Tuesday, July 7, 2015

26 How To: Install Light Sconces Anywhere!

When I first started thinking about our closet organization and updating my vanity, I began looking at plug-in wall sconces that I could affix to either side of our wardrobes, similar to what we did in our boy's shared bedroom years ago.  I quickly became frustrated with the lack of options; everything was either too big, too expensive or just all wrong for the space.


I have really been loving the look of the tube sconces, which have been popping up in bathrooms everywhere lately!   Especially in gold, of course.  Not only do I love the look of the lights, I also appreciate the frosted shades, ensuring the light wouldn't be too bright while applying makeup.

Realizing that I would never get the look of a clean wall sconce with a plug-in light and cord running down each side of the wardrobes, I set out to look for standard wall sconces instead.  I landed on these from Wayfair, based on size, style and price.

When they arrived, I quickly ripped them out of the box and didn't hesitate to grab my favorite gold spray paint (Rustoleum Metallic Gold).

Before spray:


And after:


These type of sconces are typically wired into wall outlet light boxes (wired into the wall's electrical and turned on with a light switch) and affixed to a wall on either side of a mirror.  We didn't want to go through the trouble of tearing out a portion of our stenciled wall to have new electrical run, so the next best solution was to install the sconces to the sides of the wardrobes.

The first step was to screw in the sconce mounting hardware.


Then, we drilled a hole in the center of the mounting hardware, to provide access to a cord kit we purchased from Home Depot (which specifies it can be used for hanging fixtures and sconces).


Bryan wired the sconce to the cord kit, just as he would have wired it into a wall light box (the black wire is hot, white is neutral and the ground wire is exposed copper which is tied into the green grounding screw).


Inside, we ran the cord into the armoire and out the back side to be plugged into the wall.


Lastly, the sconce was screwed into the mounting bracket.


Testing, 1, 2, 3....



The addition of the new sconces was a huge bonus to the vanity setup.  A perfect place for me to enjoy some peace and quiet with my morning cup-o-coffee.


To fix the visible cords, I picked up some Command Light Clips.


They allowed me to manipulate where the cords were run and prevent them from dangling (above you can see the cord on the left not fixed yet, the right side was finished):



These little clips worked perfectly, I am pretty obsessed with these now and will be eying every last cord in the house!   I also affixed a power strip with a switch on the underside of my desk with Velcro, so I can just reach under to switch on and off the sconce lighting as needed.

And that is all there is to it!  So much easier than I thought it would be, and it allowed me to use standard wall sconces on the sides of furniture vs. hard wiring them into our walls.  As Rihanna would say, these lights shine bright like a diamond!

26 comments:

  1. Omg! These look amazing attached to the wardrobes. I'm a little in love with gold spray paint right now, too. Pinned for inspiration at our next house which is going to be half the size of this one and lacking in closet space.

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  2. This idea is brilliant! I live in a house built in 1979 and the lack of lighting is a big frustration for me. This post gives me so many new ideas of how I can add light without having to call an electrician. Thanks!

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  3. SO pretty, Jen! Those sconces make all the difference in that space. Great job!

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  4. Thank you for posting this! Great inspiration!

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  5. Love this idea! Maybe I'm missing something though, but I don't understand why you need the plug-in velcroed under your desk if the lights go through holes out the back of your wardrobe to plug into the wall? I had to read that section twice because I didn't understand why there were still exposed cords... and I couldn't see the exposed cord in the picture either.
    Anywho, great job as usual! This is a dream vanity, for sure.

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    1. Hi Sarah!

      The cord could have plugged in right behind our armoire, however, then I would have to reach back behind the armoire to plug it in each time I wanted to turn the light on (it is powered by the action of plugging it in as the cord itself didn't have a switch). Also, we only had one outlet on the entire wall, so it was easier to plug in a power strip with an on/off switch behind the armoire, and attach it to my desk and plug the sconces in to that instead. A little confusing for sure, but hopefully that makes a little more sense. Now I can just reach below the desk to flip the lights on and off, vs. having to plug/unplug them behind the closet.

      xoxo!

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  6. Gorgeous!! I absolutely love those scones! You guys are so handy. I would love to add more scones to my home (especially in my bathrooms) but I'm super intimated by the idea of wiring and all that jazz. One day I'll hopefully learn!

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  7. WOW!! This is so pretty! You have an amazing vision for everything. I live in Arizona(the hottest place on earth) and finding it difficult to cover up the heat and light coming through the windows! It is about 100 F right now, I wish we live somewhere over there. Anyway, I love all your projects and reading your amazing blog!!

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  8. Where did you get your mirror from?

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    1. I found it on Craigslist, but I have seen some great beautiful options recently at IKEA, Wisteria, West Elm and HomeGoods. :)

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  9. Great job! You can barely tell there are cords and the fixtures look very nice.

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  10. Amazing!! I am excited to see your posts following up you Master Closet organization challenge.

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  11. gold spray paint makes everything better...like my cheap-o bar cart!! http://www.onthecornerofbrodhead.com/diy-gold-bar-cart/

    ps. those little clips are brilliant!

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  12. Beautiful! I need to do this!!

    Her Heartland Soul
    http://herheartlandsoul.com

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  13. I love this post! Thank you so much for all of the details. (I love that you even included how to finish/clean up the wires. So necessary!) Definitely book marking this for later!

    xo,
    Sara Kate Styling

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  14. Totally agree with Michelle. . they make a huge difference and look awesome. I love those. You can do no wrong. Yes, they totally shine bright like a diamond!

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  15. What an awesome idea, thanks for sharing! The lights you chose are beautiful and I think they look even better in gold :o)

    Tania

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  16. Is the paint you used heat-proof or fire-proof?

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    1. Hello,

      The paint I used was standard spray paint, which I have used for many light fixtures and lamps in the past without issues. I have used heat-proof in situations where an open flame would be present, such as a grill, firepit, etc...

      xo!

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  17. This is terrific, bright and pretty too. Love the touch of gold. Thank you for sharing. I invite you to share at my Thursday blog hop too ( you can start linking tonight at 7pm (MST) through Sat midnight) Hugs!

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  18. So I got ahead of myself while reading this post and saw those cords hanging, and though, no way Jen would leave it like that! Where's the 3m clips?!?! And then I scrolled down lol. I love love love 3m hooks and I use them for everything I can, including picture hanging because I hate having to patch holes! life savers! the vanity turned out amazing, and as always this shows the core of your talent, shopping your home and continuously organizing spaces that just dont work. Standing ovation here!

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  19. Oo I've been looking for cord clips and never thought to pick up light clips! I'm so glad I saw this.

    The sconces look great, too ;)

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  20. Beautiful ! I loved the whole look.

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  21. Hi! OMG. I think you may have saved my life? The mounting bracket used above with the flanges that have little screw holes???? Where can I buy that?? We bought a set of second hand sconces and the mounting hardware was missing. I think it's the mounting hardware. OMG...NEED!! TY

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    1. Hi! It has been awhile now, but I believe all of the hardware we used to mount our sconces actually came with the sconces. However, it looks like the hardware can also be found at most hardware stores (http://bit.ly/2Gk9Wjv) or amazon (https://amzn.to/36l6obb). I believe either one of those could work for you?

      Fingers crossed!!

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