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How To: Install Light Sconces Anywhere!

When I first started thinking about our closet organization and updating my vanity, I began looking at plug-in wall sconces that I could affix to either side of our wardrobes, similar to what we did in our boy's shared bedroom years ago.  I quickly became frustrated with the lack of options; everything was either too big, too expensive or just all wrong for the space.


I have really been loving the look of the tube sconces, which have been popping up in bathrooms everywhere lately!   Especially in gold, of course.  Not only do I love the look of the lights, I also appreciate the frosted shades, ensuring the light wouldn't be too bright while applying makeup.

Realizing that I would never get the look of a clean wall sconce with a plug-in light and cord running down each side of the wardrobes, I set out to look for standard wall sconces instead.  I landed on these from Wayfair, based on size, style and price.

When they arrived, I quickly ripped them out of the box and didn't hesitate to grab my favorite gold spray paint (Rustoleum Metallic Gold).

Before spray:


And after:


These type of sconces are typically wired into wall outlet light boxes (wired into the wall's electrical and turned on with a light switch) and affixed to a wall on either side of a mirror.  We didn't want to go through the trouble of tearing out a portion of our stenciled wall to have new electrical run, so the next best solution was to install the sconces to the sides of the wardrobes.

The first step was to screw in the sconce mounting hardware.


Then, we drilled a hole in the center of the mounting hardware, to provide access to a cord kit we purchased from Home Depot (which specifies it can be used for hanging fixtures and sconces).


Bryan wired the sconce to the cord kit, just as he would have wired it into a wall light box (the black wire is hot, white is neutral and the ground wire is exposed copper which is tied into the green grounding screw).


Inside, we ran the cord into the armoire and out the back side to be plugged into the wall.


Lastly, the sconce was screwed into the mounting bracket.


Testing, 1, 2, 3....



The addition of the new sconces was a huge bonus to the vanity setup.  A perfect place for me to enjoy some peace and quiet with my morning cup-o-coffee.


To fix the visible cords, I picked up some Command Light Clips.


They allowed me to manipulate where the cords were run and prevent them from dangling (above you can see the cord on the left not fixed yet, the right side was finished):



These little clips worked perfectly, I am pretty obsessed with these now and will be eying every last cord in the house!   I also affixed a power strip with a switch on the underside of my desk with Velcro, so I can just reach under to switch on and off the sconce lighting as needed.

And that is all there is to it!  So much easier than I thought it would be, and it allowed me to use standard wall sconces on the sides of furniture vs. hard wiring them into our walls.  As Rihanna would say, these lights shine bright like a diamond!