help! i’m tired of these bare bulbs!
I am a renter and I love my 1920’s duplex but am tired of staring at these bare bulbs in my bedroom every night. Any ideas for covering it with something pretty but would not require me to do any rewiring? Thank you! — Thien
Rather than guess about the electrical stuff, we thought we’d ask our pal, handywoman Arianne Cohen, for her thoughts on this. This is what she had to say:
I would just ignore the sockets, and hang the hanging lamp so that it mostly blocks the fixture. I’m doing a “block it and pretend its not there” routine. I think it would actually look kinda cool with the two empty sockets sticking out on either side.
To install, I’d use the bulb that comes with the hanging lamp, and hang it from that pointy thing that sticks out in the middle of the fixture. She could also install two little plant hooks on either side of the fixture and hang it that way.
If she wants to do no work whatsoever, she could take this photo down to Just Bulbs (or her local funky bulb shop) and find the coolest Size A-base bulbs that they have, like something with a funky shape and color that will make the fixture look nifty. I’ve seen some pretty weird ones.
Alternatively, if she wants an actual ceiling lamp, I think to distract from the two empty bulb sockets sticking out on either side, you’d have to do something over the top, so I might hang a light like this one: (If she doesn’t mind a hanging cord, she wouldn’t need to rewire.)
For a cheap fix, she could also probably get away with one of these, which I would imagine would look kind of cool with the two empty bulb sockets sticking out on either side.
If I didn’t want to do much work, I’d just buy a ceiling lamp cover and stick it over it,
like so.
Do you have suggestions for Thien’s double-bare bulb delimma? Let her know and leave a comment!
July 12th, 2007 at 7:25 am
I had these SAME fixtures at an old apartment I rented and had the SAME issue! I ended up using chandelier shades and rigging them up around the bulb so they looked like mini lamps. It was great to help direct the light and it difused it perfectly! Here is a site the sells them - http://brownslampshades.com/store/ctgy/chandelier.html
Hope this helps!
July 12th, 2007 at 8:02 am
I had the same situation and a tight budget, so I covered them with little paper lanterns.
July 12th, 2007 at 9:33 am
We had bare bulbs at one of our apartments. We bought small colored folded paper lampshades that fit over the bulb on night tables, then we fit them upside down, over the bulbs. The light they cast was toned down, and the edges of the lampshade made a very nice design on the ceiling. We used lampshades very much like these : http://www.dkimages.com/discover/Home/Science/Mathematics/Experiments/Shapes/Circles-and-Wavy-Lines/Circles-and-Wavy-Lines-088.html
July 12th, 2007 at 9:37 am
I had a similarish issue in my bathroom and I ended up just putting a huge hanging light fixture in it’s place. I bought one of those things that you can screw directly into the light socket and then plug in a power cord so that the hanging light still works on the switch.
Here is a picture of the finished project:
http://athomeathome.blogspot.com/2007/06/diy-weekend.html
July 12th, 2007 at 9:48 am
Take a trip to the lighting supply store & get 2 “pig nose” converters which screw into a light socket and turn it into a plug. Then drop 2 pendant lamps down at different heights. Use 2 plug/cord/sockets - you would have to shorten these yourself using supplies available at the lighting supply. You could use inexpensive paper shades a la Pearl River Mart. The whole project would cost you about $50 and take less than an hour to install. Good luck!
July 12th, 2007 at 1:07 pm
I saw in Target pendant lamps that screw into your existing light socket. Of course I can’t find them on their website, but if you’re in Target check the Home Improvement section (not where the lamps and furniture are) for these lights.
July 12th, 2007 at 7:00 pm
I’m pretty sure this fixture originally held glass shades that covered most of the bulbs. Thien can find a whole host of replacement, period-style shades at Rejuvenation (http://www.rejuvenation.com/location84/fittersz2.25/templates/shades.html) and Schoolhouse Electric (http://www.schoolhouseelectric.com/shades-type.asp?nav=2&type=Fitter&code=2.25&fixDtl=0&all=1).
Just measure the width of the metal fitter that surrounds the socket (these are most likely 2.25 inches), and order two shades with the corresponding fitter size. Then simply tighten the screws that should be on the outside of the metal fitters to hold the shades in place. Voila!
I actually think this is a pretty, period-style fixture, so it would be a shame to replace it or cover it up. Instead, bring it back to its former glory!
Leah
July 13th, 2007 at 3:07 am
Wow - we must live in doplanger buildings. I have the exact same fixtures, down to the 100 levels of paint!
While we just tolerate one of the fixtures, I did take a paper parasol - cut off most of the handle, and wired it to the center little knob thing. This was really nice, an diffused the light wonderfully. Be careful to maintain a decent distance between the bulbs and the parasol (this only works if you have tall ceilings or really short family).
July 13th, 2007 at 5:30 am
If they’re her style, she could buy a couple of Boontje hanging lights (either the Garland or Midsummer style) and ditch the plug-in cords that come with them. It may require some minor rigging depending on exactly what’s going on with the socket covers (if they’re metal, she’ll want to be safe and use the rubber ring that comes with the Boontje lights as insulation), but these lights are meant to hang directly against bare bulbs. They really look fantastic against old ceiling medallions, and installation wouldn’t require an electrician. Plus, they can come with her when she moves (on second thought, hang on to those plug-in cords!).
July 16th, 2007 at 9:50 am
Hey thanks Sweet T, I never knew what those were called: Pig Nose Converters. That’s what I used and it made the job very easy!
July 16th, 2007 at 10:15 am
I bought a silver Boontje Garland Lamp (http://www.unicahome.com/p13770/tord-boontje/garland-light-by-tord-boontje.html) to hang over my bare hallway bulb. They were on sale at DWR a few years ago. The metal garland–the shape of which I can change to suit my whim–looks beautiful and turned an eyesore into a showpiece.