Our Big Light Swap

A few weeks ago I went away on a trip. I don’t know if it was jet lag or if being away for a few days made me see our spaces in a whole new light, but when I got back, I suddenly had the urge to change around a bunch of things in my house. 🙂

On Tuesday I talked about how I was inspired to swap our coffee supplies and smoothie supplies in the kitchen to make them more organized and accessible. I loved the switch so much that while I was at it, I decided to make another change in the kitchen as well. I’ll let you see if you can spot it…

The Kitchen

In Tuesday’s post, I shared a picture of our kitchen that looked like this:

Home- Kitchen island pendant lights, hallway pendant lights, lanterns, changing light fixtures, kitchen lighting, hallway lighting, design mistakes

And today, our kitchen looks more like this:

Home- Kitchen island pendant lights, hallway pendant lights, lanterns, changing light fixtures, kitchen lighting, hallway lighting, design mistakes, glass pendant lights

Can you see the difference? (Does anybody else feel like they’re playing a game from Highlights magazine? ?)

We changed out the island pendants!

“But Abby,” you may be thinking, “Didn’t you just put up those other pendants less than a year ago?!”

It’s true. We did. And I had chosen the previous pendants with the best of intentions. Every time I was scrolling through Instagram and saw them in someone’s kitchen, I gasped a little. I thought they were beautiful and stunning and amazing, and I still do… but almost as soon as we installed them, I began to feel like they just weren’t the right fit for our kitchen.

Home- Kitchen island pendant lights, hallway pendant lights, lanterns, changing light fixtures, kitchen lighting, hallway lighting, design mistakes, glass pendant lights, white kitchen

I kept telling myself that I just wasn’t used to the former pendants yet, that that was why they were bothering me. But as I lived with them longer and longer, the feeling that they were too harsh and angular and heavy in our otherwise light and bright kitchen wouldn’t go away.

Home- Kitchen island pendant lights, hallway pendant lights, lanterns, changing light fixtures, kitchen lighting, hallway lighting, design mistakes, glass pendant lights, white kitchen, clear glass lighting

So when I got back from my trip and suddenly had the urge to change around the entire house, I came to Donnie with a proposal. What if we didn’t completely get rid of the first pendants we had put in the kitchen but instead moved them to another place where we wanted to change out the lights anyway? (Like our front hallway, perhaps…)

Home- Kitchen island pendant lights, hallway pendant lights, lanterns, changing light fixtures, kitchen lighting, hallway lighting, design mistakes, glass pendant lights, white kitchen, clear glass lighting, kitchen island with chunky corbels and trim work

This plan also made the practical side of me feel much better than if we would have discarded the lights or even sold them at a reduced price from what we had paid for them.

Since Donnie is a gem (and, let’s be honest, is pretty used to my crazy ideas by now), he agreed to my plan. I ordered the new pendants (which I happened to find at a GREAT price on closeout), called the electrician, and a few days later, our kitchen had undergone a mini transformation.

Home- Kitchen island pendant lights, hallway pendant lights, lanterns, changing light fixtures, kitchen lighting, hallway lighting, design mistakes, glass pendant lights, white kitchen, clear glass lighting, kitchen island with chunky corbels and trim work, fall kitchen decor

I love that the heaviness of the previous pendants is gone and that the whole space just looks so much lighter and airier!

Home- Kitchen island pendant lights, hallway pendant lights, lanterns, changing light fixtures, kitchen lighting, hallway lighting, design mistakes, glass pendant lights, white kitchen, clear glass lighting, kitchen island with chunky corbels and trim work, fall kitchen decor, before and after

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.

Ahhhhhh…so much better. 🙂

Since my pendants were on closeout, these exact lights are no longer available, but I found a bunch that are similar and will link all of them below:

The Hallway

Our hallway area is nowhere close to finished, but I didn’t feel like I could leave you hanging and not show you where the former kitchen pendants ended up, so I’ll give you a quick peek of that too!

This is what the hallway looked like with the builder grade “boob lights” before:

Home- Kitchen island pendant lights, hallway pendant lights, lanterns, changing light fixtures, kitchen lighting, hallway lighting, design mistakes, glass pendant lights, bare hallway

And here’s what it looks like with the pendants that were formerly in the kitchen:

Home- Kitchen island pendant lights, hallway pendant lights, lanterns, changing light fixtures, kitchen lighting, hallway lighting, design mistakes, glass pendant lights, hallway with lantern pendant lighting

(Please excuse the unpainted trim work. Donnie has been working hard on changing that out as well! I told you I had the urge to switch just about everything, lol!)

Our front area still needs paint and more decor, but at least it now has some cute lighting!

