Ha! Those Hollywood light bars used to be everywhere! Not enough time has gone by for me to look upon those fixtures with anything but disdain. But if this one speaks to YOU, hey - go for it.

It looks really cheap. Sorry.

Not pretty.

Ok, its obvious now that this remodel has completely driven you over the top...come back to reality, come back!!!

They are extremely bright, even with 40W bulbs. Our house was built in 1999 and the builder must have bought out all the remaining cheap brass stock of the era in lighting, door knobs, and bath hardware. We've been changing it all out but haven't gotten to the master bath yet, with its eight bulb fixture! Ours is even worse because the back plate is scalloped to make it look more....stylish....I guess.

I'm beginning a search for side lights. Thinking about going with LED. The prices are blowing my mind!

I'm not digging it. How about this one

from barn light electric? It comes in single, double, tripe or quadruple light configurations.

Ooh, pretty! And not blinding!

I live in CA, where incandescent bulbs are outlawed, so even were they stylish I could not tolerate a fixture with exposed bulbs. MUCH prefer crl_'s option, doesn't look like cheap builder basic.

yes, insanity!! ;) tho, you can't beat the price on those- that's why the builders love em!

Around here you can walk into the Habitat for Humanity Restore store and find as many Hollywood Star lights as you want. That fact may sway you away from them. I hope. (we removed the ones that came with this house a long time ago.

ML

LOL! Okay, okay. It obviously hasn't been long enough for them to gain retro status.

I like the one Crl posted and I have found sconces I like on rejuvenation and schoolhouse electric websites. It's just they all cost close to $200 or more - for one. I guess I'll just have to save money elsewhere.

I'm really liking the brass, but wondering how to make it work with the chrome shower fixtures. Do people just mix the two and not worry about it?

Our other bath is all Restoration Hardware and Grohe chrome fixtures including lights, so I didn't have to really think about matching or not.

Why don't you stick with a chrome light fixture for the bathroom? Classic style.

ML

I have no problem having chrome plumbing fixtures and a different finish for lighting and hardware. They serve different functions, sit on different planes and against different surfaces. It's easy enough to make a separation if you want to.

When the kids were young and DH and I bought a new house, paid our moving and still had the old house to sell, I was pinching pennies enough to keep those Hollywood fixtures for the boys vanities, but bought red and blue spray paint and gave them an update for just a few bucks each. Sad that is probably what the fixtures cost the builder, but at least the prior owner hadn't replaced them with something that went with the floral, kitten and tea party themes in their girls' rooms. Not sure spray paint would have gotten us out of that. ;)

Mixing metals is on trend at the moment, IMO. But I'm going all polished chrome in my bathroom. The fixture I posted above from barn light electric also comes in polished chrome--I posted brass because the two you posted were brass.

I am using the two light version of this fixture.

Caged cylinder bath light. Still not cheap but slightly less expensive than the first one I posted. I had a hard time finding anything I liked under about $200.

i guess i could just go chrome. I just love the look of brass knobs on a creamy grey painted cabinet.

lascatx, the brass knobs I'm thinking of using are the same ones we're using in the kitchen, so I'll just order a few extra, see how they look and decide from there. I don't really have to make any hard and fast decisions right now. I'm also meeting for two days with the designer this week, so always good to see what she thinks. So far her input has been all about floor plans, where ducts go, etc. I'm really looking forward to starting on the fun stuff.

crl, that is lovely. I'm off to peruse the that website.

melle_sacto said:

"I live in CA, where incandescent bulbs are outlawed"

Funny, I live in Los Angeles and incandescent bulbs are far from being outlawed!! Just bought a whole bunch at the local hardware store just this week and I just priced some incandscent light fixtures, at a local store, just 2 weeks ago. Wouldn't want those living outside of CA to think that CA is more crazy than what people already perceive it to be.

daisy, friends (even GW friends) don't let friends install Brass Boob Lights. We can't let you do it!!!

This came out of my bathroom last year:

Wonderful light in all directions, but just no.

