We recently upgraded our living room lighting — not calf implants, but close: recessed lights (can lights) and a new pendant over the table. The room required a bit of chaos to get ready for the work: we moved half of Karl the Sectional, rolled back the rug and laid drop cloths under each work area so the crew could get in and out without making a mess.
Hard to believe we’d lived here almost three years without proper overhead lights in the main living space — just one tiny off-center fixture in the corner. We love lamps for ambiance, but overhead lighting is invaluable when you need brighter illumination (like hunting down a rogue doll shoe that Clara absolutely needs right this instant). Layering light is the name of the game: a few recessed cans, a pendant and several table or floor lamps give a room depth and flexibility.
We already had two large ceiling fans previously installed (no lights on them), so there were two existing fixture boxes in the ceiling that made converting to recessed lights straightforward. The electrician tapped into those boxes, and in no time the recessed lights were installed and the room felt transformed.
We debated adding more cans — four, six or eight — but since only two fixture boxes existed we decided to start with two. It’s nice to know we can add more later without tearing the ceiling apart now that the wiring is in place.
For safety and code compliance we hired our local electrician, Sean from S.J. Ryan Electric. The attic wiring above the living room was in rough shape and not up to code, so we trusted the pros to sort that out rather than risk doing it ourselves. That said, we like to save money where we can, so we did the tasks we were comfortable with: once the electricians centered the new fixture box for the pendant, we installed the pendant and patched the ceiling hole ourselves.
To cut labor costs and keep things moving, we prepped the room before the electricians arrived. Our prep checklist included:
- Moving the sofa
- Rolling back the rug
- Putting down drop cloths
- Measuring and marking the ceiling where we wanted the pendant and cans
Marking the exact spot for the pendant was especially helpful — it avoided any on-the-clock indecision while the electrician was there. After they finished the wiring work, we completed the remaining tasks ourselves:
- Hung the pendant
- Patched the ceiling hole near the back window
- Cleaned up and put the room back together
Seeing the pendant and recessed cans in place made a big difference. The large window makes the pendant appear more subtle in photos than it does in person, but the new layered lighting really changed the room’s feel. As people always say, good lighting is a room changer.
We patched the ceiling hole ourselves and picked up a few techniques that helped the finish look seamless:
Hole patching tip 1: We use mesh patching tape and CrackShot spackle applied with a spackle knife for quick, reliable coverage.
Hole patching tip 2: Apply several thin coats of spackle rather than one thick one — 2–3 thin applications catch imperfections better. You can sand between coats or build up and sand once you’ve filled low spots.
Hole patching tip 3: Magic Erasers are great for reducing dust from sanding. After the spackle dried, I lightly buffed the high points with a slightly damp Magic Eraser, which smoothed things out with minimal mess — especially helpful because I avoid mounding spackle and prefer to keep it flush.
Hole patching tip 4: Make sure the spackled area is fully smooth before painting. Paint highlights imperfections, so feather the paint about 12 inches beyond the patched area and apply two thin, even coats with long, feathery strokes for the least visible result.
The pendant we installed was one of the pieces from a previous lighting purchase; we finally got it centered over the table and in front of the window. The crisp white wire and canopy make it feel almost like a floating sun when it’s lit.
We also found a colorful shade from that same lighting haul and placed it on our small stationery desk, which doubles as Burger’s treat desk. The shade brings in colors that echo the green and blue lanterns and complements the room’s neutral backdrop.
Cost-wise, the upgrade was modest: about $72 in materials for the two can lights, trims, and some wiring/junction boxes, plus roughly $200 for electrician labor. We often tell people it costs about $100 to add an overhead light, so getting two recessed fixtures installed, moving a fixture box to center the pendant, and having unsafe attic wiring corrected for $200 felt like a great value.
We sat on the sofa this weekend and wondered why we waited so long to do it, but now we’re enjoying the improved lighting every time we walk into the room. It truly changed the space.
How do you approach lighting projects? Do you hire the pros for the electrical work and handle the finishing touches yourself? In our case, doing the prep, hanging the pendant and patching the ceiling saved around $100 and let us enjoy the result — and the occasional pun: “I see the light!”