I love looking at all of the lighting fixtures when I go to Lowe's and Home Depot, and always imagine them above my dining room table. When I found an awesome fixture at a garage sale for only $15, I was beyond excited...The bad news was that the light currently above the table was just a recessed bulb, so the fixtures couldn't just be swapped out that easily.
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The good news is that you can buy a recessed light conversion kit! I purchased this kit from Home Depot for about $12.
I did not need one, but if the base of your new light fixture is not large enough to cover the screws on the white plate in the conversion kit, I recommend buying a ceiling medallion (you can get these for as little as $10 at Home Depot).
After making sure that all of the switches for the light you will be working on are OFF, follow the directions to install the recessed light adapter. Then follow the directions to hang your new light fixture. I wanted to surprise Brad by having this hanging up when he got home from work, so luckily I have a dad who is handy with home projects and did all the work!
I'm so excited to finally have my dining room light fixture, and even after buying the adapter, this update cost me under $30. Here is the result!
Before: No chandelier (sorry I didn't get the recessed light in the pic)!
After:
