The kitchen renovation is humming along at the rapid fire pace of a sloth on Prozac.
I still have no cabinets, I'm still in a mess and I still have no idea when all of this is going to be done.
I made progress this week though, which is better than nothing.
The dreaded pot lights were installed. I did not want pot lights. I do not like pot lights. Pot lights are the devil.
Enter ... the solitary thing that changed my mind about pot lights.
The Light Speaker.
I was browsing the Home Depot website, as I often do, and came across the recessed (pot) light section. I'm not sure how it caught my eye but halfway down the page there was something called a Light Speaker.
Clicking through I discovered it's a pot light that's also a wireless speaker system that works with a remote. You just plug it in and you can control your music and lighting through it. The lights are dimmable LEDs.
I was sold instantly.
The single greatest thing about this thing is, if you already have 5" - 6" pot lights, they just screw into your existing pots. In fact they screw into and work from any light socket.
They're huge though so you need a big lamp! Apparently there's an adaptor that you can get to make them fit with any lamp harp. If it were me, I'd probably use it more like a spotlight on the ground, shining up on a wall. I'm actually eyeing a corner of my living room where I could do this and it would be hidden behind the couch/sofa/chesterfield and shine up on an antique church pillar I have.
Suddenly I didn't hate pot lights. I LOVED pot lights. I HAD TO HAVE POT LIGHTS so I could have these light speakers.
The speakers are controlled by both this base, and a small remote. It has left and right speakers and also 2 zones. So you can keep adding speakers to your house. 2 in the kitchen could be playing jazz, and the 2 in the family room could be playing some horrible talk radio.
All you have to do is screw in the lights, plug the base in and away you go. You're glowing in light and listening to music! From overhead! I have a weird thing about overhead music like you hear when you're in the mall or stores. I like it. I like music from above.
You just plug your iPhone, iPad, MP3 player or whatever you have on hand into the base and you're listening to your whole iTunes library or your television or Songza.
I'm pretty sure I haven't been this excited since they started making pop available in glass bottles again.
I'm going to keep the large base hidden on a shelf and use the small remote (which I forgot to take a picture of) to control the music and lights for the most part. That way there's no wires, no mess, no nothin'.
Because these Light speakers are really made for the older pot lights (5" and 6") it's perfect for anyone who has them in their house already.
I chose to only do 2 of the larger pots in my kitchen for the Light speakers (which will go over my island) and the rest of the pot lights will be tiny, more discrete 3½" LED ones. Pretty pots.
They cost $399 for 2 Light speakers, the remote and the base. If you want them yourself or for a last minute Christmas present, they aren't available in the actual Home Depot store, just online. And only on the Canadian Home Depot site.
If you're in the States and you want them, you can find them IAV Lightspeaker Multiroom Lightspeaker System Lighting here.
So that's how far I am with the kitchen. Half my cabinets ripped out, the ceiling in a shambles, cruddy old appliances, 3 different paint colours on the walls, and an array of cardboard boxes holding my crackers and canned goods.
And a brand new set of pot lights to illuminate every single bit of it.
*Note from karen: I wrote this post a couple of days ago and I've since installed my Light speakers. I LOVE THEM! The LED lights are very warm, with no touch of blue, and they sound great. I LOVE THEM!!!
SuzyM
I've been sitting here for a few minutes trying somehow to integrate poop into this post, but, alas, have come up empty. How about, "Holy crap, Batgirl, those are amazing speaker/light thingies!"
Happy belated birthday from a fellow December-born speaker/light thingy-coveting follower.
Maureen Locke
Is it really your birthday??? If so, Happy Birthday Karen. It's my daughers birthday too. She's 29.. for the first time.. lol
Lynne from Design The Life You Want to Live
Does this mean you are dancing in the kitchen now? This could work for me.
Feral Turtle
This is freakin awesome!!! We just installed two pot lights in our dormers we finally almost finished until we were hit with this little thing called snow and flat tires. I think I will put this on my wish list for next year!! Cheers.
Tigersmom
Seriously, think about that video. I would go viral instantly and garnish you hundreds of thousands (if not bajillions) of new readers.
Tigersmom
Congrats on progress even at a sloth's place. And, apparently, Happy Birthday wishes are in order.
So,
H A P P Y B I R T H D A Y !
I think we need a video of you dancing to Icona Pop's "I Don't Care....I Love It" blasting from your new light speakers while making something to eat from your sweet poo-tato. Please? It could be your little Christmas gift to us.
Adrienne in Atlanta
Happy birthday!!! This makes you a fellow Sagittarius. I knew there was a reason I liked you and your renaissance woman ways.
Hope you have great birthday plans.
Adrienne in Atlanta
Unless of course your birthday is in March, but you were still looking for a reason to buy yourself a little something. I think this is entirely possible considering the source. ;)
Karen
LOL! ~ karen
magali
I really don't mean this to sound depressing, only inquisitive, but are you really going to host a Christmas supper with your kitchen in that state?
Karen
Sure! It's still functioning. No problem, lol! And it isn't a sit down dinner. Always buffet. ~ karen
Markay
These are great! I was wondering, can you use the speakers with the lights out or do the lights have to be on for the speaker to work.
