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Art is one of my favorite things to decorate with in my home. Art can instantly transform and elevate a space to new heights, bringing personality, depth, and mood in a way other decor does not.

Personally, I love a good moody oil painting. Whether the piece is antique, vintage, or something new and original, I love the contrast that dark landscapes and still life’s bring to my home.

Fortunately for me, my husband is a very talented artist :). So naturally, whenever I am out sourcing for the shop or my home, I am always on the hunt for beautiful vintage and antique frames that I can pair with one of his original oil paintings.

This past summer, we found this stunning large, ornate frame from at antique store. I could instantly picture one of my husband’s original oil paintings paired with the frame, hanging above our sofa with an art light directly above it shining down.

Once we found the frame, it was time to start shopping for the perfect light.

The Search for the Perfect Art Light

Lighting is such an important feature in a home - and a great way to elevate the look of your space.

>>>Find out more about my Tips to Elevate Your Space. <<<

Art lights are a great way to bring a little accent lighting to your space.

Ideally, art lights would be hardwired, but when this isn’t an option, decorators have been turning to battery operated or rechargeable options in more recent years to get a similar look for less.

For our home, hardwiring an art light to the wall just wasn’t an option for the location of this large piece, so I was looking for a rechargeable option. While the battery operated or rechargeable art lights are more cost effective, and a beautiful alternative to hardwired lights, I was struggling to find a style that fit what I was going for.

I was so excited when I finally found these dimmable art lights with this beautiful gooseneck design. The gooseneck design was different from most rechargable options I was finding, and exactly what I was looking for to stay consistent with the vintage style I love.

Once the lights arrived, the brass color was a little too yellow next to the frame for what I needed, so I decided to add an antique finish myself using one of my favorite techniques.

Read on to see how to give this brass art light an antique finish:

Materials:

Dimmable Art Light
Rub 'n Buff in Grecian Gold
Walnut Wood Tint
Paint Brush
Dry Paper Towel
Damp Paper Towel

Process:

Once removing all the packaging, remove any stickers on the light.

Dip your paint brush into the Rub 'n Buff in Grecian Gold, applying a small amount to the brush, then slowly buff the product onto the brass part of the lamp (Note: be careful not to get any paint on the lighting section of the piece).

Dab a dry papertowel over the section you just painted to remove any excess Rub 'n Buff.

Allow to dry and clean all the product off of your paperbrush.

Once the Rub 'n Buff is dry, dip your clean paintbrush into the Walnut Wood Tint. Dab the product sparingly onto a small section of the lamp.

Use a slightly damp paper towel and gently dab the product off the lamp. This will allow you to keep the product heavier in some sections (for example, creases) to give an authentic aged look. (Note: The more pressure you apply to the damp paper towel, the more product it will remove).

Repeat until you are happy with the color of the finish.

A simple light can add so much to a piece of artwork and I love the ambiance that this piece brings to our space with the warm glow of the light. This technique allowed us to get the look we were going for, without sacrificing our design preferences.

Ready to try some more DIY techniques to transform your space? Check out how to use Rub ‘n Buff to DIY your own antique gold frame or brass candlesticks. Or, see my own personal technique (and absolute favorite) for creating your own aged vessels using the same wood tint from this DIY.

If you’re looking to dress your walls up with some vintage accents? Check out some of our available antique and vintage paintings and prints in the online shop:

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