke down the cardboard for recycling. She made sure the glass was safe and we didn’t lose little pieces. When you’re installing six fixtures, a dedicated box opener is a huge time-saver.
I know how to wire a light fixture, but I am a little intimidated by wiring for some reason, so I like to have a backup. My dad was there to make sure we did the wiring right and, more importantly, to handle nightmarish scenes like this…
I would take a fixture down, see 50 years’ worth of webs and gunk, and would pass it off to my dad to protect my delicate sensibilities. He also helped with some of the problem-solving. We were trying to mount new fixtures onto 50-year-old boxes. The new screws for the mounting plates that came with the light fixtures didn’t fit into the old boxes. We tried using the old, rusted, flat-head screws, but one of them finally snapped off, so dad made a run to the hardware store to get new screws.
By the time we got to the last fixture, we had the process perfected.
And, oh my. They look amazing. I knew they would make a difference, but they look soooooo good!
Here is the 22″ Stratton Street Outdoor Wall Light mounted on the porch by the front door…
See how it adds that contrast with the brick and coordinates with the roof and planter? It makes a much stronger statement than the old fixture.
It makes me even more eager to get the trim and gutters cleaned and to paint the siding, trim, and door.
(As a note, we put those antique concrete urns and fishing floats on the porch when we moved in, but they are going to get moved. They look a little out of place at the moment!)
We replaced the two lights flanking the garage and one by the side door with the 16 1/2″ Stratton Street Outdoor Wall Light. They were a little bigger than what was there and the large scale works to make them more of a feature.
Oh man, just ignore the desperate need for power washing and painting for the moment and enjoy those gorgeous light fixtures! One thing I love about them is they cast a really beautiful shadow when they are lit at night and when the sun shines through them during the day.
Here is the one by the side door…
We’re planning to remove the storm door from the front and side doors so those cool vintage doors can be seen. I’ll share some other plans we have for this side entrance in another post.
We changed out the fixture by the back door with the 16 1/2” Stratton Street Outdoor Wall Light as well. The concrete is being jacked up as a part of the pool project, so I didn’t get a picture of the new fixture out there, yet. I’ll take some pictures soon to share the progress as well as some plans we have for the backyard.
The last light we replaced was the one on the post in the front yard. I’ve never had a light post before and it’s so quaint. I was a little nervous about the process of replacing the light because we weren’t sure if the new light would fit. We figured it would be the hardest one, so we left it for last.
Surprisingly, it was the easiest one to replace! We installed the 18 1/2″ Stratton Street Post Light and, what was no surprise, it was such an improvement over the old fixture. (I do need to get out there with a Sharpie and color those screw heads black.)
I’ll paint the post when we are painting the exterior trim and I am looking into a good climbing plant to plant at the base and climb up the post. I mean, you can’t get much more charming than a flowering vine creeping up a light post. Any suggestions? I would want one with a white bloom.
Now, let’s talk about light bulbs. I am a dedicated incandescent bulb hold-out. I might have to go through a period of mourning when I can no longer scrounge incandescent bulbs. It makes me so sad to think of my Christmas tree with an orange or bluish LED glow instead of the lovely warm glow of incandescent lights. So, when Lamps Plus sent me for these fixtures, I wasn’t planning on using them.
But, I know that advances are being made in LED lighting, so I decided to give them a try. It did feel a bit like a Green Eggs & Ham moment, but when we turned the power back on, I didn’t hate it. In fact, I liked it and I didn’t like admitting that I liked an LED bulb. are the bulbs in the fixture and they don’t look blue or orange at night. They look warm and inviting.
It’s hard to take a picture of a light at night, but I did snap one to show you how it looks. This photo is directly from my phone and is pretty true to how the glow of the light looks in person.
There might come a day when I just look past these lights and don’t think anything about them, but right now I’m in a honeymoon period with these lights. I walk around the house just to admire them and, when I catch an unexpected glimpse of them, I can’t help but smile.
Home renovations are about the big, dramatic changes, but I think they are just as much about the little changes. Little changes like light fixtures.
34 Responses
Fabulous. You got the scale just right and they very much fit the vibe of the house. Good job!
I am excited with you. Such charming fixtures. I love knowing your parents are so willing to help with anything…..just anything, and your Mama is a motivator! Little by Little=big improvements.
My Grandmother alway had the most beautiful clematis on her light post. I know there there is an evergreen clematis available now that has white blooms. I had it at my last house here in TN and it is nice to see the green vine all winter long instead of dead brown vine.
Misspelled..its Mandevilla… I think!
Wonderful, wonderful!! These are such a nice addition and a compliment to the home and roof color.
Just a thought on removing the storm doors. You may want to rethink removing the storms on the doors that aren’t protected by a porch. Weather can wreak havoc.
I’m so tickled your parents are close and help with so many projects. Your improvements are really starting to add up! Again, can fantastic!!
I live in Michigan and do not have a roof over my front porch. I do not have a storm door and our front door on the north side of our house has no damage after 23 years. My brass kick plate, door knocker and entry door handset are more visible without a storm door. I have a lot of windows so I don’t miss having the door open for a fresh breeze. I love the new black light fixtures! I hope you keep the brick unpainted – it’s beautiful.
