12.07.2010

A Lighting DIY: The New Chandelier



So having always loved these




and after seeing how Jen made hers




I decided to make one and use it as an interim chandelier in the dining room until 
something more like this is in the budget..




There are a few different tutorials kicking around for this one, 
but I ended up doing something a bit different.

Having never wired anything before, I wanted to be sure that this was not going to be a fire hazard!
(and thought that using a pre-made pendant light might just save a whole lot of time)
 so I bought one of these..




two bottles of fabric stiffener



and a heaps of white cotton yarn.




We had an exercise ball kicking around (I am not co-ordinated enough for one of these - truly :)


So it was off to the races.


TIP: Cover your work area in plastic before you start, and secure that plastic to the surface.
You will be glad you did. This is messy. SUPER messy.





removed the top piece from the shade..
this will give the finished product extra strength and keep the bulb in place. 




Marked a circle for the hole you need to leave for placing the electrical and bulbs inside later.
Keep it fairly high, and it won't be noticable.




This is where the plan changed a bit.
 I was about to take a picture of the yarn soaking in a tub full of stiffy,
but I stood there staring at all that white, and knew I really wanted something more natural and textural.

So.

Out of the cupboard came the twine!
Now I had to wrap the metal frame with twine ( to disguise it) before I could begin shaping the ball.




I soaked the twine thoroughly, wrapped it around the ball once, 
and tied it to the frame - leaving a few extra inches for hanging during drying.
Then it's just random wrapping until you get the effect you like.
It took me about an hour to get to this stage.




Next, I used a small brush to cover the entire thing with an additional coat of stiffy,
and hung it from a ladder to dry - 
the dogs were trying to figure out exactly what was going on in the craft room!

 I waited 24 hours, but should have waited longer.
It had hardened further by the time we hung it.
Gently push the ball in all around to loosen the ball from the twine, then deflate gently.
I had to squeeze both my hands inside to cut the ball up before removing -
 it was too big to fit through the opening I had left!




Using the pendant light meant simply removing the wire from the top plate and feeding it through, them replacing the top plate and installing.. that whole process took about 10 minutes!




Remember the dining room before?





Here it is with our new light:





The large scale is perfectly dramatic,
and the texture plays really well off the new chairs - still waiting for cushions :)




now the whole space is bathed in the most wonderful patterns, especially at night...




All in all, a fairly simple DIY - although I had my doubts that it would harden sufficiently, it did!
The best tip I can give use is to be really generous with the fabric stiffener.
I'm completely happy with the results- and the price - it was $40.00 in total.
When we do replace this with a chandelier, 
it will definitely find it's way into another room of the house.

Hope these projects inspire a few of you - 
if they do, please send me some pics of your creations so I can share them on the blog!

til next time..





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34 comments:

Layers and Layers said...

WOW! I am so impressed. If you hadn't of given & shown step by step instructions ... I don't think I would have believed you! hahaha. Fantastic job!

Lisa Ferguson said...

On top of everything else, I just LOVE the shadows it creates!

Unknown said...

This is so freaking amazing! It's gorgeous and really adds great texture and focal point to an already gorgeous dining room. Wow! I'm thoroughly impressed!

Laurie March, @evangelistaLA said...

Just amazing! You should send this to Grace at DesignSponge!

@EvangelistaLA

abby @ a delightful design said...

You are so amazing. I LOVE this. It's unbelievably good. I agree with Laurie--you need to pass this on!

Sally@DivineDistractions said...

What a accent this brings to your dining room! It certainly doesn't look alike it's "home made". I think the twine was a great idea.

Rhonda said...

Wow that looks fabulous! I may have clapped my hands...

saf affect said...

Beautiful. Crafty. Resourceful. Inspiring.

Vanessa@decor happy said...

I remember seeing Jen's and thinking that it was pretty amazing and now yours - great job! I don't think I would have the patience!

Anonymous said...

Wow! What a beautiful creation--brilliant! Amazing job!

Anonymous said...

Just curious, but did you deflate your exercise ball or did you have to cut a hole and break it off into pieces so that you no longer can reuse it?

Anne-Marie @ 10 Rooms said...

Thank you so much! I'm glad you al like it as much as I do. Anonymous - The ball is a casualty. The fabric stiffener is much like Modge Podge - easy to remove when it's wet and very durable when it's dry. The ball was actually quite crusty and unpliable and I ended up having to squeeze both my hands through that small opening and cut it into pieces just to remove it.

Layerstoo said...

Great post...and fantastic result. LOVE your new light fixture. Your choice of twine was brilliant...it's perfect! Very inspiring!

jodie said...

Wow... very clever. It looks fantastic!
I'm a huge fan of the Moooi light and I would happily have yours in my home. J

Anonymous said...

Wow, thanks for sharing. The lighting is amazing. Something you only see in magazines. Happy holidays!

Edwina@FASHION+ART said...

I know I'm late but Brava! You did a wonderful job.

The Simply Inspired Home said...

I love this, except for having to cut up the excersise ball. Like you said, you weren't using it! I will be sure to try this some time!

Well done, and it sure doesn't look DIY! I love a good, quality DIY.

Mel said...

I found you through Barbara at Hodge:Podge, I'm so glad I did.

I adore this project and will def. keep it in my memory bank.

Mel said...

Forgot to mention that I almost picked up that fixture at Rona last week, where it was on sale for $11.99. Now I'm kicking myself for not getting it! Think I need to make a run up there and see if I can still get it.

InteriorGroupie said...

Anne-Marie, this is absolutely goregous!! I just love it...so much that I would not be surprised if your "interim" chandelier stays a little longer than anticipated :)

Nuha said...

I am in love with your dinning table!

Anonymous said...

Your light turned out gorgeous! Great tutorial too. I've linked your chandelier to my project post here today too, well done!

Unknown said...

My husband and I made this chandelier using your tutorial. We hung it tonight. I am extremely happy with it as it was a success. Question...how did you get all of the excess stiffener off!? I have just been poking at it with a butter knife, but it is very time consuming. Didn't know if you had any tips! Thanks!!

John Alex said...

A simple rule is that chandeliers should be about twelve-inches narrower than the table surface, and have at least four-feet of distance from room walls. With an eight-foot ceiling, the bottom of your new design should hang thirty to thirty-four inches over the table. Go three inches higher for each addition foot of ceiling height. Chandelier

Jenny B. said...

I was wondering how you wrapped the twine around the lamp frame. How do you secure it without having ugly knots? I'm really excited to try this project. My ceilings are much lower so I'm going to buy a kids bouncy ball instead (a little smaller and cheaper than an exercise ball). Can't wait! Thanks for the great tutorial! - Jenny

Anonymous said...

It's so perfect for the room! I wouldn't change it at all.The light shadows are amazing! Great job.

jade said...

I had sort of eaten up my lighting budget and needed to figure out something very inexpensive for the dining room. tropical chandeliers lights

Unknown said...

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Unknown said...

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Unknown said...

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Unknown said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Unknown said...

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I found the best Janitorial Services Seattle said...

Thank you so much for sharing this tutorial. Your chandelier is beautiful.

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