How to Hang a Swag Light and Brighten Any Room

Remember when I moved into our new place and I told you guys about our scary triangle room? Well we chatted about it that one little time, and then I proceeded to ignore the room for 3 months. Ignoring it meant baaaad things for that little space. That room instantly became the catchall for clutter, mostly because A. I didn’t know what to do with the space and B. With no overhead lighting, it was incredibly dark in there!

The swag light is hung, and I love my reading corner!

So, I decided to find a remedy for the darkness….

…with a SWAG LAMP. Sounds pretty groovy, right?

I had no idea what the heck a swag lamp was until this project, but I’m ever so happy we’ve been introduced. A swag lamp is basically like a normal light fixture, but it is attached to the ceiling and has a cord that plugs into the wall. It’s perfect for a renter like me, because I didn’t need to call in an electrician and I will be able to easily remove it when we eventually move out.

I found the lampshade and cord kit at my favorite shopping spot, Ikea.

It came with 2 hooks that you screw into the ceiling. One I placed in the very far corner of the room, and the other I placed in the ceiling where I wanted my swag light to hang. Because the light was so…well light…I didn’t feel the need to put an anchor into the ceiling. If I was hanging a heavy chandelier, I would probably go that route. But this bad boy was going to hold without it.

There's great light, but a messy cord hanging down in the way

I finally had light! But I also had an ugly, messy white cord hanging down my wall and over to my outlet. Not pretty. One trip to Home Depot and I had a solution for the mess…two 5-foot cord covers.

These plastic covers are very easy to use. You simply pop the cord into the cover, peel off the sticky backing, and adhere it to the wall.

Start by adding the cover close to the ceiling

I started my first one up high, and pressed it hard into the corner as I came down. The second cord was a little too long, so I cut it with scissors and lined it up at the bottom of the first cord.

You can probably tell that I accidentally purchased two different colored covers…one pure white, and one off-white. That was a-okay with me, because I had already planned to paint those bad boys to match our wall color.

I painted my covers to blend even more into the wall

It took no time at all to quickly paint 2 coats over the covers with a brush.

And we're done- doesn't it look amazing!

With my cord concealed, the attention is now right where I want it…on my light source!

The cord is neatly tucked into the corner, and the room has much better light

I think it looks pretty amazing. I’m just not 100% happy with the spot where the 2 cord concealers meet. I suppose I could have just purchased a longer cover instead of buying two separate ones, but it will do for now!

The swag light makes the difference in almost any room

I’m thrilled to finally have some light in this room, especially over my new little reading nook. It’s turning into a lovely little spot to blog and enjoy coffee (especially with my new thrift store chair and mini cart table).

I think my new swag lamp will give me the confidence (& swagger!) to finally tackle the rest of this space.

Casey

How to Hang a Swag Light

Hey there!