If this were a fable, its lesson would be simple: when something in your home feels off, either fix it or let it go. Our living room pendant light played the part of the troublesome character in this little story.
You may recall there was always something a little awkward about that light — it was the only permanent fixture in a large room and it hung in an odd spot near a corner. For a while Sherry tried to disguise the awkward placement by painting the glass shade a soft blue while I went out for a run, which did brighten things up in person. But whenever we photographed that side of the room, the tint skewed the whole image, so we decided to remove the paint and return the fixture to its natural state.
Returning the shade to clear glass helped, but the fixture itself still wasn’t quite right. We considered spray-painting the chain to match the curtain rods and sectional legs, or replacing the light with a drum pendant or recessed cans down the road. Ultimately we realized it made little sense to invest significant effort into prettifying a light we planned to replace.
Then the decision was taken out of our hands: the light died. About a week after the paint was wiped off it started to flicker and soon wouldn’t turn on at all. We swapped bulbs and double-checked the basics, but it was apparent the fixture had reached the end of its useful life. Given its awkward placement — neither centered in front of the window nor aligned with the ceiling beams — repairing it didn’t solve the bigger problems, so we decided to remove it altogether.
During removal I discovered the likely cause: a wire had torn or disconnected near the base of the fixture. It was a repairable issue, but by then we were committed to eliminating the light instead of reviving it. So we packed it up and dropped it off at the Habitat for Humanity ReStore where it could be reused elsewhere.
To conceal the ceiling junction box quickly and inexpensively, we installed a white plastic ceiling cap over a metal junction box cover. The parts were cheap — about a couple of dollars total — and the white cap helps the ceiling look uniform until we hire an electrician to relocate the junction box to a more appropriate, centered position near the window.
It’s not a decorative solution, but it’s much less intrusive and distracting than the old, oddly placed, non-functional fixture. More importantly, we finally have an unobstructed view out the window. No more mentally dragging the light two feet to the right every time we sat down to enjoy the backyard; that small, persistent background frustration is gone.
At night the corner is a touch darker now, which is expected. We plan to remedy that with a console table and table lamp on that side of the sectional once the table project is finished. Down the line we’ll likely hire an electrician to install permanent lighting in the right places — perhaps recessed lights for an even wash of illumination or a crisp pendant conveniently centered in front of the window.
So long, weird light. You weren’t a great fit for the room, and you caused more little annoyances than you were worth, but your removal makes the space feel cleaner and more intentional. We’ll replace the fixture with something that suits the room better, but for now the ceiling is uncluttered and the view is much improved — and that feels like a small win for the living room.