...because home doesn't happen overnight.
10.16.13 / For $herdog

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The Jonathon Adler sconces are up!

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You may recall my plans to turn unused space between two freestanding wardrobes in the dining room / mudroom into a cozy nook. The small space receives a ton of natural light during the day but is dark and drab at night. I thought adding a pair of sconces to the outside panel of each wardrobe would be an easy fix. And it was!

The light comes as a plug-in but can be converted to hard-wire if necessary. We kinda did a hybrid install. The sconces plug into a wall outlet behind one of the wardrobes but HH routed holes in the wardrobes to run the cords sight unseen. So the sconces look like they are hard-wired but they aren’t.

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Here is the wardrobe on the left. The sconce is mounted on the outer right panel. The cord runs through a small routed hole, down the back of the wardrobe and out through a hole at the bottom. A zip-tie and coordinating adhesive loop help keep the cord from getting tangled up in coats and hangers.

FYI – I’ve had numerous requests lately to share how our closets / linens / clothing are organized and how I keep them that way. I figured it would be easiest to address those questions in a single post. It’s coming soon!

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The other wardrobe {noticeably less organized, ha!} contains shelves only – no hanging rods. The cord on this side runs through small holes routed into the backs of the shelves and out through a small hole at the bottom. We had to use an extension cord to reach the wall outlet behind the other wardrobe.

At first, HH and I weren’t sure if we wanted to mount the sconces with the cords running along the outsides or insides of the wardrobes. The sconces come with a coordinating cord cover for a polished look but it wouldn’t have extended all the way to the bench that sits below the window and we thought that might look strange. Also, we have kids and it’s likely one of them {hint: the shortest one} would be curious about the exposed cords. In the end, we decided to run the cords inside the wardrobes. We figured we were going to be drilling into the wardrobes either way. What was a few more small holes?

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Do you see that empty screw hole on the bottom of the backplate? That’s where the coordinating cord cover screws in if you use it. Running the cord into the wardrobe required a little more work than simply drilling a few holes. HH removed the wall bracket from the backside of the backplate to expose the wires. Then he disconnected the plug-in cord from the lamp like you would if you were doing a bona fide hard-wire installation. Why? This way we could thread the non-plug end of the cord through the holes in the wardrobe, keeping the size of the holes to a minimum. Otherwise, we would have had to drill holes large enough for the plug to pass through. Get it?

Once the cord was threaded through the wardrobe, HH installed the mounting bracket, reconnected all the wires and screwed the backplate / lamp into place.

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The sconces can be extended and adjusted. For our nook, I have the arm at the shortest setting and I like the shade directed straight down. There is a rotary switch on top of the shade to turn the light on and off. I didn’t read the fine print when I ordered the sconces and was pleasantly surprised to discover HI / LO settings the first time I turned them on. It’s the little things.

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It goes without saying but…I LOVE the new lights. I knew they would look good but they look even better than I had imagined. They are modern, simple and unique. A winning combo in my opinion. I’m aiming to post full on eye candy of the new and improved nook next week, sources included. {new and improved nook next week…say that ten times fast} I need to clean the sconces. I didn’t realize how smudgy they were until I took these pictures.

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This one’s for you, $herdog, you lover of all things Jonathon Adler.

Remember my easy fall wreath? Hop on over to Wayfair to check out more fall-inspired wreaths right here.

images: Dana Miller for House*Tweaking

21 Comments

17.October.2013

We have the Jonathan Adler Havana line in our hallway and I can’t speak highly enough about this line. It’s dead-on 1950s, but still completely modern and fresh that it will easily carry on for another 50 years.

17.October.2013

those are GORGEOUS! love them.

I absolutely LOVE those! You got a good eye lady!

17.October.2013

This looks awesome and totally custom!Thanks for sharing.

Catherine @ http://www.decoryouadore.com

PS- We just left our McMansion for smaller digs too. Isn’t it so much better???

17.October.2013

I know it isn’t for everyone…but downsizing has been so freeing for us!!

Loooove. They are perfect for the space!!

17.October.2013

Yes, yes, yes. I love happy lights.

17.October.2013

Gorgeous! Would it be possible for you to add a pull back shot of the space with both the sconces?

17.October.2013

I didn’t think I would be brave enough to comment again over here after the hysterics of the “altered art” post, but I can’t help it . . . these sconces are just too awesome! I love that you chose something white to match the cabinetry with simple detailing. You remind me to pay attention to the small, often over-looked spaces in my home.

17.October.2013

I swore after installing lights in our cabin that I would NEVER put sconce mounts in another house ever again. I had such a hard time finding modern sconces that I liked. These are gorgeous! I may have to reconsider my opinion… :)

17.October.2013

Hahaha … I was totally expecting white ceramic animals. ;)

Ahhhhhh! I lurve them!

17.October.2013

Next week!

17.October.2013

All I can say about those lights is- Hubba hubba!!!

They look awesome Dana! Cant wait to see the space next week. I’m gonna go out on a limb here a guess there’s a pop of red in store?

19.October.2013

I love your sconces. Especially love J. Adler! This reminds me of your room :
http://www.dominomag.com/form-and-function :)

21.October.2013

Beautiful! I love the clean, crisp white.

22.October.2013

I love your new lights! Very modern but also with the small detail very unique. They look great.

30.November.2013

Hi Dana – I was wondering how well these light that area?

01.December.2013

They are perfect for our little nook! They have a HI / LO setting. When we’re dining in the room, we usually turn them on HI. In the evenings when we want ambience, I turn them on LO. The only con I’ve been able to come up with is that they do not “uplight” which would have been nice but definitely wasn’t necessary.

21.July.2014

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