One Room Challenge Week 4: Master Bedroom Refresh With George Nelson Bubble Sconces
“This post is in partnership with Lumens, but all the opinions & experiences are my own.”
Now with the accent wall done (aka the largest wall in the room) the next major task is the lighting.
As a renter, the common theory is that we deal with whatever the existing ceiling lighting is are and then maybe get some table and/or floor lamps, but that’s not what I wanted.
I wanted sconces specifically to make the best use of the space — table & floor lamps take up space that I wasn’t willing to spare. After having a table lamp on our nightstand for nearly a year I knew I wanted that surface area back.
“But Albie, you can install wall sconces in a rental…not good looking ones!”
Au contrare sweet friend!
Even as a renter, with a very focused search, I quickly found that I was not limited in my stylish lighting solutions.
Lumens has quite an impressive catalog of renter-friendly lighting options — from plug in to battery operated. Imagine my excitement when I saw that the iconic Nelson Bubble Ball Wall Sconce has a plug in option!
A staple Herman Miller collection, I’ve always obsessed over the simple, timeless beauty of the Nelson Bubble Lamps. For our bedroom redesign, I would be able to continue the thread of dark, contrasting wood (the sconce features a walnut mount), and the bubble shade would be a nice soft, break from all the straight lines & sharp edges — the nightstand, the bed, the vanity…the everything!
It was between the Cigar Bubble, Saucer Bubble, and the Ball Bubble. We went with the latter for it’s spherical shape.
But the sconce wouldn’t just be a show piece — it would be super functional! Because it swivels a full 180 degrees and can easily be raised or lowered, it would be perfect for sitting up in bed to read, find a missing slipper, or whatever else you use bedside lighting for.
And if you’re thinking our new wood wall would be problematic for the sconce installation, you’d be wrong!
We located the wall studs (with a simple stud finder); then with a screwdriver drill from IKEA & the nails that came with the sconces, we drilled (through the planks) and mounted the sconces — no different than mounting a tv!
With the first sconce exactly where we wanted it, we used our laser level to place the second sconce on the other side of the bed — easy, peasy, lemon squeezy!
We considered using mounting tape, but the last thing we wanted to do was risk yanking a little too hard while swiveling it & having it come crashing on us — patching a hole from a drill bit when we move out would be a simple task for a whole lot of peace of mind.
