I like my money where I can see it… Hanging from the ceiling!

As I've said before, lighting makes all the difference in the world.

Cognac Crystal Chandfelier.jpeg — I want to swing from the Chandelier

The eBay Chandelier.

So we found this chandelier on eBay and I really loved the look of it. It's super classic and I liked that it was K9 crystal. K9 crystal is just a Chinese Optical Borosilicate Crown Crystal with low inclusions and imperfections. They use it in prisms, optics and decorative crystal lighting. China has no laws on crystals or rhinestones so it is probably lead. I don't care. Don't lick my chandelier if you come over.

We need three chandeliers for the dining room since the space is so long (12' x 20') so we ordered one to see if we liked it before we committed. The chandelier arrived a few weeks later. In 1,345 pieces.

Gary had to put all of it together and wire it. Then it didn't work so we had to take it apart and re-wire it. Then it still didn't work so Super Dave (Gary's brother-In-law who really does need a show on HGTV because he can quite literally do anything in about 14 minutes. He even taught me how to demolish plaster! He brave!) had to come over and save the day and re-wire it for the third time. It's cognac-colored which basically just looks like it is old crystal. The color wasn't quite right for the dining room so we hung it in the entry which ended up being the perfect spot for it. It's a little too big and a little too sparkly so it is exactly right!

It is gorgeous! I honestly wasn't sure about the cognac color but now I'm obsessed with it. It looks old and expensive and we just ordered the super dramatic sconces that match it. #winning

So pretty!

We really need to paint this room.

When we first moved in two years ago, I ordered the large version of the Mia chandelier from Pottery Barn because it was on sale. It arrived at the worst possible time (during demolition) so we never opened it. Imagine my terror when we finally opened it and it isn't really crystal. It is "faceted-crystal" which I think is just enough crystal to be called "crystal" and not get sued.

I have an extreme NO FAKE CRYSTAL policy that I've only broken once when I fell in love with a weird lamp at a flea market and it only has a very tiny amount of fake crystal so it doesn't even technically count.

In happier news, you can't really tell that it is fake once it is hung up. I'm quite happy with it now that it is hanging in the living room. It makes a beautiful shadow on the ceiling and it looked gorgeous with the Christmas tree!

So hooray for the lighting plan coming along! Ceiling medallions are up next. Gary is planning on spending 2020 on a ladder. I’m glad he is such a good sport!

Here are the dimensions to give you an idea of what you are looking at::