Earlier I mentioned that I needed a new light fixture in the kid’s bathroom. This dropped boob light just wasn’t doing it for me. I’m more of a leg girl in general. but ANYHOO….this brassy-with-rust-spots fixture just had to go…
If you are a light fixture obsessor – it may look familiar to you. That’s probably because the matching boob used to live between our master bedroom closets before we replaced it with a Goodwill light. Remember this old photo?:
So many boobs, so little time.
I had kinda had my heart set on this FADO light fixture from Ikea after I saw it in a friend’s foyer. It was everything that I was looking for….simple, easy to clean, would be relatively good for a moist environment with it’s enclosed ball around the light bulb…oh and cheap. My friend got her’s for a$39. Plus, since this is more modern than I normal swing, I figured that it would be fun to branch out in a lighthearted space like a kid’s bathroom.
But when I went online to see if they had it, the FADO was nowhere to be seen. In fact, the only FADO they had listed was a tabletop light…basically that ball on a stand vs. hanging. They did have the MINUT…which is weirdly similar and not quite what I was looking for….(see how the globe looks like it was cut off?)
One’s Mary Kate….the other is Ashley. Close but not the same.
I resolved that I wasn’t gonna cry over the fact that I couldn’t have the Olsen twin of my dreams and just forged ahead to get a fixture. Enter Goodwill….
Yup – it’s the FADO. My lucky stars! I literally ran in the store to get someone to help me cut it off the rack cursing myself because I didn’t have my own box cutter. Yeah – our Goodwill zipties light fixtures to the wire racks to ensure they don’t break.
It’s a really good thing to always check the entire fixture when purchasing from Goodwill. Not only do glass parts need to be intact, but the wires need to be in good condition.
And you will never guess the price. $11. That’s it.
I figured that I would have to spend at least half of my bathroom makeover budget of $50 to get a new light fixture…so yeah…color me thrilled.
Jeremy installed it for me in a snap. He loves doing electrical work. He told me so. I wrote it down and now I have 14000349573 more electrical related to-do items for him 🙂 You’re welcome honey.
I love it. I love love LURVE it.
It’s so simple and fun. Will even pointed and said BAH…which in Will language is Ball. Not to be confused with BOO…which is Balloon.
And here’s the budget breakdown so far:
- Shower curtain – $5
- Pastel White Semi Gloss Paint for trim – $0 (already owned)
- Sticker Art & frame – $0 (already owned)
- Brushes, sandpaper, tools – $0 (already owned)
- Light fixture – $11
TOTAL $16
Not too shabby. Not too shabby at all. Next up – PAINT!
love the new light and the trim is an amazing upgrade. in this bathroom upgrade are you going to paint the ceiling? in one of the last photos of the new light it looked a little tan-ish. maybe it was just that photo. question: do you use a specific type of paint to do a bathroom due to the high amount of moisture in there?
I think most people use semigloss…but I use eggshell. That might change one day when we have splashy kids soaking the walls but for now, using what we got!
xo – kb
Nice find, but I’m going to stick to calling them pendant lights or something…
SO excited to see Part 3 of the bathroom… dying to know what color you chose!
ARE YOU SERIOUS?!? (Picture me trying not to jump up and down in excitement for you in my office!)
I can’t believe you found exactly what you were looking for at Goodwill! You are one lucky lady!!!! Reminds me of the post about the pig thing….
You are one lucky shopper. Why is it that my Goodwill has so little treasure and so much trash? I think I need to find a new one. Love the new light – looks great!!
Ha! You know, before you got to the part where you found it, I was all, “But I saw that light at Habitat ReStore on Saturday!” Go figure that we’d both have random local sources for FADO. I did not purchase it because I was busy gushing over a semi-flush mount oil rubbed bronze school house light that cost me $10 and will be living in my laundry room oh so very soon. Oh, lights. We love you so.
I’m not trying to be rude/sarcastic but it still looks like a boob though without that thing on the center lol
So glad you are painting that room…were the walls sponge-painted? Kind of scary….not to hurt your feelings, Katie!
That’s awesome that you found the exact light you wanted at Goodwill!
What a great find! That’s amazing that Goodwill had the light you wanted. Must be fate. I love how it looks in there!
I think the lack of a nipple is what differentiates it from the other… this one is definitely a “bah” (ball)… not a boob. lol.
Doesn’t it make you want to pee a little when you score the perfect find? Love that! I’m guessing you went with the light blue 🙂 Found your blog through YHL and now have 2 must reads! Beautiful photos in your last photography post too!
