I’ve been pretty boastful about our deals on Amazon for the kitchen – after all, we’ve ordered a dishwasher, sink, faucet, and range vent with brilliant Prime delivery. So I didn’t think it would be that big of a deal to order off of Houzz. Considering how much time I’ve spent collecting kitchen ideas and skipping the cost of an actual designer, I could at least throw a few retail dollars their way. Share the love?

We’ve opted for schoolhouse lights for our island – and we want a black finish. That should set off alarm bells right there – apparently black finish now is the brass finish for the 80s. (Buyer beware – apparently brass is making a comeback. But not in this house.) We have cast iron curtain rods and a blackish finish on our other main floor fixtures, so we’re trying to maintain some consistency. And since the kitchen is white, grey, and blackish/charcoal, black stemmed schoolhouse lights will be cool. So I start looking at oil rubbed bronze. In its classic form, oil rubbed bronze is practically black. In fact, our blackish finish is actually oil rubbed bronze. But this is a tricky finish because different brands have different finishes. Oil rubbed bronze can range from almost black to definitely brown with gold edges. The definitely brown with gold edges is what I particularly hate. It just doesn’t work for me. And since I know this, I troll the internet with eagle eyes. I zoom in on images. I call customer service. I quiz the local lighting providers. It turned out that Houzz had a vendor that had the lights I was looking for in the right size at the right price. I must have stared at the images for an hour. Zoomed in, looked for evidence of gold rubbed finish……and nothing. It looked like a classic oil rubbed bronze. Heritage Bronze, in fact. It just screams classic old. So I felt good about the order and eagerly awaited delivery. In the meantime, I picked out some bling for the over the sink light. I just like the idea of some sparkle over the kitchen workhouse. I’ll listen to ABBA and KC while doing dishes.

Bling pendant over the sink

So the lights come in – and I can’t wait to open the box. Of course, it’s my worst nightmare. Definitely brown. With with rubbed gold edges.

First disappointment out of the box.

Yep, it’s brown.

Sending the lights back – Gold rubbing is not for me.

Not for me. So the return dance begins. I decide to contest the restocking fee – after all, if the image was right, I wouldn’t have a problem. While it took about 7 working days to confirm the deal, the restocking fee was waived and I received a full refund. Houzz provided good customer service and that was appreciated. But I still didn’t have lights. So I ordered the lights from where I should have done it in the first place – Schoolhouse Electric. This may be my new favorite online store. Period lighting and stuff that makes you feel cooler than you actually are. My kind of shopping! Now, I just have to wait 2-3 weeks for delivery. Fill up the sink and crank up “Take a Chance On Me……”