Dandy Chandy

If you would have told me that I’d have a hankering for chandeliers five years ago, I would not have believed it.  But it’s true—I love me a little chandy these days.  Maybe what I really love is their versatility, as chandies are making appearances in all sorts of unexpected places, like laundry rooms, nurseries, bathrooms, kitchens, and even backyard patios.  Often they boast cheery colors, as it’s super easy to update an old brassy chandy with a coat or two of spray paint. 

They’re even popping up at outdoor weddings!

When you get right down to it, DIYers are a lot like teachers.  They beg, borrow, and steal ideas, so of course, being a DIYer and a teacher, it should come as no surprise that I decided to jump on the bandwagon of chandy-huggin’ folks.  While doing the casual drive by, I spotted this beaut at a garage sale last summer and literally leapt out of my car to claim it for only $2—gotta love a good deal. 

Apparently the woman selling it had originally intended to hang it over her dining room table, but it was too small for the size of the room.  Happily, I took it off her hands.  Then it sat in the basement while I debated what to do with it.  When we got pregnant last fall, I determined that it would indeed grace the nursery if we were blessed with a baby girl, but it just wasn’t to be—and for the record, we’re so glad to have a baby boy, even if means no chandelier. 

Then I decided to put it in our master bedroom, so after a bit of prep…

I gave it a coat of primer and then some grey/blue spray paint that matches our dresser hardware (which I also spray painted back in this post of yore). 

I love the more subdued matte look. 

Now comes the sad part of this tale.  In my excitement to switch out our boob light

(yes, that’s a technical term, just in case you were wondering) for the chandy, I didn’t take the time to hold the light up to the ceiling in order to check out the dimensions, etc.  You know, the proofreading part of DIY.  It turns out that since our bed, headboard, and mirror are not centered with the light fixture, it just looks really strange.  Matt and I debated for a few minutes, but the verdict was pretty clear.  Was I disappointed?  You betcha.  Still, I am confident that someday I’ll have the perfect spot for this light, so I’m going to keep it in my back pocket for the time being.  You win some, you lose some, I suppose.