easy dining room lighting upgrade

Light Fixture Makeover Ideas for Every Room

Beau Wynja

Since lighting can complete the look and feel of any room, anyone with light fixtures that have seen better days might be considering a light fixture makeover. You don’t have to throw away old or worn fixtures when you explore a few easy ways to elevate and enhance your existing styles.

At Color Cord Company, we’re always exploring fun ideas to create a unique aesthetic in any space, establish a focal point in a room, and provide useful lighting design. Check out our recommendations for DIY light fixture makeovers for bathrooms, living rooms, bedrooms, and beyond!

1. DIY Bathroom Light Fixture Makeover

If you’ve got an outdated bathroom vanity fixture, we have the perfect light fixture makeover for you! Since contemporary bathroom lighting requires functional and bright lighting, you can add a cage over each bulb for a little more pizazz that doesn’t block any illumination. Customize your bulb cages in different colors to match your bathroom tile or look for a contrasting color that stands out!

Cage styles are available in vintage, industrial, and modern silhouettes that can help transform your bathroom into your preferred style. Looking for a vintage farmhouse vibe? Explore narrow, geometric cages in white. Do you prefer a modern look? Opt for brushed copper or satin gold. Bring industrial to life in this DIY bathroom light fixture makeover with utilitarian cages in black or raw metal that oxidizes naturally over time.

How to Get it Done

When changing bathroom lighting fixtures, you don’t have to do too much. Simply find a cage that matches your fixture dimensions, remove the light bulb, fit the cage over the socket, and screw the bulb back in. You’ll be done with this light fixture makeover in four easy steps. Rinse and repeat for every one of your vanity or flush mount lights.

2. DIY Living Room Lighting Makeover

basket shade light fixture makeover

If you’re considering a modern living room light fixture makeover , there’s a lot you can do here too! Whether you add a new reading nook light fixture or add a statement chandelier, the layered lighting here provides plenty of opportunities for experimentation.

For this lighting idea, we’d like to focus on the central ambient light a chandelier offers. One of our favorite trends is the coastal grandma look to provide a nautical aesthetic for your decor. 

You can simply add a natural lamp shade over a single port chandelier or take your DIY moves a little bit further by wrapping rope or twine around an existing metal chandelier and securing it with a few points of hot glue. Your choice will depend on what you already have on-hand.

If you’re dealing with a basic pendant light that you’d like to change into a chandelier, check out our light fittings to see if you can swap out a single port body for a cluster body with three or more holes so you can add arms and build a more dramatic piece.

How to Get it Done

If you want to transform a pendant light into a chandelier for your light fixture makeover, you’ll need to first check the body of your current fixture to compare the overall height, diameter, and IPS compatibility. 

Once you find the right cluster body, you can decide if you want three, four, five, or six arms for your chandelier. Get some tubing for the additional arms, shop our indoor light bulbs and shades, and finally, head over to our wiring walk-throughs for a chandelier tutorial.

3. DIY Bedroom Lighting Makeover

Now that we’ve moved on to the bedroom, let’s talk about even easier light fixture makeovers that can change the entire feel of your space just by changing a light bulb. If the bulbs in your bedroom are visible (naked or seen through a shade or cage), consider exploring unique silhouettes and accents that make them the star.

We have some light bulbs that are all about aesthetics, like Tesla bulbs, Edison bulbs, and even bulbs with a metallic mirrored coating. And isn’t swapping out a few light bulbs the easiest change you can make?

If you want to take your light fixture makeover a little further, we recommend exploring a few hanging lamp shades that can make a big difference. Find glass globe shades for a modern chic vibe, colorful metal shades for retro energy, and fabric options for a mid-century feel. You can even apply some transfer paper to the body of your lamps to completely transform them with a new color or print! Or, choose to upgrade your bedside lights with sconces with cords to maximize your space.

4. DIY Kitchen Lighting Makeover

colorful light fixture makeover

The last light fixture makeover we want to talk about is for the kitchen. You probably have a few old pendant lights or even a flush-mounted ceiling fixture to provide illumination. But that doesn’t mean you’re limited! The way we see it, the easiest way to makeover your kitchen lighting is with color. If your pendant is hanging by a basic black or white cord, it’s time to change it up with vibrant hues and patterns that express your personality.

Our collection of color cords offers so many shades, we guarantee there’s something for you to love. You’ll also find that you can customize cord length, material, and wire type to work with your existing fixture. You can even amp up the color transformation by painting your hardware. Strip the current finish from your fixture hardware, find paint in the color you want, and you have a brand new fixture for the cost of a spray can!

Find Your Inspiration

Did our light fixture makeover blog inspire you to try something new in your space? Shop our store for lamp part accessories you need, including canopies, sockets, covers, power cords, and swag hooks. Once you’re done, share your lighting upgrade with us on social media!

Have questions about any of our recommendations? Reach out to our team today by phone or email for personalized guidance!

Back to blog