Home- Kitchen island pendant lights, hallway pendant lights, lanterns, changing light fixtures, kitchen lighting, hallway lighting, design mistakes, glass pendant lights, hallway with lantern pendant lighting, foyer, entryway

I really did (and DO!) love these lights. I just love them so much more in the entry/hallway and up closer to the ceiling than I did hanging down over the island in the kitchen. (And I still love them in others’ kitchens too! They just weren’t the perfect fit for mine!)

Here’s the before and after of the hallway side by side:

Home- Kitchen island pendant lights, hallway pendant lights, lanterns, changing light fixtures, kitchen lighting, hallway lighting, design mistakes, glass pendant lights, hallway with lantern pendant lighting, foyer, entryway, entry decor, before and after

Again, I purchased these pendants a while ago, so my exact lights are no longer available, but I’ve found a bunch of super similar options (many of which are cheaper than what I paid for mine–lucky!), and I will link to them in the widget below:

Whew! So now that I have the light swap out of my system, I have a few more projects on my list that we’ve been working away at, and hopefully I’ll be able to share those soon as well, so stay tuned!

Looking for more lighting ideas? These posts may help:

Beautiful and Affordable Light Fixtures for Every Room in the House

Beautiful and Affordable Kitchen Pendant Lights

10 Affordable Alternatives to Traditional Domed Lighting

What are you switching around in your home these days? I’d love to hear about your projects in the comments! 

Have a great day!

This post contains affiliate links. For more information, see my disclosures here.

46 Comments

  1. Ayanna @ 21FlavorsofSplendor says:

    Love the light switch!! Although I love the pendants, when I looked at the other lights they were the first thing that drew my eye. Then I saw the rest of the kitchen. Now I see the entire kitchen and love the other pendants even more.

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Thank you so much for your sweet words, Ayanna! I hope you’re having a wonderful week!

      ~Abby =)

  2. Love the change, Abby! It looks so much more “you” now! I almost sighed with relief at the new picture (even though I always loved the old lights, too). So much better now! And good for you for realizing they just worked exactly what you wanted!!

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Thank you so much, Laura! I definitely feel like they’re more “me” too, lol! Hope you’re having a great week!

      ~Abby =)

  3. Love that paint color! Do you mind sharing?

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Hi, Kate! The paint color downstairs is actually just the white that the builder painted everything; we didn’t get to choose it and we just haven’t gotten around to painting over it yet, lol! I believe it is Sherwin Williams Heron Plume. To be honest, I think it comes across a bit dingy in person. If I was going to paint all white, my favorite white is Behr Marquee Cameo White. I hope this helps!

      ~Abby =)

  4. I love this red-do…your new kitchen lights are perfect in your light kitchen, and I think the black pendant lights look better in your hallway!

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Thank you so much, Jodi! We are loving the switch too! Hope you’re having a wonderful week!

      ~Abby =)

  5. Sometimes it takes awhile to figure out how to make a room more comfortable for your tastes. I can’t tell you how many times I changed my living room around until I now feel like it’s the cozy room. Abby, You had to choose your fixtures way too fast without really having the time to decide what looks best.
    Glad you nailed it! Looks great.

    1. justagirlabby says:

      You are so right! It definitely takes time to get to know a space for sure! I hope you’re having a wonderful week, Barbara!

      ~Abby =)

  6. I ❤️ It! Good job since it looks softer and calmer!

    1. justagirlabby says:

      I think so, too! Thanks so much, Maria! Happy Friday eve! <3

      ~Abby =)

  7. Stephanie says:

    The new lights give your kitchen a bright new look (and they are gorgeous!!)! I totally agree the old lights are beautiful, but now that your moved them, they definitely weighed down your kitchen. And I think they look wonderful in the hallway, they give the small space some contrast and character!

    1. justagirlabby says:

      They really did! I’m so happy with the new ones! 🙂 Thanks so much for stopping by, Stephanie! <3

      ~Abby =)

  8. Marly @ A Brick Home says:

    These new lights look amazing! I’m glad you made the switch. Though I love the old lights, I do think the new lights are much lighter and fit so nicely with your kitchen. I always tend to redo my spaces too. Sometimes it takes a few tries to get it right!

    -Marly

    1. justagirlabby says:

      I totally agree! You just have to live with things for awhile to really know! 🙂 Have a great evening, Marly!

      ~Abby =)

  9. HI Abby! I love following your work :). I have also purchased and am using your “building a framework” training. THANK YOU!! Question- I love the simplicity of Catablog….but I do not in any way understand how to insert my gallery to scroll like yours does above. It’s just vertical and lined up to the left. HELP?! LOL I want to do the scrolling as well as a grid style gallery, but how? I can’t figure it out by going to the catablog website either. Any assistance is hugely appreciated!!

