I’ve been feeling a little tempted to hop on The Voice bandwagon. Not because I expect Adam Levine to turn his chair for me — though I’d probably stare him down and say, “Hands off my woman, Levine,” just to be clear — but because I love the idea of the spin-offs: The Choice (dating), The Taste (cooking) and The Face (modeling).
My imaginary version would be called The Shade, a tongue-in-cheek contest to find “the next great light for Clara’s big girl room.” It’s a silly concept, and honestly, barely anyone would tune in — but it’s a fun way to describe how we chose a new pendant shade for her room.
We decided the time had come to replace the old wood-style ceiling fan with something more appropriate for Clara. For the past three years she’s used a small table fan and we’ve never needed an overhead fan, so a pendant shade seemed like the ideal solution. A shade pendant gives you options in texture and color, doesn’t hang too low like a chandelier can, and still lights the room nicely.
At first we considered one of the shades we already carry, but many of them have bold patterns and Clara’s room already has a lot going on. So we checked other favorite places, including Craigslist and a local shop where we’ve found budget-friendly lighting before — The Decorating Outlet in Richmond. Craigslist came up empty, but the outlet had several attractive options. In fact, we found four shades we liked, each priced around $35–$40.
Here’s the lineup we tested:
- Team Navy: A rich, solid navy shade that would tie in with her curtains without introducing pattern.
- Team Purple Damask: A subtle damask pattern in a soft purple that might bridge the blues and reds already in the room.
- Team Neutral: A natural, burlap-style shade that would bring organic texture to the space.
- Team Chevron: A bold, trendy navy-and-white chevron for the risk-taker who doesn’t mind making a statement.
The Decorating Outlet gives a one-business-day return window, so we hurried home to audition them. Since we didn’t want to install anything until we decided, I simply held each shade up over the existing fan light to imagine how it would look. The fan’s light is dimmer than a proper pendant will be, but it was enough to guide our choice. We evaluated them carefully and then compared notes.
Team Chevron was striking, but we worried another loud pattern would compete with other elements in the room. We’ve still got plans for the blank stretch of wall between the windows, and a chevron shade could demand too much attention. So we passed on that one and tried Team Neutral.
Team Neutral had a calming, earthy feel, but in person it leaned a little too plain for our taste. It felt safe, but ultimately didn’t add the visual interest we wanted. That left Team Purple Damask, which looked promising — especially when the lights were off — but when illuminated the delicate purple pattern mostly disappeared and the shade read similar to the neutral option. I had hoped it would offer a hint of elegance, but it didn’t deliver once lit.
That brought us to the final contestant: Team Navy. It felt like the safest pick, but it also matched our instincts. Although darker, the navy shade would look brighter with the proper pendant light kit we planned to use, and it wouldn’t compete with future wall art or decor. It provides a balancing contrast to all the pink in the room and subtly echoes other blue accents without shouting for attention. In person it felt like an obvious winner.
With the decision made, it was time for the practical work: removing the old fan and installing the new fixture. I ended up wrestling the fan down and came out victorious. The navy shade also happened to be the cheapest option at $34. To keep costs low we bought a “damaged” pendant hardware kit from the outlet at half price. The only issue was the kit had been shortened for display, which actually worked in our favor since it was still longer than we needed; we trimmed it a bit and it fit perfectly. The kit, shade and canopy together came to about $60.
Now for the payoff: the pendant uses two 75-watt-equivalent CFL bulbs, so even with the dark shade the room is plenty bright for late-night tea parties and stuffed-animal sleepovers. The navy tone calms the pink palette and complements other blue elements in the room without overpowering them. Most importantly, Clara’s reaction sealed it: “Is that mine? Can I touch it? Is that mine for my big girl room? I think it’s shiny and pretty like a pebble.”
So The Shade would probably never become a real show, but this little project was a success. We replaced an outdated ceiling fan with a simple, stylish navy pendant that fits the room’s color story, adds texture without noise, and made Clara very happy — which is the best outcome we could ask for.
Psst — Sherry is helping out with a Creating With The Stars event through East Coast Creative. If you’re a blogger and want to be considered for their competition, check their site for submission details.