Pendant Light Options For My Studio Office
I spent the weekend working on the cabinets just inside the studio door from the breakfast room. I decided to start with those because I think that will be a faster and easier project than the cabinets in the office section of the studio. But while I was working on the boring parts (the sanding, priming, and painting of the doors), my mind was wandering to the pendant light above the desk in the office corner of the room. I had originally thought I might do a makeover on the pendant light I currently have there, but after giving it some thought, I think I need a completely different light, or at the very least, a new lampshade.
The current pendant light looks like this…
That was fine back when I was adding all of those black accents to the room. But now that I’m switching gears and trying to lighten and brighten things up in the room, that pendant light doesn’t work anymore. I painted the inside of the shade back, and then covered the outside with velvet and black trim. So trying to undo those changes just to save and reuse a $20 lampshade is probably not worth the time and effort.
So I started looking at options this weekend. I hadn’t really planned to look for pendant lights, but let’s just say that the Facebook algorithm knows me better than I know myself, and it knows exactly what ads to serve to me to grab my attention and make them irresistible to me. So when it showed me an ad for this Claire Desjardins Kaleidoscope Lamp Shade from Anthropologie (affiliate link), I couldn’t help myself. I immediately envisioned this lampshade, which is $98 for the medium size, hanging above my desk in the studio.
The problem is that those colors aren’t quite right for the studio. So naturally, my mind went to the idea of DIYing something similar in the right colors. I’m not so sure about that idea, though, because I think it might be too much with the colorful and busy floral mural, the colorful paint swatch cabinets just inside the studio door, and the colorful squares wallpaper in the studio bathroom. So I’ve ruled out this lampshade as a possibility, but you can see why I clicked on it, right? It’s definitely very me, and Facebook has my number. That darned algorithm knows how to grab my attention.
But I clicked around a little bit to see what else they had, and I came across this Naomi Pendant from Anthropologie (affiliate link), which is $228. I really love this. It kind of reminded me of a flower, but it’s not overtly a flower. That’s more money than I wanted to spend on a pendant light to go aver the desk, but it’s not an outrageous price.
But then I came across this Magnolia Pendant from Anthropologie (affiliate link). Y’all! This thing has my name written all over it, right?! But there’s no way I can bring myself to spend almost $900 for a pendant light. That will literally never happen. But it sure got my creative juices flowing.
They also have this Magnolia Chandelier from Anthropologie (affiliate link), but this one is even more expensive at $1098. So obviously, this is out of the question as well. But again, my mind starting whirling with DIY ideas.
With my newfound love for IKEA, I decided to see if they had anything in the flower pendant light category that might work. This VINDKAST Pendant Lamp from IKEA, which costs $44.99, is a very cute option, and the price is definitely more my speed. But you can tell by looking at it why this one is so much less than the Anthropologie lights. As far as quality, there’s really no comparison.
This GRIMSÅS Pendant Lamp from IKEA, which is $69.99, is also a cute option. But again, after seeing the Anthropologie lights, this one would also feel like I’m settling.
I do really like this MOJNA / HEMMA Pendant Lamp from IKEA, which is $37.99. It’s not exactly in the flower pendant light category, but it’s interesting.
I’ve loved this Possini Euro White Flower Pendant (affiliate link) for years, and I could have sworn that IKEA sold something like it, but I couldn’t find it. This one is $269.99.
And the final flower pendant light that I found and really liked is this Lotus Flower Lampshade from Amazon (affiliate link). It comes as a pack of 2 for $24.49.
But after seeing the Anthropologie lights, the others just seemed like a compromise for lesser quality. And like I said, my creative juiced were flowing after seeing those. I got to wondering if I could make something similar for a fraction of the price, and I think I can.
Do you remember the colorful pinwheel art I made for our living room?
I made that out of 800 wood tasting spoons.
And I just so happen to have about 1200 more wood tasting spoons sitting in a box waiting to be used for a project. This might be just the time to use them.
There are about three different styles that come to mind that I could make using those tasting spoons. The first would be to make lots of individual flowers, and then use those like the Anthropologie lights.
The second would be to make something like this Currey & Company pendant light.
And then the third would be to make something similar to the capiz chandelier that I have in the music room. This is the best picture I have of it from when it was in the living room.
So I’m considering those three different styles, and I haven’t settle on one just yet.
