Monday, December 17, 2012

Let there be light...sort of

One blessed day about a month ago, the horrible florescent light fixture in my kitchen stopped working. It was funny because my husband had just talked me out of replacing it two weeks prior when a bulb went out and I shopped online for a new fixture.

We had to have some sort of light while I looked for what I wanted. so this is the klassy set up I had for a few weeks.


Just one light bulb hanging from a few wires. *sigh*
Running extra wiring and tearing up the ceiling to do it was not high on our list so a multi-bulb fixture was a must. The kitchen has 9 foot ceilings but the height was also a consideration. We toyed with a mix of can lights and pendant but ended up settling on the Eldridge from Ballard designs.


The idea of spending hundreds just before the holiday did not sit well with me  but I could not deal with the "Shantytown special" light hanging from a wire.

The light from Ballard was back ordered and it took about three weeks to get the refrigerator sized box.


I was excited. "Can I play with it?! Huh, huh? will you put it together? C'mon! I wanna play!!!!"

We have replaced several of the ugly builder light fixtures but it has been some time since I had the excitement of a new fixture.


Huge and heavy, I needed my husband and two teenaged sons to put it up. It turned out to be a very balmy December day and I had my little girl outside playing with some neighborhood kids while the light went up.

Grrr. Errant pane of glass held in place with electrical tape.

I came in to look at it in all its fingerprinted glory and noticed that a pane of glass was teetering and out of its clips. My question, "How in the heck did you get the thing up without noticing?"
 Teenager.
It turns out that the glass could not be easily put back in place so the whole thing had to come down and go back to Ballard.
Back to the "Shantytown special".
Ballard was good with the return, sending a new one and sending the UPS man to pickup the old one. They did not, however, realize that we still had the thing hanging up and it would take some time to get packed up. so when the UPS guy arrived five minutes later I had to explain.
New light arrived and a few days passed. Finally, up it went and with much greater ease. I hear.

I have several final thoughts.
 I thought I would be OK without the Edison bulbs and now I think I need them. Secondly, the quality of the fixture is second rate. I have other things from Ballard that I liked but have heard a few complaints about their upholstered pieces.
The glass on mine has a few small scratches and the directions that come with it are laughable in their error. 
At $400 it is not insanely expensive but it is still $400. If I was going to do it over I would not buy this.

11 comments:

Linda {Calling it Home} said...

I bought Edison bulbs on Ebay. I agree with you, I have purchased from Ballards, and feel the quality is always questionable. Frustrating.

Unknown said...

That's too bad and very frustrating. It LOOKS GOOD tho...! And I agree on the bulbs.

Kim@Chattafabulous said...

Sorry to hear you're not happy with your purchase. I have been to their outlet centers in ATL and they still want a fortune for their scratched and damaged goods, which are obviously not of the highest quality. On the positive side, I think the light looks good in place and is a great improvement over the hanging bulb!

www.chattafabulous.blogspot.com

Patty Day @Pattys Epiphanies said...

Kerry,
I have found Ballard designs can be are very attractive and up to the "moment", but their prices, especially when the over priced shipping is added, is rediculous! But you are Right!... the boxes are fantastic! MC's "paint box" is from one. We have two Ballard fixtures, the one in the Great Room and the one in the Dining Room. (both were on sale). The "looks" are great...the quality average! I have added my own personal touches to both! (crystals). The mirror chandelier I found and posted about is beautiful, but we will never order it! Too, too expensive! We live near the Atlanta outlet store and like a previous comment, the deals aren't that great! When we moved into the Bucket List House we ordered over 20 Essential white "quilted" cotton panel draperies for ALL our windows. Not two were the same length!!! I am slowly replacing them. The various heights drove me nuts. I will never order an upholstered item, never!
But ....Kerry....your fixture looks fabulous!!!
Thanks for sharing, that's what is so great about blogging...we can share experiences!!!

An Urban Cottage said...

The light looks good from here but I also liked the simplicity of the former industrial model.

The Pink Pagoda said...

While it does look great hanging, I don't blame you for being annoyed. I think it's great that you shared. There have been a few things I've noticed and been interested in, but will pass thanks to you!

Unknown said...

Oh boy, Im sorry you are disappointed. You have had the light troubles this year! I have had a disappointing Ballard experience with a sofa, but they took it back for full credit. I agree the bulbs will make the difference! You're almost there with the final look. Did you get something for over the kitchen table yet, or is this it? I like the look!
xo Nancy
Powellbrowerhome.com

Karena said...

Kerry I am so sorry. I have had mixed results with Ballard's I do like their indoor/outdoor rugs. I would like the Edison lights in your fixture.

Love & Hugs,
Karena
Art by Karena
$75 NOVICA Giveaway

Kristie said...

I can imagine your frustration! I do like Ballard Design but I think they can be a bit over priced.

I always found it difficult to purchase light fixtures. It was always hard for me to imagine what they would look like hanging in my house.

Elizabeth @ The Little Black Door said...

Good to know. I've always liked things in Ballard but never pulled the trigger. It looks really nice at least. :)

Woodside Park said...

Hi, Kerry!
But it looks so fabulous? Sorry for all that work :( It's disappointing, frustrating and time consuming to deal with returns / exchanges.

I hope you are well and ready for Christmas. I've been so swamped with unpacking our new container and getting ready for house guests....no time for blogging lately. Looking forward to some quiet time in January. XO, L