Clematis would be my choice, too. The new lights look wonderful!
What a great team effort…lucky you!
Storm doors also give you a layer of protection when opening the door to unknown visitors. I live alone and really appreciate that plus being able to open the entry door to let in sunlight.
Isn’t it amazing what a difference the right size and style a new light makes? Yours look great!
I can see why you are swooning. The lights look so good! I also may be in the minority, but I love your brick. To me, it looks almost white-washed and the lights really look good against it. I can’t wait to see your lovely home once you have the trim and siding painted.
These look terrific, I love the style. A beautiful white clematis I’d recommend is one called “Henry I.” The white blooms are huge and it’s a showy stunner. I know you also love sweet autumn, so why not plant those two and have blooms at two different times? It’d look fantastic!
Sweet Autumn is an invasive plant and not recommended.
Very lovely choices! Love them all! I am sure your parents are thrilled to be able to spend time with you – even while working! Your parents seem like such wonderful people.
Good to see you are going with LEDs as they are energy saving.
I’d go with a white clematis Montana – it can look so glamorous but needs a firm hand as it can be pretty rampant.
Go with a white clematis. We have one on our lamp post in purple and it’s gorgeous.
These really look amazing…all six of them! I love the lamp post. Yes, vines would look so charming. I agree with other, summer clematis would look lovely, as well as, some sweet autumn clematis for the fall. Also, sweet peas would look lovely and bring a beautiful fragrance to your walkway, but they can get a little invasive, but also give you great cut flowers! Enjoy your new lights!
I think you should bulk up those columns on the front porch to go with those swanky new lights!
I love seeing a house like this transform – the way most people actually do it, little by little. I know dramatic “installs” are great to see and are inspirational and aspirational, but I get more excited seeing a home slowly evolve, knowing there is more to come! Appreciate the tip on the bulbs, too — I can’t part with the old ones. I think golden light in a window or on a lantern is one of the most welcoming sights on earth.
I would take a walk just so that I could walk up and down the front walk to admire the news fixtures. Your choices fit perfectly with your vision.
🙂
What a WORLD of difference. Absolutely charming!
Sweet Autumn would be too much for that post. I had it climbing up a tall post with a bell at the top and we constantly had to trim it back. It also is terrible at reseeding and we have little seedlings coming up everywhere! I would go with one of the other ones suggested.
As you’ve learned, LED bulbs now come in a true warm white. Like you, I was a hold-out when the only options were a bluish light or an orange, but the newer warm white LEDs have won me over. As my incandescents burn out, in go the new LEDs. You can find the warm white in Christmas lights as well. 🙂
Marian,
As someone else also mentioned clematis are climbers and I’m sure you can find white. Also your light fixtures are great. They add so much presence to the house.
I was going to suggest white clematis, but I see several others have already beat me to the punch….lol! The new lights look amazing and are the perfect scale for the house. I especially love the lamp post light.
LED lights hav come a long way, I am glad you are pleased with your new light fixtures and the bulbs that came with them. Here in CA we were forced into alternatives for incandescent years ago. But now the bulbs come in soft white for that familiar warm glow.
Enjoy!
Is the topiary on your front porch real or faux?
Wow! Those new light fixtures are beautiful — great choice! I love the lamp post in your yard. How nice to have your Mom and Dad’s help! It’s fun seeing all the changes you are making to your beautiful home. Bless you, Marian!
Love the lights and all the progress! Been riding past your house for years and just love that you’re bringing it back to life! We bought an older home 19 years ago and had our work cut out and still do, so I’m also driving around looking at homes getting ideas! The light really enhanced the brick! Anxious to see the progress!
Perfect lights! So classic. I agree with another commenter that bulking up the posts would be a good idea. I love that your parents helped you!
Mandeville vine for the lamp post.
These lights look GREAT! Such a needed change. And since we are looking at the front entrance, I just wanted to inquire whether you have thought about beefing up the size of those two front columns before you paint the exterior – to me those are just too small in proportion to the space. We did that to our front entrance – the carpenter just built larger columns around the little dinky ones that were there so we didn’t have to worry about supporting the roof while swapping them out. Anyhow, just thought I’d ask. I love reading your blog!
Yep…there was nothing charming about those old lamp fixtures. They lived out their life. RIP
If your area can take it…..I would most defiantly go with Star Jasmine. White flower, fast grower, EASY and the MOST AMAZING fragrance as you walk up to the walkway. When is gets leggy/too wide you just sheer it and let it come back. I have had it for 15 years with NO problems.
Again, I am wondering how are you going to power wash the house and not get water stains and debris all over these beautiful new fixtures?
They are perfect!!!
Clematis for a beautiful flowering fast-growing vine around a lamp post. My sister has a purple one and
every time I see it in bloom I wish I had a pole lamp in my yard.
Also – I know you have heard a ton of thoughts on your brick – but seeing it up close? Don’t paint it-
it’s stunning, it’s light and beautiful and perfect. The wood part, once painted and refreshed will make it
all so nice together. Sure hope you don’t. I am a brick painter, too – but your brick is timeless and doesn’t
need to be changed at all. Save yourself the time, money, aggravation of maintenance…..etc. 🙂
One nice thing about LED lights is that they don’t attract bugs as much as incandescent lights!