That is ridiculous! Finds like that only happen in internet dreamland! LOL. It looks delightful, way better than the brass boob.
LOVE when that happens! I had my eyes on a swing arm floor lamp from Pier 1 for FOREVER, but it was $129 and I needed two! No way would I even pay that for one! Luckily, Walmart had VERY similar ones for $29 a piece! They even came with nice fabric lampshades! Once I put them together, I ended up loving the Walmart version more!
That light was such a great score, and the trim looks fantastic…. I am loving this renovating frenzy that’s going on with your sister’s wedding – can’t wait for part 3 to see what colour you chose! 🙂
OHHH love it!! Can’t wait to see the paint!
Girl, you are so living under a lucky star!
PUHlease hurry with the paint – I can’t look at that wall any longer!!!
So happy to know that I’m not the only one who thinks light-fixtures look like boobs. We have the nipple-y kind too, and my husband thinks I’m crazy for hating them.
No WAY! KB, you are the best Goodwill-er ever. I’m amazed.
This is random and not related directly to this post, but I wanted to thank you for your blog and your new house- we are searching for our forever home and I am very picky. I LOVE your house and you’ve shown me that you need to look at the bones and realize the other things can be fixed.
Your blog keeps me calm when I see a house that is big like we want, but ugly!! Yours is not ugly at all, but man the bones are fab!
I can’t believe that you found the light you wanted at Goodwill!! Amazing! Looks great in the bathroom too! 🙂
nice improvement… but gotta wonder if there is enough ventilation in that bathroom… with all that rust and mold.
So cute! You have the best luck at your local Goodwill! Thanks for the tip on what to look for when buying light fixtures (wiring wise) secondhand. We have a ReStore in Newnan and I get so overwhelmed trying to figure out what light fixture is worth buying.
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why is YOUR Goodwill so AWESOME, and MY Goodwill is the pits? 🙁 (whiny voice). You find such awesome stuff at yours!? I peruse the shevles weekly here for treasures, but mostly they just have alot of used shoes. The bathroom looks great…cant wait for part III.
I see a litle green swab next to the shower… so my guess is the green paint?!?!
anyway just wnated to say this is my FAV blog… I love the freshness of it… You never quite know what you will post or how often you will post, so it is always a pleasent surprise!!! Keep it up, Katie!
Well we definitely had it checked out by the inspector…and everything looks to be a-ok. The rust on the metal items like the vent and the light fixture are most likely due to showers that took place before and the kids just didn’t turn on the fan. The mold is just on the tile and checks out too.
xo – kb
Everyone else may call it luck to find that light, but I call it a God thing. And I thank Him for it right away. God is good. I also find fabulous things at Goodwill and I appreciate the perfect finds at bargain prices. The light looks great in there!!
It’s a nipless 🙂
xo – kb
Looks great! You are one lucky gal, not only for finding that treasure, but also for the handy hubby!! And can I ask, did you hang it with the broken cover around the wires showing or does it just look that way since I’m reading from my iPhone? It looks like I can see where the metal cover thing around them is broken and part of the wires are exposed??
Oh my that looks sooo much better than the boob light. I wish my husband was handy with replacing light fixtures like that. We have a boob light in our hallway that I really want to replace, but I’m gonna have to figure out how to do it myself…
I love this light fixture! You have such good luck. I’m jealous. I cannot believe you found that at goodwill. I want to put this in my house somewhere… Too bad they only sell ashley instead of mary kate… Sigh….
Down with boob lights!
And hurrah for hubbys that can do electrical! Good thing mine’s an electrical engineer. I’d probably have the house burned down by now if I tried to do this stuff on my own!
they also have a special mold-resistant glossy paint specifically for bathrooms and kitchens. i don’t know what it’s called but i always just say “i’ll take a gallon of this in bathroom paint” and they always know what i’m talking about
Katie, the goodwill gods have definitely repaid you for your loyalty!!! One of my favorite stories is the pig you found, so sweet. And now you found exactly what you were looking for. It’s really awesome!
Can’t wait to see the reveal!
xoxo
Cat aka
BudgetBlonde
I seriously cannot believe your luck!!! Hopefully you went and bought a lotto ticket for good measure that day 🙂
Meg
I love Goodwill! We have a great big one right across the bridge from my office; I’ve been there twice this week already. I picked up two chairs this week – nicely made, but splotched with paint – and I will be using your chair-painting post to help me redo them. My daughter is soooo excited by the chance to wear a mask and use spray paint!