Thanks! :)
Karen
Hi Markay - You can any combination you want. Lights and speakers on, only speakers on, only lights on ... ~ karen!
Sera
Ah, that was my question. Does hat mean you control the light from the base or the wall switch? And seriously, this is the best thing I've ever seen! I would not have put a Tivoli radio on my wish list had I known about this! Kitchen speakers was only one of two things I wish I'd thought of before finishing our kitchen reno.
Happy birthday Karen!
Karen
THanks Sera! The light is on a separate switch without a dimmer and I work the dimmer from the base. ~ karen!
Markay
How wonderful, thank you!!!
Krista
You can use either independent from the other :)
Frank Ford
This looks awesome - who would of thought you could get this creative with technology? Pot Lights? Seriously, lol? I'm going to have to keep my wife away from this page or she will start getting ideas!!!
Sia
I wanna clean your iPhone.
Someone get her a new protective cover!!!
Karen, please confirm if that's an iPhone 4S... Cuz I'm on it!!
(I'm not kidding...)
Karen
LOL. yes it's a 4S. And yes I need a new cover! The bottom doesn't stick anymore so the underneath is a filth bucket! ~ karen
Sia
Well, don't bother buying one. You'll be getting some in the mail. Won't be getting to you until after Xmas though.
I expect it to be New Year's resolution number 32... Change protective cover when ruined. Package has 10. Should be enough for the whole year ;)
Thanks for keeping us laughing!
Karen
LOLOLOL! That's hilarious! Thank you Sia. I never, ever would have been bothered to replace it, lol. ~ karen!
Karen
Sia ... I GOT MY IPHONE COVERS!!! LOL. That was so much fun to find at the mailbox! Thank you very, very, very much. I've put my first screen on. I wrecked the first one actually, (to be expected) but had complete success with the second. I cant' stop laughing because it's so funny my screen was so gross it prompted you to send me screen covers from Singapore, lol. Thanks again, I love them!~ karen
Sia
Omg... The package came now????? That was long. Ordered before Xmas!!
Confession... Been paying attention to your pictures to see if you had removed the gross one from this post... Lol.
No excuses anymore missy!!
... And you have no idea how happy I am to have made YOU laugh... You do that to me, and all your readers, every day.
Karen
:)
nancy
i have a problem. i used to get up and drink coffee and read your new blog post. somehow i have figured out that after 9 or 10pm PST, i can read your post right now. i have nothing to look forward to in the morning. i do love the pot light speakers. but i no longer have pot lights, since i moved and all.
BTW, this is distinctly not Christmassy. So with the frozen cat shit you are passing off as a poo-tato and these amazing speakers, you are saved from the tedium of repetitive Christmas blog posts.
Happy Birthday Karen!!!
shuckclod
Those sound like a great idea. I have 9 years old pot lights. We had to put them on a dimmer because, they are way too bright. They are not the led ones. I would like one of those speakers above my sink and plugged into the tv. Hope you get your cabinets soon :)
J9
Can we also talk about you getting a new screen protector? Dang that's a downfall with the white iPhone huh...
stephbo93
Hubby works for Home Depot, so thanks for feeding us this month! I love the idea of music floating throughout the house. Pretty cool stuff!
Jamieson
Amazing invention!
This reminds me... When are you coming to mine? I have zoodles of overhead music. And ultra-special no glare potlights. (My husband is practically autistic for light and sound.) Also I have chips and dip! And me.
Karen
My mom just asked me when I was going to visit you! I told her as soon as I could, lol. ~ karen! (Jamieson is a friend everyone, I don't just randomly drop in on readers. Usually.)
missnicoleo
I wish you did randomly drop in, I would buy chips and dip for you!
Marti
No blue? So they are a warm, FLATTERING TO HUMAN color, in addition to being speakers?
Very cool! … for BLUE lights anyway.
Enjoy! You deserve it!
Karen
Funny you should say that because I was just going to buy myself a birthday present online thinking "I deserve that" but it's sold out everywhere. Boo!
Karen
A Fitbit Force in small, black by the way. ~ karen!
Marti
Uhhhh, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KAREN!!!??
Marti
So no wonder you were "feeling old" earlier, then? (I hate birthdays.)
TucsonPatty
These sound awesome! No pun intended.
gloria
Now for a video, so we can see and hear them in action.
Karen
I know. That'll come once the kitchen is a little less ... interesting. Meh. Or maybe I won't be bothered to wait. :) ~ karen!
Krista
Here's a video!
I work for LightSpeaker in the United States. We've already received a ton of orders due to this article about our Canadian affiliate.
Thank you so much Everyone!
Cheryl
I have 29 pot lights on the first floor of my house. TWENTY-NINE pot lights. How much are these light speakers? I'm afraid to even tell my husband about this.
Karen
29??? Holy crap. Are they 5 or 6"? Anyhow, the potlights are $399 for 2 light speakers, the remote and the console thingee that you plug your iphone or ipod or whatever into. I haven't tried yet, but I believe you can plug it into a stereo receiver as well. ~ karen!
Krista
Yes you can Karen. Anything with an earphone jack can be used as the "source" .