But I do love the idea of making my own. It seems appropriate to make my own artistic pendant light for my studio. It would be a tedious project, but y’all know how much I love tedious art projects!! 😀
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.
If anyone can you can Kristi! Looking amazing and enjoying following along x
My first thought with the Anthro pendant was that it looked like plastic spoons. Second thought was she’s gonna try and dupe that and it’ll be way cooler. Can’t wait to see what you do and please take lots of pics. I would love to be able to replace my grandaughters light with something so feminine.
Ditto! Same exact thing: “They look like plastic spoons.”
How about that $1098 chandelier from Anthropology? It looks like a wreath suspended horizontally. I wonder if you could get a wire wreath form and attach spoons as petals to create something like that? That’s as far as I get because I have no idea how you get a light source in there but I wanted to share my idea. I agree that the current one is a nice shade but it doesn’t look like you
Brenda, I’m with you on this. The Anthropologie chandelier is stunning, but pricy.
Kristi you could 100% recreate something similar, but probably more stunning and totally unique.
Can’t wait to see what you come up with x
I liked the chandelier one also, and thought you could maybe go to a Habitat Re-store (if you have one) or a similar recycle building material store, and find a chandelier in the same style. Some paint and your imagination could easily replicate the $1,000 + style! And it would let you recover a bit more while you create! But also, why not repeat what your other lights are, and come up with a table lamp for your desk or just behind where your desk sits? I think that would look very nice!
I bought those lights years ago on Ebay, and I don’t see them there anymore.
Honestly, all i see is a dusting nightmare🤪
That’s my thought exactly because it’s in a studio where making things cause lots of dust
Exactly what I was thinking! On the other hand, if it was made of painted spoons and could be separated from the fixture, like the bubble assemply over the ensuite tub, she could take it down periodically and give it a spray from the waterhose outside!
I’m kinda partial to the Currey & Co. fixture style. You could even glue small beads onto the spoons with some E6000 for permanence.
My preference for this particular shade is that the bulb would shine directly down onto the desk and not just be a glowing orb.
On the other hand, I really love the Naomi pendant with it’s sleek lines. I would probably be looking at combining a bowl and a cup or vase and doing some glass drilling. Probably too heavy tho.
My thought too!! A craft/work room will create a lot of different kinds of dust often. Those light shades will be a nightmare to clean!
YES!!!!! If this is your workshop, there’s going to be dust flying all of the time. I can’t imagine keeping any of those lights clean. Idea…..what about using the wallpaper from the wall and recovering the current light with that rather than fabric? You could paint the trim and inside the current light gold.
I was thinking the same thing—especially if there will be sawdust (or is that all done outside?)
Sawdust will be outside until I can build a separate workshop in our back yard.
Do it! It is so fitting! Your studio – your light creation. I love the shape of the Capiz chandelier. Whatever you do it will be special!
Love your ideas….always brilliant! I did find the Ikea light, it’s calle Knappa and here’s the link below, best of luck to you and Matt!
https://www.ikea.com/kr/en/p/knappa-pendant-lamp-white-90284283/
welp…nix that comment ^^ the search had me located in Europe and the light has been discontinued in the USA so boooo on that, I love those cute pendant lights!
Go for it. I know that whatever you make will be miles above what you can purchase. It will be yours and no one else’s. Keep up the awesome work, I just love seeing how your studio is coming along. I am about a year out from the start of our workshop building. I am making notes on all the colorful things you’ve done, especially when I looked at some of my notes and saw that I had a lot of white spaces in it…sigh. I forget sometimes that the world has 24 billion colors in it, and I need to tap into some more of them.
So many choices in your search. I loved every one of the lights you researched. I went to IKEA web site to see what those were made of. Had to read a lot of the Q&A’s to finally find they are made of plastic. Still, any one of them would look great in your studio. Then when you thought of your supply of left over wooden tasting spoons from making your pinwheel….I knew your genius was popping in. Your spoon pinwheel is so unique and I think you could create a beautiful light using those spoons. It would be so Kristi.
Whatever you choose for your light will as always look perfect and fit right in your studio. Darn, I wish I had your talent.
You definitely have expensive taste because some were just gorgeous.
