Small Detail, Big Impact

Something has been bothering me ever since the lights went in.  Remember this photo?

 

Well, here's a closer shot:

 

Can you tell what was driving me bonkers?  It might just be me, but the way the cords were exposed and kind of wavy was driving me crazy.  It just didn't look "finished".  Now, typically this is what down-rods are used for.  Down-rods are metal and you can slide them over the cord to give it a more finished look (the lights in our bedroom have down-rods, notice that you can't see the cords?): 

 I couldn't do that with the way this light was configured, though.  I would need to wrap something around the cord rather than sliding it onto it (if that makes sense).  After perusing Lowe's for a few minutes, I came across these guys:

I think you get where I am going with this.  I was able to spray paint the rod black and then shove the cord inside of it.  Voila!!

Check out the one on the left compared to the other two. So much better, right?!  I love a quick fix!