A Look Back At My Fascination With Making My Own Unique Lighting
I absolutely love unique lighting in a room, and while I mainly love unique pendant lights and chandeliers, I do love an interesting table light as well. Although, when it comes to table lights, I can almost always find something in a store that suits my needs and wants.
But I look at pendant lights and chandeliers as not only practical pieces because of the extra lighting they provide, but I also see them as an opportunity to add something sculptural or artistic to a room. I’ve heard (and seen) that most people concentrate on the lower half of a room since that’s where the bulk of the items in a room go — sofas, chairs, area rugs, side tables, table lamps, coffee tables, etc. But I think every room needs something to draw the eye up to the top half of the room, which is why I also place a good deal of emphasis on interesting artwork for walls, wallpaper, murals, curtains/draperies that go as high as possible, pretty curtain rods and rings, and interesting pendant lights and chandeliers. The top half of the room needs decorating just as much as the bottom half in order to create a sense of balance in the room.
I first tried my hand at making my own pendant light back in 2008 when I made a light made of plastic drinking straws. This was a fun project, but I never actually used the finished light in a room. We were in the condo at the time, and the colors weren’t quite what I wanted in the condo.
I’ve always wished that I had made this light out of one solid color of straws. Even a solid white or solid clear plastic straw light would have been very striking.
And shortly after that, I made a pendant light made out of an old globe. This is another one that I had an idea for, but I never had a place to actually use it. I think I ended up selling it.
And then in 2010, I made a light made out of paper pulp egg cartons. I saw these purple paper pulp egg cartons used as packing, and they seemed too pretty to throw away, so I wanted to come up with a creative use for them. But again, I never actually used this light anywhere. I ended up giving this one away.
The first light that I made and actually used in our home was back in 2011 when I made a light made out of two metal hanging flower baskets.
I loved the shadows this one created in our hallway in the condo.
Soon after we moved into this house, back in 2014, I made two table lamps out of MDF and watercolor paper to look like stained glass. I used these in the entryway for a while, and then in the living room, but I eventually gave them away.
In 2016, I made a faux capiz shell pendant light out of frosted window privacy film for our original bedroom in the house. I used this light for years, and intended to make another one for the other side of the bed, but I never got around to it.
Also in 2016, I made a semi-flush light out of wood for our music room. This light hung in our music room for quite some time. Sadly, I never got to see this light in the finished music room. By the time I actually finished the music room, I had already swapped this light out for the capiz chandelier that we currently have in the music room.
In 2022, when I was looking for a bubble light to go over the bathtub in our bathroom, I couldn’t find one that I really liked, so I decided to make one out of a ceiling medallion and frosted glass Christmas ornament. This light is still in the bathroom, and I love it. I can’t imagine swapping it out for anything else any time in the near future.
And then last year, I took on my most challenging DIY light I’ve ever made — a pendant light made out of 1700 wood tasting spoons. This is my favorite light I’ve ever made, so I imagine I’ll be enjoying this for many years to come.
I’ve always had a fascination with making my own lights and coming up with one-of-a-kind lighting. Perhaps I missed my true calling, and I should have been a lighting designer. 😀
And now I’m getting another opportunity to make a unique, one-of-a-kind light for my closet. I’m getting pretty close to having all of the components finished and ready to be painted, installed, and completely assembled. If things go as planned, I should have my newest light creation ready to show off on Monday.
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
Hanging on, here, to every post like another one of your handmade chandeliers!
This closet is so over the top lovely and this lighting is icing on that layer cake.
You know, you could add a mirrored top to the island in your closet and it would show your flowered light and cast some great shadows throughout the room.
😲
This.
Or what about a round mirror on the ceiling, essentially serving as a medallion to the chandelier? You would see the TOP of the flowers, and it would add some additional light to the space.
Wow Kristi just wow! I’ve only been visiting your blog since 2020 so I really didn’t know about most of these. They are all such beautiful works of art! You are so gifted! Hmmm maybe I should go back and read from the earlier days on the blog and catch up on what I missed!
Yeah, you really should. It is amazing.
I came here in 2020 to research updating a concrete porch to wood and have never left! 😊
You missed the studio foyer light. That is also beautiful.
I didn’t include any lights that were just simple makeovers with paint and/or gold leaf. I only included the ones that I made.
Your creativity abounds! I love that there’s such a variety of styles in the lights you’ve made. And I love this gem of decorating advice— the top of the room deserves attention too!
Your chandelier lighting ideas, creativity and attention to detail are absolutely unique and stunningly gorgeous!
You already are a chandelier light designer and creator!
Your creativity is boundless!!! I’ve been following your blog since your former home (so … over a dozen years, right?) and didn’t remember or recognize some of these. I’m excited to see you bring this vision to fruition too. You are inspiring!
Think your fb account just been hacked 8pm Sunday. Repeated comment you made to be couple days ago” Bobbie Hinman what does it look like.” Profile picture looks like 2 men