5 BRILLIANT IDEAS FOR DIY LIGHTING
5 BRILLIANT IDEAS FOR DIY LIGHTING
While everyone accepts the practical importance of lighting, few appreciate its infinite creative potential. Fortunately, you don’t need to be a bright spark to accomplish these inspired DIY lighting hacks, all easily achieved over a weekend and none requiring more than a few household materials, some shop-bought electric supplies and a basic toolkit. Upcycling never looked so good
1. Glass ceiling
A collection of Consol and colourful pasta-sauce jars are the essence of this deconstructed chandelier, which will make a striking feature in the kitchen, on the patio or in any other space where ample light is needed. Ensure your jars are large enough so that the bulbs do not touch the inner walls when inside. Trace the shape of your pendant-light socket onto the lid of each jar, then, using a hammer and nail, punch holes around the traced outline so that you can easily pop the inner ring out of the lid in order to attach the jar to your light-fixture.
2. Playing ball
Add a touch of rustic charm to an interior with these simple pendants, made from strips of super-flexible wood veneer loosely woven together in a circular pattern and affixed with wood glue. Use large clips or clothes pegs to hold together the glued strips until completely dry. For safety purposes, choose a low-watt bulb and position it within the ‘shade’ by fitting the socket through a square of cardboard which you then glue to the top of the sphere. Be sure to position the bulb in the centre of the shape to ensure it hangs level.
3. New world
Here’s an idea that’s literally earthshattering. Give an old globe a new lease on life by turning it into a pair of quirky pendant shades. Because most globes are made of card- or chipboard glued together as two pieces at the equator, they’re quite easy to ‘halve’ using a box cutter or Stanley knife. Trace around your light socket at the top of each ‘hemisphere’, then cut a hole around the traced circles with your knife. Insert your sockets, screw in your bulbs and pride yourself on having changed the world.
4. Carrying a torch
You enjoyed the wine; now why not enjoy the bottle too? These wall-mounted wine-bottle torches are easily assembled with little more than a length of wick (secured in the bottleneck with a copper coupling and Teflon tape) and some outdoor-lamp or citronella oil. Mount them on a fence, deck, tree, or even your entryway to add ambiance. To create the wall mount, use a copper top plate connector with a threaded rod and split ring hanger. For safety, the wick should never extend more than 2.5cm from the bottle opening.
5. End of the line
A simple white-painted wall bracket, a length of rope and a bare bulb make this shabby-chic lighting ensemble perfect for a vintage style bedroom. The ‘rope effect’ is created by wrapping a length of jute around the light’s electric cord. Tie a knot in the jute close to the socket and dab with a tiny bit of glue. Then start wrapping, pushing the jute downafter every few rounds to make sure it is tight and that no cord is visible. When you’re finished, cut the jute, leaving a tail of a few centimeters. Tie another knot, add a dab of glue, and wrap the tail, making sure all of it is secured with the glue.
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