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Hi, Kimbra! The widgets I have in this post are actually from RewardStyle. They’re not Catablog. I don’t know that Catablog has a scrolling feature. To get Catablog in gallery style rather than vertical, you have to add a bit of code to the end of it. So if the snippet of code they give you is: [catablog_gallery id="1234"], then you need to change it to [catablog_gallery id="1234" template="gallery"]. I hope this helps!

      ~Abby =)

      1. Thank you Abby!!!

  10. Sharon Rexroad says:

    Great move, figuratively AND literally! And if you ever feel they are too harsh looking in your entry hall (which they are not, but tastes change), a little Rub’n’Buff could take care of that. Add that to Donnie’s to-do list!

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Ooo, very true! Thanks so much for the suggestion, Sharon! Have a wonderful evening!

      ~Abby =)

  11. Michelle Johnson says:

    hahaha “boob lights”! That is too funny! I do like them better in the hallway! Very nice!

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Lol! 🙂 I do, too! Thanks so much for stopping by, Michelle! Have a great evening!

      ~Abby =)

  12. April@LoveOurRealLife says:

    This may be one of my all time favorite posts from your blog! The new kitchen lights are perfect! And, lol….LOVE that you got rid of the “boob” lights. The rustic pendants add so much charm to that space. That must have been quite the inspirational trip!

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Lol! Thanks so much, April! I am loving the changes! 🙂 Hope you have a great weekend!

      ~Abby =)

  13. I like the look of the new light fixtures in the kitchen. But! we also have glass lights in the kitchen, and they look gorgeous. However, they get dusty and greasy pretty fast (we cook a lot), and that is not something I like to see… Something to think about 😉

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Interesting! I’ll have to keep my eye on them! 🙂 Thanks for the tip, Nat!

      ~Abby =)

      1. You are welcome! Your house looks lovely an I like your style!

  14. Great decision! Any chance of us followers having a look at your spaces when it’s dark, with your lighting on? I love the coziness of an evening (or early morning) in rooms.

    Take care.

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Thanks so much, Tania! I sometimes do a “Christmas lights at night” home tour so keep your eyes open in the next couple months! 🙂 Have a great week!

      ~Abby =)

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Thanks so much for including me, Matt! Hope you’re having a great week!

      ~Abby =)

  15. Hey Abby,
    Just stopping by to say I’m absolutely in love with your blog!
    I’ve been recently thinking about starting my own blog and you are definitely my greatest inspiration. Thank you so much for your countless tutorials and ideas- from organizational tips to DYIing labels and pretty printables, you were just the kind of help I needed to reorganize my entire life.

    Love the changes you’ve been making around the house,
    everything looks great!

    xoxo,
    Nastya.

    1. justagirlabby says:

      You are too sweet! I’m so glad it has been helpful for you, Nastya… love to hear that! Hope you have a great week and happy organizing! <3

      ~Abby =)

  16. Paula Appleton says:

    Maybe I missed it, but I didn’t catch where you went on your trip? Do you think the place had any bearing on your new perspective or was it just getting away for a while? I absolutely love how the new light fixtures really open up your kitchen! Keep up the before and after comparison photos too! I love those Highlights magazines!

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Thank you so much, Paula! I was at a conference in Salt Lake City, UT! It was beautiful there, so maybe it did inspire the change! 🙂 Hope you had a wonderful weekend!

      ~Abby =)

  17. This was the perfect switch! I love both sets of lights, but agree they fit much better in the hallway! You have a great eye for design!! I love love love the tray on your island! I may have to update our kitchen a bit as well…. 🙂

    1. justagirlabby says:

      I think so, too. I am loving the change! Have a great week, Amanda!

      ~Abby =)

  18. Michael @ Crafty Dad . com says:

    The change-up makes a HUGE difference — in a good way! You did the right thing. : )

    1. justagirlabby says:

      I think so, too! 🙂 Thanks so much, Michael! Hope you’re having a great week!

      ~Abby =)

  19. Lydia @ Thrifty Frugal Mom says:

    I love how clean the new pendants look in your kitchen! Definitely a great change. So pretty!

    1. justagirlabby says:

      I am loving them, too! Thanks so much, Lydia! Hope you’re having a great week! <3

      ~Abby =)

  20. can i ask the supplier on the new island pendant light? there are so many ones out there that are ugly

    1. justagirlabby says:

      Hi, Suz! I purchased it from Wayfair and the brand was Laurel Foundry Modern Farmhouse. I’m not sure if they’re still making it, but my fingers are crossed that you can find it!

      ~Abby =)

  21. Hi! Where did you get those glass/bell pendant lights? That is exactly what I am looking for and can’t find them anywhere!! Thank you!

    1. Abby Lawson says:

      Hi there! I found them on wayfair.com several years ago. I’m not sure if they still carry them, but the brand is Laurel Foundry Modern Farmhouse. I hope this helps! Have a great week!

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