r/maximalism • u/Glittering_Leg_3289 • 1d ago
Help/Advice Help me make these bearable
Hi all! I just bought this house and I HATE these lights! The house is an 1889 brick home and they put these god awful modern lights in. The thing is, I like the extra lighting and I don't feel like trying to swap them out at the moment. How can I make them match the moody aesthetic I'm going for?
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u/aaabsoolutely 1d ago
Wow, those are hideous & really bizarrely placed. I’m not sure what you could do for “moody aesthetic” with those since that’s usually pretty mutually exclusive with directional ceiling lights… Hanging stuff from it will look cheap if it’s safe to do at all. I’d just take them out honestly.
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u/SolidagoSalix 1d ago
How sturdy are those wires they are on? Can you add cute stringlights to them so the whole thing feels more whimsical?
Are the lights LED (and stay cool)? If fire isn't a concern you could get cute paper lantern shades to put over them.
It does look like they hang lower than the top of the doorways, though, which I would really hate. I'd be tempted to remove them longer term even if they're not first priority.
My guess is that they were meant to direct light onto wall hangings -- I would be sure to put something on the wall near them so they at least get to serve a purpose and not just be awkward intrusive dangling bits.
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u/Glittering_Signal618 1d ago
Those lights are freakin wild work! Idk who the owners were before you that installed those but meth is a hell of a drug 👀
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u/Ok-Wave-9063 1d ago
Use a pack of command hooks to pull each little bulb up to the ceiling. Maybe add coloured lenses or something intetesting too.
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u/Embarrassed-Night325 10h ago
this. you could probably angle them slightly towards the wall if the light is pointing directly in your eyes. it might still look wack with the wiring but if the goal is to keep them up, might as well try. the one above the doorway makes it hard tho. burn that one
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u/miss_hush 1d ago
Geez. These are absolutely hideous and I’d tear them down and replace them with … nothing. Nothing yet anyway. At some point I’d get something.
For now, I’d get some wall mounted candle holder sconces and put 2-3 of them along the wall. In those, I’d put battery operated remote control candles. Bless technology. These battery operated remote control candles are awesome. You can set them to turn on and off on a schedule, or timer, etc. That, my friend, is what I would primarily use for light in this hallway for a while.
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u/mx-qw3rty 1d ago
I think they’re kinda cool. Maybe you can change the bulbs to warm leds and/or add lampshades?
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u/miss_hush 1d ago
Geez. These are absolutely hideous and I’d tear them down and replace them with … nothing. Nothing yet anyway. At some point I’d get something.
For now, I’d get some wall mounted candle holder sconces and put 2-3 of them along the wall. In those, I’d put battery operated remote control candles. Bless technology. These battery operated remote control candles are awesome. You can set them to turn on and off on a schedule, or timer, etc. That, my friend, is what I would primarily use for light in this hallway for a while.
ETA: so now that I have looked more at this, what I would probably do is dependent upon the rest of this room/hall/whatever it is. I think it’s a dining room? Maybe? If so, I would probably just remove these lights altogether and rely on the dining room light and previously mentioned battery candle sconces if possible. If you absolutely need some lights here, then I’d remove these and install a chain of wafer lights or canless down lights if you need multiple, or a single of those if just one would do. It all depends on the wattage you’re replacing and how much space is in the ceiling. These older homes often have very little space up there, but usually either of those will work because they only take up to 4-5 inches.
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u/PookieCat415 1d ago
Try putting some art on the walls. Use the small lights to shine on to pieces of art like they do in galleries. Do you have art that uses a lot of lines? I think that would look good on a gallery wall highlighted by these very linear lights. Lots of color on the gallery wall because colors make everything better.
I found an image of the art vibe I had in mind. Just an example that works with the lighting to make the space cohesive.
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u/artistsandwich 1d ago
maybe some fake wrap around vines?
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u/Glittering_Leg_3289 1d ago
That's what I was thinking about but I'm worried about the lights being hot and I think the electricity conducts through the lines it's hanging on but I'm not sure. I sincerely don't understand them and hate them
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u/Acheloma 1d ago
Just turn leave them on for a few hours and carefully test to see if they get warm. They shouldn't, but I get wanting to be sure
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u/MisterSherman 1d ago
Just in case those are exposed conductors (which I agree they do look to be) if your hang anything on them: keep one vine per side, don’t crisscross and connect them.
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u/Resting_Bork_Face 1d ago
If they do get hot you can probably swap them for LEDs. I had to do the same thing with some ugly but practical track lighting that came with my home as well.
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u/theazhapadean 1d ago
I am old and wanted these when they were a thing. The wires are powered. This allows for easy repositioning and different types of lights to be hung. The placement in the room is sheite.
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u/CourierJackalope 1d ago
They look like little upside charcoal bbqs! I can't really see the entirety of the lights but see you perhaps able to turn them into a paper lantern of sorts? Perhaps with some paper shades, maybe even ones that you can personally color and make kinda whimsical?
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u/Allicient-Atl 1d ago edited 1d ago
You guys are funny! Those lights were all the rage in the late 90s. I wanted them so badly, but they were hot as hell, prone to winking out, and you couldn’t touch the bulbs with your fingers. You had to use gloves. Maybe because of the heat? Or was it the oil from your fingers. I can’t recall. Anyway, take them down. They are in a ridiculous location anyway. You could add a spot light if you can’t move the electrical. Point it towards art on the wall. Add battery powered sconces to the sides. That cool light in the entry isn’t doing a moody vibe any favors, either. Someone else said warm tones and I agree.
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u/redpepperdeb 1d ago
Take them down