From the moment we first saw this house, the row of three lights in the upstairs hallway grabbed our attention. There was something about that arrangement—what we jokingly call the “tri‑light zone”—that felt full of potential. Once we looked past the old carpeting and blue trim, we could imagine how much better the space could feel.
The existing fixtures were undersized for the scale of the hallway (pictures don’t really show it, but this corridor is about 33 feet long), so while we briefly considered spray painting them—oil‑rubbed bronze, red, or navy—we worried that would push them toward a more gothic look than we wanted. On top of that, all three were crooked, one had a broken stem, and the middle fixture was inexplicably larger than the other two. Replacing them felt like the right call.
For years I’d mentally bookmarked a set of fixtures I loved: a mix of classic and modern with dark metal and lots of glass. Their finish provides contrast without feeling too heavy because the glass keeps them looking airy. When Sherry and I both liked the same style, it felt like a win—though the inspiration fixture we admired had a price tag of about $250 each, which would have been steep for three lights.
We hunted for similar pieces at local lighting outlets, thrift sources, and online marketplaces, but finding three identical fixtures proved difficult. Then Sherry spotted a sale and found a pendant lantern that matched the look well enough and was much more budget‑friendly. After the discount, the price made it possible to outfit the whole hallway without spending more than we’d have paid for a single high‑end piece.
Watching a pro electrician at a showhouse taught me a couple of helpful installation tricks that made our job easier. Trick #1: leave the protective packaging in place during installation whenever possible. I used to strip everything off immediately out of excitement, but the electrician left the packaging on anything that didn’t interfere with mounting. It protects finishes and glass from accidental damage while you’re handling pieces and tightening hardware. Of course you remove the packaging before powering the fixture or inserting bulbs, but the extra protection during the heavy lifting is worth it.
Our ceilings are 8 feet tall, so we couldn’t let the pendants hang too low. That meant shortening the chain. To do that without scratching the finish, we pried open chain links using two pairs of pliers, with the tips wrapped in masking tape. We also adjusted the height by hanging each fixture from a single chain link, which raised them a few inches higher than the old middle light. After installation the bottoms of the lanterns sit about 77 inches from the floor—high enough for good clearance while still feeling proportional in the space.
Shortening the electrical cord involved cutting away the outer covering, pulling the sheath back, and stripping the ends of the black, white, and green wires. With Sherry supporting the fixture, I connected the matched wires to the ceiling supply with the power off. Working with the fixture hung a bit lower than the final height made this step much easier: it’s almost always simpler to raise a light than to lower it after you’ve cut wire or chain. So hang it low, wire it, and then bring it up to your exact height—this approach reduced cramped maneuvering and made the wiring step much smoother.
After securing the canopy and tightening the wire‑clamping screw, I swapped the longer chain for the single link and tucked the excess wire into the canopy. Installing all three fixtures took a few hours—longer than if we hadn’t been photographing and answering a few calls—but it wasn’t a massive project and the result was worth the effort.
Visually, these pendants create more contrast in the hallway, which ties nicely to the dark door hardware, hinges, and the stained stair rail and runner that lead downstairs. They’re slightly oversized for the corridor, which some might dislike, but that scale is what I enjoy most—they make a bold, deliberate statement in an otherwise narrow space.
We’re planning a few more updates to bring balance and finish the look: adding substantial wainscoting, crown molding, art, and possibly modifying the doors in front of the laundry area. Those elements will anchor the lower half of the hall and help the lighting feel fully integrated.
- Reinstall and perhaps modify the doors in front of the laundry area
- Add crown molding
- Add thick wainscoting for more substance on the bottom half of the hallway
- Curate art for the walls
Functionally, I worried the hallway might feel darker after switching from three three‑bulb fixtures to three single‑bulb pendants. In practice the new bulbs are higher wattage (60W equivalents versus the old 40W), and the glass panes reflect and distribute light surprisingly well. It also turned out some of the old bulbs were burned out, so the new setup reads brighter than we expected.
With the clear bulbs that came with the fixtures, the light throws angular shadows across the ceiling. If we want a softer look, we can swap in frosted bulbs—or better yet, LED bulbs in a warm color temperature. We’ve since transitioned our home to LED lighting for energy savings and longer lifespans; warm‑glow LEDs give a natural light quality and dramatically reduce energy use while requiring far fewer replacements.
Overall, updating these three hallway lights transformed the space and reinforced how much of a difference thoughtfully scaled fixtures can make. Small installation strategies—protecting finishes during hanging and raising a light after wiring—made the project smoother, and the end result feels both intentional and refreshed.
*Some product references mentioned were chosen for style and value; no external links are included here.