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New Bathroom Vanity Lights

A couple weeks ago we decided it was time to say sayonara to our master bathroom and guest bathroom vanity lights. Both bathrooms had the same standard vanity lights– a chrome plate with 4 to 6 lights. They were just too builder-grade looking for us.

Here’s our master bathroom.

light fixture before

And here’s how our master bathroom looks now with the new light.

Ten times better, right?

bathroom lighting fixture 1

Like with most things in this house, it was no surprise that we’d have to jump through a few extra hoops in order to install the new vanity light.

When Brad took off the old vanity light, there was a hole the size of someone’s fist for the lone bundle of wires you see coming out of said hole. It’s almost like the geniuses who built our house thought, “How can we make things harder for the owners of this house to make changes?”

bathroom fixture hole of doom

So Brad headed off to Lowe’s to get an electrical box. He got a ceiling box because the hole was already circular in nature, and he didn’t know if any of the wall boxes would fit behind the new fixture.

He installed the electrical box because it provides better stability than just mounting the light to the drywall. This is especially important because this light mounts in the center, compared to the old light that was a long bar, so the weight was more evenly distributed.

light

I did have Brad do something differently with the light than how it was displayed in the store and shown on the box.

I had him mount it with the lights facing up.

bathroom lighting fixture 4

Why? Well, I think when lights, especially vanity lights, shine down on one’s face it makes them look older, especially in dimly lit bathrooms. So I had him point those puppies up so the light would bounce off the ceiling back down to illuminate my face; because I’d rather look 31 than 41 when I look in the mirror.

Yeah, I’ll need to get up there and clean the sconces more often, but it’s worth it to me.

bathroom lighting fixture 2

It’s hard to get a good photo of the fixture with the lights on, but I have to say that I’m in love.

We went with bright white 3500K 13 watt CFL lightbulbs.

Seriously guys, the type of lightbulb you choose can make huge difference.

Oh, and while he was at it, Brad replaced our dingy-looking, almond-colored electrical outlets and light switches with bright white ones. (Learn how to do that here.)

bathroom lighting fixture 3

We put the same fixture in our guest bathroom, but the 3-light version. And if you’re wondering, yes, Brad had to install an electrical box in there, too.

It’s hard to get good photos in our guest bathroom because there’s no window. When I photograph the light, I have to have it on or the room is basically pitch black. So just imagine the light in our guest bath.

formica creme lacquered linen

Now I just need to find a weekend to stain our master bathroom vanity. I think I’m going to leave the guest bathroom vanity alone for now. The color of that vanity doesn’t bother me as much as the master bath vanity.

Keep in mind when you change out fixtures (or anything in your house) that you can donate your old fixture to your local Habitat for Humanity ReStore.

SOURCES

master bathroom vanity light … allen + roth 5-light merington

guest bathroom vanity light … allen + roth 3-light merington

child safety locks … found HERE

master bathroom wall color … Valspar’s Adrift

guest bathroom wall color … Valspar’s Crystal Sea

countertops and faucets … found HERE

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12 Comments

  1. I learned a tip from my dad that he learned from my grandpa (who was an electrician) when I replaced the same light- keep lipstick in your toolbox. Line the base of your new light with lipstick so you can mark the wall exactly where the edges of the fixture will be.

  2. Love the new lights! Question about light blubs – what kind do you recommend? I feel like every time a light goes out and we need new ones I stand in the light bulb aisle forever trying to find a good one.

    1. I think it depends on the room you’re putting them in, and the look/feel you’re going for. We used bright white CFLs in the bathroom vanity lights. We have LED fixtures in our laundry room, master closet, pantry, and hallway. I like those because they put off a nice amount of light in the small spaces. You can always buy a couple different bulbs (soft white, bright white, daylight) and test them out.

  3. The new fixture looks so nice! I’m always amazed by what a huge difference a detail like that can make. We finally got around to removing the strip lights in our master bath in our old house right before we put it on the market. It was not expensive, and not hard, so I was kicking myself for not doing it sooner, because it looked worlds better with a fresh new light!

  4. Looks very nice. Love the new lights. We r in the process of having someone install new shower tile in our only bathroom. Next week should be interesting.

  5. The new light looks great! We’ve replaced so may builder-blah light fixtures between our two homes, and it always amazes me how much difference makes. Also, thanks for FB reply re: the FB newsfeed changes. I appreciated that! 🙂

  6. We totally gutted our bathroom a year ago, what an experience. I did the same thing with our new vanity lights, the electrician thought I was a little crazy. The lighting is so much better I love it.

  7. Love it! It makes a HUGE difference. Our guest bath has the same kind of builder-grade light fixture and I think I may be bugging my hubs to switch it out now!

    1. Thanks, Tina! I wish we would’ve changed it out sooner. I can’t believe we survived nearly 7 years looking at those things! 🙂

  8. The bathroom looks lot different with those new lights that you have installed now. Good decision and nice selection of the lights for the bathroom. It gives a modern look to the bathroom. Nice one. 🙂

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