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You are here: Home / DIY / How to Update Bathroom Lighting (it’s as easy as changing a lightbulb)

How to Update Bathroom Lighting (it’s as easy as changing a lightbulb)

October 28, 2014 By Karen Cooper 17 Comments

In the new-to-us house, in our master bath, we had these lovely Victorian-ish style shades on the light fixtures (note sarcasm).

before victorian light shades in bathroom - update bathroom lighting - thediybungalow.com

Not really our style.

before whole bathroom fixture - update bathroom lighting - thediybungalow.com

I’m not sure if they’re really Victorian, but I didn’t think “floofy” was a design style. And that’s what they are: Floofy to the max.

I wanted to update our bathroom lighting, but without spending a fortune. So, I tried changing out the covers for something more my style, something more modern.

The problem was that the screws that held the shades in place on the fixture were rusted. They wouldn’t hold new shades. Time for Plan B.

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I found these vintage Edison bulbs and fell in love.

vintage bulb in bathroom fixture - update bathroom lighting - thediybungalow.com

It was as if a lightbulb went on! (HA! Get it?!? DIY humor!!)

I removed all the shades from the fixture and changed out the regular bulbs for the vintage bulbs.

Poof! From floofy Victorian to vintage chic!

bathroom light fixture before and after - update bathroom lighting - thediybungalow.com

I left in the rusty screws and the light fixtures were a little, ahem, “aged,” so the bulbs worked with the fixture to create a rustic, vintage, industrial-ish look.

I couldn’t believe how easy it was to change the look of a light by just changing a few things. The whole process took me about 20 minutes total. Not bad for a whole new, updated look!

after with vintage bulbs - update bathroom lighting - thediybungalow.com

larger view vintage bulbs bathroom fixture - update bathroom lighting - thediybungalow.com

Total cost:  about $110 for the bulbs (11 bulbs – because Dear Husband now wants me to do the same thing for the lights above his vanity).

Total time: about 20 minutes.

It’s the perfect way to update bathroom lighting without changing out the whole fixture!

How to update bathroom lighting - as easy as changing a light bulb - from thediybungalow.com

 

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    Five Ways to Update a Bathroom on a Budget
  • Five Changes to the Guest Bathroom (Friday Five)
    Five Changes to the Guest Bathroom (Friday Five)

Filed Under: Decorating, DIY, Quick Room Updates, Readers' Favorite Posts Tagged With: Bathrooms 17 Comments

About Karen Cooper

Hi! I'm Karen. I call myself a “recovering lawyer” - I traded in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY adventures. Join me for DIY, home decorating, repurposing and upcycling, and organizing projects and tips as I transform a 1929 Tudor bungalow into our home. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home.

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Comments

  1. Cheryl @ Artzzle says

    October 28, 2014 at 6:10 pm

    I like these, but I’d probably remove the rusty screws. Love the look of the long bulbs!

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      October 29, 2014 at 8:49 am

      Thanks, Cheryl! I left them in because (a) when I took them out, the washer that held the screw in also came out, and I didn’t want that, and (b) I liked the rusticness (is that a word?) of it. The screws add a bit of horizontal dimension to the fixture, so it’s not all long and vertical.

      Reply
  2. Becky says

    October 29, 2014 at 7:06 am

    Are these bulbs as bright as regular bulbs? K
    Luv the look!

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      October 29, 2014 at 8:48 am

      Hi Becky! When you first turn them on, they are not. Once they warm up a bit, they are almost as bright as regular bulbs, with a bit of a warmer color to them. I have used only those bulbs as the light on in the bathroom and it’s totally fine – bright enough for sure.

      Reply
  3. Virginia Fynes says

    November 3, 2014 at 1:30 pm

    Love those eddison bulbs! Great quick makeover!

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      November 3, 2014 at 3:15 pm

      Thanks, Virginia!

      Reply
  4. Galit says

    July 23, 2016 at 7:51 pm

    Ugh you are a visionary.. how simple and inexpensive..x

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      July 24, 2016 at 10:32 am

      Thank you!!

      Reply
  5. Tamara Martin says

    September 25, 2016 at 12:43 pm

    Cool look ! And I like the screws left in , too.

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      September 26, 2016 at 8:59 am

      Thank you, Tamara!!

      Reply
  6. Tamara Martin says

    September 25, 2016 at 12:50 pm

    Cool look ! And I like the screws left in.

    Reply
  7. Megan says

    June 28, 2017 at 10:09 am

    I love this! Did you use clear Edison bulbs or Amber?

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      June 28, 2017 at 10:12 am

      They are clear. And I understand that, now, they have LED Edison bulbs, which put out much more light!

      Reply
  8. Adriana says

    October 21, 2017 at 7:51 pm

    Loved it!,,, I ve been thinking of finding out an idea – I have the EXACT same ones shown on
    The pic- Thank you. As a note I loved ur story…do more of what makes you happy right!,,
    Blesses! Didi

    Reply
    • Karen Cooper says

      October 23, 2017 at 9:39 am

      Awesome! Thanks, Didi!!

      Reply
  9. Craig says

    December 25, 2019 at 11:14 pm

    Great idea. I did the same but went one step further and installed a dimmer switch on the wall. These Edison bulbs look even better at half power, and you can make them brighter when necessary. Just make sure your bulbs are dimmable first.

    Reply
  10. Aly Stack says

    April 9, 2021 at 4:21 pm

    Love this so much! Are they regular sized Edisons or oversized?

    Reply

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Hi! I’m Karen. I call myself a “recovering lawyer,” because I turned in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY. This blog is all about DIY, home decorating, repurposing and upcycling, and organization. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home.




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About Karen

A "recovering lawyer," I turned in my power suits for power tools and a life of DIY. I believe in merging old and new to make a house a home. Read More…

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