I also know that with your creative skills you will come in with one that is beautiful
My question is if this us a studio where you will be creating and building things aren’t you going to create a lot of dust that will end up on a delicate lamp. Don’t you need a lamp that is going to give you lots of light?
Can’t wait to see what you create
The Grimsas from IKEA gets my vote. I know you said it would be settling, but to me it looks exactly like the shapes of some of the flowers in the mural. At any rate, I know whatever you decide to do, it will be fabulous. I’m hoping for another unique DIY from you. LOVE LOVE LOVE the pinwheel you did!
Check out the IKEA lamp shade hacks online for inspiration. Love the spoon lampshade too.
Kristi, I’m happy that you think of making this a Kristi-project! While I totally understand you coming round to Ikea for bland cupboards and improving on them in your style, I for one, would be a bit disappointed to see one of their lamps in your gorgeous studio, as they are all over the place (at least over here in Europe you spot them frequently in homes, cafés and more). Of course I wouldn’t begrudge you the easy way if an Ikea object fitted your house just right, but your choice presented above of the Anthropologie shades already shows that there are so much more beautiful options out there. and if anybody can make this a DIY project that turns out way more beautiful than the original, it is you! I’m looking forward to seeing you do this and love to cheer you on!!!
Kristi, love the tasting spoon lamp shade. Many IKEA products are hacked. Check out the hacks for IKEA lamp shades for additional ideas to make them your own.
Your first choice that you show, when I first saw it, it reminded me of making flowers from plastic spoons and holding them over a flame so they make bends in the spoon. I know that you will probably make some magnificent. You sure find some beautiful lights.
Just one note, check the materials on all of these pendants. Some of them are made out of this plastic bendable thing, some of them may be metal… I’m trying hard to remember what the flower one from IKEA is made of, but I can’t. But maybe one of your readers can tell you?
Also, I remember seeing some flower pendant at some point, and it was red. None of the sellers you mentioned, nothing to show, I’d just like to point out the idea: Rather than have a white pendant, you could perhaps have one saturated colour. Would hold its’ own against the intense background (that white may not), but wouldn’t be as busy as the first photo…
I love the capiz (always have loved them), but the middle one looks like it has different colors under the white disks. I see that it doesn’t and it is just a light reflection, but at first glance, I thought it did and how fitting that would be in the room!
I thought the Possini light WAS the IKEA light. I think Karen at The Art of Doing Stuff has one over a table in her house. I don’t have the discretionary money to buy a new light every few years so I’d settle for a lighter shade or find a DIY idea and tart up the shade. I wouldn’t be thrilled dusting the pricey ones either.
I’ll add the Ikea Ramsele pendant light (day lily look) and the Ikea Skymningen Pendant which reminds me of a rosebud hanging down as it opens.
I too worry about your need for dusting some of the others after ever dusty project.
You will find or make the perfect pendant for yourself at the price you will tolerate.
That Currey & Co. light is amazing!! That’s the one!!
I could totally see myself making those spoons into a Pendant light that has movement to it similar to the Capiz chandelier. My creative juices are overflowing in my multi-visuon brain right now!
You’ll create something FAB!
Before I’d read the entire blog entry, I could see wooden spoons in a new creation! You have great taste!
Oh I can’t wait to see what you come up with!
I saw the Anthropologie light and thought, “Huh, that’s pretty pricey for something that looks like it’s made out of spoons.” Clearly you had the same thought, hahah! I’m sure whatever you make will end up being super interesting. Also, I do believe IKEA had lights similar to that at one point, but I don’t think they carry them anymore.
I love your Option 1, because it mimics the flowers in the mural. Either in white or gold, it would be stunning.
Love the floral pendant style and think it would be perfect style for over desk. However like others I am not sure if the studio environment is a good fit (dust wise) for an intricate physical design.
My favorite light is the Naomi Pendent. It is so feminine. What ever you make will look good. I think it should be white. I don’t think you will be happy with the patches of color on the cabinet door. You need to let the mural wall have the whole room. The wall in the bathroom might be ok patchie but I’m not even sure about that. Your eye needs to rest someplace just like busy fabric and then busy quilting on a quilt. I know you have thought about this because you have mentioned it in your blog.
You will make whatever work at least until you get tired of it.
Have a good week.
I think you wouldn’t be happy unless you tried the Anthropologie type shade. Let the tedium begin.