What Do You Think About My Over-the-Sink Light?

Okay, okay…I know. I shouldn’t ask questions when the answer is obvious. My over-the-sink light is…well…it’s not the best.

I purchased it shortly after we moved into the condo, back when I thought my style was sleek and modern. (Ha! Boy was I wrong!) It was just a cheapy that I got at Home Depot for about $10, and it was an impulse buy just to get rid of this hideous thing:

But now here I am…completely stumped on lighting. I honestly have no idea what to use, not only for the above-sink light, but also for the main light in the kitchen.

As you can see, I’m still using a $2 temporary fixture for the main light–the one we installed when we installed the recessed lighting and new drywall on the ceiling. That “temporary” light has now been in use since the summer of 2008.

It’s time to find some solutions.

If this place were larger, or if the kitchen were more of a stand-alone room, the decision would be much easier. The issue is that I don’t want anything TOO spectacular, because just about seven short feet away will be my FABULOUS painted glass chandelier (which still is not yet painted).

So whatever goes in my kitchen needs to be nice. I would like a little bit of a vintage look. But it CERTAINLY can’t be too flashy, because I don’t want ANYTHING to compete with my chandelier…not in a space this tiny.

I did find this fixture at Restoration Hardware that I really like for the main fixture:

But anyone who knows me well knows that I’ll pay $200 for a fixture like that when pigs fly.

Yes, I’m cheap.

Or as my sweet Matt tells me, “You’re not cheap, you’re FRUGAL!” Call it what you want…I’m CHEAP.

So…any suggestions? Any brilliant ideas? Any great resources for cheap (*ahem*…inexpensive), beautiful, simple lighting?

Perhaps I’ll make another trip to ReStore this weekend and see if I find any treasures.