Is it really that easy?

Some home improvement projects are labors of love. Some are matters of necessity. Some are occasions for blood, sweat, toil, and tears. (Bonus points if you can identify that phrase!) I've just completed one that stunned me by its simplicity.

Have you ever seen this product?

It's a kit to convert an existing recessed light into a hanging fixture. Without taking out the existing can light. Without doing any wiring. Without patching the ceiling. Without any blood, sweat, toil, or tears.

I like my kitchen. It's big and open. It was built in 2005, when recessed lighting was really a big deal. And in this kitchen, I have 18 can lights. No other kind of ceiling lighting, just 18 cans. I'm not complaining, because can lights are perfectly acceptable. But I longed for something a little different just to break up the monotony and add some interest across that vast white tundra of ceiling.

I purchased three of these conversion kits. I got mine at Lowe's for $17 each. The kit doesn't include the glass globe, but Lowe's has a big selection of globes that will fit these lights. I chose fairly simple ones that were less than $8 each. So each fixture cost less than $25. And the labor charge for installation? None. No professional required. All I had to do was screw the light kit into the existing fixture. The hardest part was adjusting the cords to be all the same length. . . which wasn't really hard at all, just a matter of some measuring.

Voila! Let there be (different) light:

Here's a closer shot of the fixtures with the light bulbs turned off, so you can see the shades:

I chose a simple gold shade to blend well with the granite in my countertops, although I know that in this photo they get a little lost against the backdrop of the cabinetry. In real life, they're far removed from the cabinets, so they don't get lost at all. Still, now I'm thinking just how easy it would be to change those shades out for a completely different look. Maybe it would be fun to have red shades for Christmastime? It would cost less than $25 and would take almost no time to change the shades.

Meanwhile, I couldn't be happier with my presto-chango home improvement. Tell me what you think!