In the new-to-us house, in our master bath, we had these lovely Victorian-ish style shades on the light fixtures (note sarcasm).
Not really our style.
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.
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!
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!
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!
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.
I like these, but I’d probably remove the rusty screws. Love the look of the long bulbs!
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.
Are these bulbs as bright as regular bulbs? K
Luv the look!
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.
Love those eddison bulbs! Great quick makeover!
Thanks, Virginia!
Ugh you are a visionary.. how simple and inexpensive..x
Thank you!!
Cool look ! And I like the screws left in , too.
Thank you, Tamara!!
Cool look ! And I like the screws left in.
I love this! Did you use clear Edison bulbs or Amber?
They are clear. And I understand that, now, they have LED Edison bulbs, which put out much more light!
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
Awesome! Thanks, Didi!!
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.
Love this so much! Are they regular sized Edisons or oversized?
Hi, I love this look and want to do something on the same lines in my bathroom but was a bit anxious about steam from the shower getting in to them and making them corrode and potentially unsafe? They won’t be too close to the shower so hopefully won’t be an issue but be thankful for your advice.
I didn’t have that problem. Thanks!!