If You Have Pendant Lights There's A Renter-Friendly Swap You Need To Try

Being a renter has lots of positives, but there are a few little annoyances that you have to face. One of them is feeling like you can't fully make a house feel like your home. More often than not, rental properties come furnished with particular light fittings that your landlord won't want to change. However, there is a renter-friendly DIY hack you can do that is reversible, but will help the house feel more like it's your own.

Pendant lights are a popular choice in rentals as they are one of the simplest fixtures to wire for electricians. They are common in general living spaces, in particular over a dining area or a kitchen island. When this is the case, they become quite a key focal point of the room, and if they're not very aesthetically pleasing or don't suit your personal style, they can be a real eyesore. However, there is an easy fix for this, and that is changing out the lampshade for a different one. This way, you can keep the old lampshade for when you decide to move out, but in the meantime have a light fitting that feels more like you and your interior style.

In most cases, the process of changing and upgrading a lampshade is pretty simple and anyone should be able to do it. All you need to do is to measure the fitter size and make sure the new lampshade you want to swap it out for has the same fitter size. Unscrew the thumb screws, whilst at the same time holding the shade in place, so it's easier to get a grip of. Then swap out the shade for the one you have chosen, and replace the screw. 

Another thing you could consider changing is the lightbulb itself. Does the lightbulb give off a particularly harsh light that doesn't contribute to the ambience of your home? Then you can always opt for a lightbulb that has a warmer tone to it, or even a filament bulb that feels particularly trendy at the moment. If it's the ugly fitting itself that bothers you, then you can always ask your landlord's permission to change it. Do keep in mind though that this will require an electrician, so it'll be a cost that is down to you to pay. If it's a like-for-like swap, it shouldn't be an issue, but it can make a huge different to the overall feel of your lighting. For example, you could choose to have a brass or chrome fitting instead of a plain white one, with either a shorter or longer wire to better suit the space.