I'm in California. There are still plenty of incandescents in the stores. I stocked up on 40w soft white boob lights (like the above) that I use in my new shades. I figure I have enough for the next 10 years. I also bought a stash of 50-100-150 for my living room lamp. When LEDs aren't so ugly I'll start buying them.

I didn't know you could still buy incandescents here! My DH changed our lights to cfl or LED a while ago. Then I told him the exposed light fixtures were no longer tolerable. I didn't realize incandescents were still available. I had to stop caring about it because switching to cfl was very important to him.

Yup. It's definitely a guy thing. My DH and I spent a few fun years where he would change all the bulbs in the house to CFLs and then I would go and change them back. This went on for awhile. Now we've sort of come to the agreement that there are some bulbs that I don't mind being CFLs and there are some that he can live with being incandescent.

I don't think you can buy 100 watt bulbs anymore.

may_flowers, you may be right. Something like 71 is the closest. 71?!!!

melle, go to HD. If you find what you like, buy a lot of it. They are gradually going away.

No offense to the men here with more discriminating light sense, but most guys don't worry about whether a light is flattering or not, kwim? Or that the bulbs look like soft-serve frosties.

We pull and toss those barebulb fixtures from apartments and toss..... If you decide to go with that fixture, you might end up with a lot of advice on where to find a new light for the bathroom...lol

Ha! Boob Lights, too funny! My family calls these boob lights

Daisy, I've seen mixes of gold and chrome, so I don't see why brass and chrome would be any different. Chrome is classic but depending on the water someone has it can be not so easy to keep clean, I'm wondering if the brass would be prone to water marks

Our faucet is a Moen chrome with brass handles, and there is some discoloration on the brass. They look like water spots but they're permanent.

Why couldn't you just use the brass knobs on the vanity and chrome everywhere else? Maybe use tile with some warmer tones? My floor tile is off-white, but it has gray and tan tones too, so they appear a little warmer.

All these lights are from Lowes and are less than $100 each. Also, rather then look for chrome, you might be more pleased with satin nickel finish. It's usually slightly warmer in color.

I think you have received wonderful advice in forgoing the first fixture. No, just no. This reno has put you over the edge. I'm getting chrome in my br. Love the cleanness of it. But I'd totally mix goldish light with chrome taps. I think chrome taps as just how they should be. Timeless. Like a white toilet.

One advantage of chrome over polished nickel is that all polished chrome matches all other polished chrome so it's easy to mix different brands. Not true of polished nickel. Also chrome is usually the cheapest finish.

I agree with akl and crl. Chrome is a classic look (I did not say timeless!!!) and not only does it all match, but it will save you money over nickel, polished or satin. I think mixing metals is also fine.

Thanks everyone. I think the main problem is that I don't have a vision for this bathroom (and I'm guessing you guys aren't about to approve the 80s glam theme :)

I'm still trying to decide on flooring and find an affordable vanity I can live with. In the last bathroom I reno'd, we had a friend of a friend make us our bathroom cabinets. Gorgeous, solid wood, inset cabs that we designed together - $800 for a vanity and long storage cabinet. Now I'm having trouble finding just a vanity made out cheapo cr@p for that much. I knew it was a good deal at the time, just didn't know how good of a deal.

I meet with the designer tomorrow and I'm hoping she has some ideas.

Ohmigosh - (hi from the mosaic thread!) I was in the same conundrum, I fell in love with aged brass deco starburst sconces, and was going all chrome fixtures. Everyone looked at me as if I was crazy. I showed them - went for chandeliers and candelabra sconces instead - what I am doing (and maybe this will let you test the mixed metal concept) - find a mirror and paint the frame gold - if you decide to switch it, it's not that much of a commitment. I found one at a thrift that I'm trying this technique on, a nice vintage beveled glass mirror with a bit of shape to it, but a basic frame. If I hate it, I haven't committed to something harder to change like sconces. Plus - only $10 for the mirror and the paint!