a small project

jeremy and i have always wanted to change up the kitchen in this home just a little bit. we have white cabinets, and we've always loved the look of kitchens with white cabinets that have black countertops and whatnot. so while we can't afford granite (and really, granite wouldn't be a wise choice for this neighborhood), we've been thinking about other options to help us get the look we want for a price we can afford.

eventually, we'll replace these countertops with a black laminate (and good grief, even that's expensive!). but for the moment, we're doing one thing at a time... for now, we've removed the nickel-plated hardware and spray painted them black. that's our first step. the next thing we'd like to do is replace the pendant light hanging above our table with a pendant drum shade. we want a black shade, but i haven't had any luck in locating one - any one have any suggestions on where to look, or has anyone seen one somewhere? (we've looked at pottery barn, west elm, crate & barrel, ikea, etc. and all we can find are white ones... which would work, it's just not quite the look we're going for.)

below you'll see a before photo - hopefully we'll be able to do a good after photo eventually (it will not only include new countertops and light fixtures, but also a beautiful dark hardwood floor... one day... oh, and the color of our kitchen has changed since the before photo. it's now a light blue color. think powder blue). there's also a few photos of the quick hardware fix...