How to Fix Overhead Lighting in a Rental—Without Breaking the Bank

Living in a small rental apartment can limit what's possible in terms of interior design. Throughout the many years that I've perused trade shows and furniture showrooms, I often find myself returning to a common refrain: It's beautiful, but this sofa is the size of my entire apartment, or I love this light fixture, but I'd never be able to install it in my rental.

The latter is a particular sticking point. The illumination in most apartments isn't ideal, especially when it comes to overhead lighting. Often, these light sources feel too harsh or too dim, casting an unappealing shadow across a living space.

Fortunately, I recently found a fix that's affordable, rental-friendly, and easy to install. I'm only a bit sad that I didn't think of it sooner.

What It Is

In my eternal quest to remedy harsh overhead lighting once and for all, I came across Tulip. The brand was founded by Lori Smyth, who, as the story goes, came up with the idea while at a college party with particularly bad lighting. Smyth used a pair of (clean) boxer shorts to cover the overhead fixture, and instantly, the entire mood changed.

Tulip's shades operate in a similar manner—albeit a much less DIY one. They easily slip over ceiling lights, creating a warm glow where there was once a harsh cast. The brand has three different shade shapes: Gem, Drum, and Lamp.

The shades are available in solid colors, as well as neutrals, and a few unique patterns. Most recently, Tulip collaborated with Los Angeles-based textile atelier Studio Ford on a new, limited-edition collection of hand-blocked, printed shades. Standouts include Fennel, a delightful floral pattern that marries neutral elegance with a dash of whimsy.

Installation

When it comes to interior design decisions, I curate the mood board, then present my fiancé with a few options. He picks his favorite, and the two of us come to a consensus. When I sent him a few links to potential Tulip shades, he immediately gravitated toward the Gem shape in the color Sunlight. We went with that one—it retails for $149; all of Tulip's offerings hover around that price point.

The box itself is flat and inconspicuous, so it was easy to haul inside and unpack. In person, the color resembled the one we had selected on the site. Installing it was simple—the lamp came with Command strips, so we simply attached them to the mount and fixed it to the ceiling. The whole process took less than five minutes.

Performance

Our overhead light was never terrible by any means, but I would only turn it on by accident. Now, it's one of the first switches I flick on when entering the living room. Rather than emitting a cold, stark light, our ceiling fixture now projects a warm, soft glow. Best of all, since it's rental-friendly, we can easily take it down when we decide to move, and reinstall it again at our next place.