How We Saved $1000 on Light Fixtures for Our New Home

This post, which contains some affiliate links, is long but full of money saving information and details, so you’ve been forewarned!

The day we signed the contract to begin building our new home, my first thought wasn’t about tile, kitchen cabinets, or paint colors. My first thought was about all the lighting I’d get/have to select for our house.

I’ve tried to be transparent about the price of stuff for our new house so that I’m showing how we are doing this within our beer budget builder’s allowance even though we I have champagne taste. Our lighting allowance was $2150 tax inclusive, which was a bit of a challenge had I chosen to use our builder’s vendors here locally.

Although he got a discount, the lighting fixtures were still way more expensive than Overstock, Wayfair, Lowe's, Lamps Plus, and Build.com, which is where the majority of our lighting ended up coming from.

Ultimately, I bought all of the fixtures myself using coupons, shopping through Ebates and finding vendors that don’t charge sales tax. I was able to get way more for our money and by purchasing them on our AMEX card I was able to earn points for statement credits and be covered by AMEX purchase protection plus their extended warranty service.

Our most expensive light fixture was about $400 (foyer and dining room chandelier) and our least expensive was about $22 (closet flush mounts). To date, I've saved over $700 in coupons/sales and earned about $250 in cash back on Ebates and AMEX on just the lighting alone.

I also did a lot of comparison shopping, and I found it wasn’t that easy because items don’t have the same “name” across all sites. For example, my Othello Crystorama Chandelier is under the “Willa Arlo Interiors” collection at Wayfair, which was also the “House of Hampton” line up until recently. But, as much as I could, I found the lowest price and maximized cash back in my pocket by using retailers who were on Ebates, so shop around. I included links to various places under each of my fixtures to make it easier for you all.

Also sign up for email newsletter to get coupons—Overstock has been sending me 20% off home décor coupons (which includes lighting) almost weekly, so that saved me a lot. Build.com gives you a 5% coupon when you sign up for a new account, which is free.

To get coupons for 10% off coupons for Wayfair and Lowe's, it’s a bit trickier…what I did was go ahead and process my address change early and set it to the date we move. This costs $1, but you instantly get a text message with a link to coupons for Lowe's, Wayfair, Bed Bath & Beyond, and a few others. 

And now I’ll shut up about how to save money, and show you our lighting choices! As lighting gets installed, I’ll update this post with pictures of the actual items in use. I’ll likely more thoroughly review some of the more unique/larger fixtures in their own posts once the electricity is turned on to let you all know how we like them once we use them. For now, I included my initial rating on the style/value since I opened up each box as it came in to insure nothing was damaged/missing.

Foyer & Dining Room

Due to a shipping mishap, we ended up with the same chandelier in both the foyer and dining room. We paid about $400 for the chandelier with the coupon, and since then the price has for some reason blown up to $700. Gilt sometimes has this item for about $529, and they email 30% off coupons once a week it seems.

Wayfair | Build | Overstock

Initial Review: 4 out of 5 stars

Office

I really wanted a brass and lucite light fixture somewhere in the house, so I chose it for my office. This is an almost near replica of the Hudson Valley Travis chandelier.

The brass finish is a bit antiqued/uneven, which I didn’t realize before I bought it, so I’ll touch it up a bit with some rub and buff.

Build | Overstock | Wayfair 

Initial Review: 4 out of 5 stars 

Guest Rooms

Simple ceiling fan/light combo. I’ll be honest, I went for the cheapest, nicest I could find.

Overstock
Initial Review: 4 out of 5 stars 

Hallway Sconces

I saw these under the new arrivals section at Overstock, and I knew they were simply perfect for us. 95% of our lighting/plumbing fixtures are chrome, but you all know I love gold, so this combines both into one gorgeous package.

The gold leafing is gorgeous! We bought the specialty prismatic bulb recommended, but since the electricity isn’t on yet, I don’t have pics of that in use.

Overstock | Build
Initial Review: 5 out of 5 stars 

Bathroom Lighting

These vanity lights are beyond gorgeous...they have a lot of bling. Seriously, for the price, they are simply stunning.

I got the 3-light versions for the half bathroom and guest bathroom, and the 4-light versions for our master bathroom.

Exclusively at Lowe's
Initial Review: 5 out of 5 stars

Living Room

I live in South Texas…I opted for a huge ceiling fan. Our winter here is a random 1 week long stint in February, so this will pay off.

Amazon
Initial Review: 5 out of 5 stars

Kitchen Island

You all have read and seen it already, and I am so excited about this linear chandelier. One of the most unique fixtures I chose and it has a whopping 13 lights.

Overstock | Wayfair
Initial Review: 5 out of 5 stars

Master Foyer

There’s a tiny “foyer” before our master suite, and I’ve been in love with the Odeon chandelier style from Restoration Hardware. Not in love with their prices, so I was happy to find some “inspired by” pieces at Lowes. The glass crystals almost all have some tiny hairline scratches on them despite being individually wrapped.

Exclusively at Lowe's
Initial Review: 4 out of 5 stars

Master Bedroom

We had this “fandelier” in our former home in the living room. I loved it so much because for the size it seriously gives off a lot of air.

The lights in it are super dim and more for accent lighting, which is fine since we have recessed lights in here. The blades are also unique. I love, love, love this ceiling fan.

Amazon
Initial Review: 5 out of 5 stars 

Master Closet

Same Odeon inspired type chandeliers with a diffuser for a bright, glam look in our closet. The glass crystals almost all have some tiny hairline scratches on them despite being individually wrapped.

Exclusively at Lowe's
Initial Review: 4 out of 5 stars

Master Soaking Tub

I wanted a luxurious, feminine, sparkly chandelier over the bathtub. I’ve never had a soaking tub, so I am excited. This globe chandelier was an impulse buy, but I couldn’t be happier. It’s a beauty.

Lamps Plus
Initial Review: 4 out of 5 stars

Exterior Lighting

We wanted the lighting to sort of blend in to our home in the daytime, and light it up tastefully at night, so these up down lights were the perfect choice.

The graphite finish pairs beautifully with the dark gray stucco exterior, and they each come with a lens to protect it from rain.

Amazon | Build
Initial Review: 5 out of 5 stars

Back Patio Ceiling Fan

Again, it’s South Texas, so an outdoor ceiling fan was a must. I embraced the coastal area I live in and opted for a palm leaf blade style fan with light. This item was a total bargain on Amazon prime day-- $130!

Amazon
Initial Review: 5 out of 5 stars

Closets, Pantry & Laundry Room Flush Mounts

I wanted “fancy” lighting for every space, but sometimes it just doesn’t make sense to spend money…so for smaller storage closets, pantry and laundry room, I went for bright, functional and affordable with simple satin nickel flush mounts. They’ll do the job at the right price. I got these for $22 each with a coupon.

 Overstock
Initial Review: 5 out of 5 stars

Garage LED Lighting

Our builder typically installs large 48” fluorescent lights, but I thought they looked bulky/office like and can get costly to replace the bulbs. So, we went with a pair of super affordable 48” LED lights that are slimmer than a deck of cards and provide plenty of light and will last many, many years.

Amazon
Initial Review: 5 out of 5 stars

Note: The photos will be continuously updated as fixtures get installed, so pin it for later or bookmark this page.

I think that covers it. If you have any questions about these fixtures or how to use Ebates, feel free to leave a comment and I’ll reply there, or you can always shoot me an email. I hope this is helpful someway, somehow to someone.

I’ll be back with a post about some items I splurged on for the kitchen. I am so in love with the items and I think you’ll be, too.