It happened fast.  After being stuck on the lame New York real estate market for months, our beautiful but too-small loft in the Meatpacking District sold to a cash buyer who wanted to close quickly.  Fortunately, at just the same time, we found a great new place in West Chelsea.  It was modern, light and roomy --all clean white walls and huge windows-- but also felt a bit slick and soulless.  I was looking for quick ways to warm it up and make it feel like home.

On a trip to Ikea for closet fittings, candles and lingon berry preserves, I ran across this light fixture.  I thought the bell shape would help define the space around our round dining table.  I also thought its wicker shade would add some warmth and texture to the room.  I loved the $89.99 price.

 

What I didn’t love, though, was the color.  It seemed pale and unsophisticated -- nice for a country kitchen, but not suited to a city dining room, even one as casual as ours.   A trip to the hardware store changed that, though.  I bought small cans of wood stain in ebony, walnut and pickling white and mixed them together.  After brushing on two coats in our powder-room-turned-paint-shop, I got the warm gray color you see above.  I like the way it works with the grays, browns and golds in the room.  I also think the DIY project of making this store-bought item uniquely ours helped me feel like our new apartment was becoming our home. 

The light I used was the 24” Leran pendant lamp, available at Ikea stores for $89.99.  It also comes in an 11” size for $39.99 and a 15” size for $49.99.