Are you tired of the same boring design styles that you see everywhere in commercial stores? Light fixtures ought to add personality and character to your space, and those standard pendant lights do not offer the personality of the home, or the charm of your experience.
Customizing your home doesn't necessarily have to mean taking on a potentially expensive remodeling project; in fact, sometimes the most beautiful home transformations come from little small, clever projects. The best time spent on home improvement is time spent working on DIY home lighting decor.
There is no better way to inject individuality and flair into your rooms while watching your budget, than by performing a DIY lighting project. Home lighting decor encompasses all sorts of approaches, from repurposing kitchen utensils, to making thoughtfully considered and beautiful statement pieces.
This guide lays out five creative projects ranging from simple to a little more complex, to get you thinking creatively and turn on your imagination and brighten your home with custom lighting.
What Are the Benefits of DIY Home Lighting Decor?
DIY lighting is not only an initiative that will save you money, it is also a sustainable solution, an opportunity for personal expression, and a wonderfully creative outlet.
1. Your own Style and Customisation
The design process of creating your own custom lighting fixture gives you complete discretion to design the size, color temperature, materials and visual aspects of your fixture. Whether your home is decorated in a contemporary style or if you have an eclectic or traditional style of decorating your lamp creation will harmonize with your current design aesthetic while bringing some creative elements to the room.
2. Sustainable and Budget-Friendly
The majority of DIY lighting projects that are sustainable and affordable are designed to either utilize items that you already own or have on hand and/or use inexpensive supplies found in your neighborhood home improvement store. The principle behind DIY is that you can reduce your environmental impact and at the same time save a significant amount of money by making your own light fixtures instead of purchasing them at retail prices. Impressively beautiful DIY home lighting decor does not have to break the bank, it just needs your creativity.
5 Inspiring DIY Lighting Decor Projects
Lighting decor offers an exciting opportunity to express your creativity by utilizing Do-It-Yourself (DIY) approaches in the design and creation of arts & crafts projects to enhance your home/work place with your own personal touch, instead of hiring someone else to do it for you. However, be careful and always consider safety as your first priority whenever working on any electrical wiring project.
Any project involving permanently attaching lighting fixtures to electrical wiring (such as ceiling pendants) must have the installing company/individual use a proper pre-wiring kit and the installation of your light should always be done by a qualified electrician.
Project 1: Elegant Geometric Rope Pendant
The Elegant Corded Geometric Pendant project is an easy modern make-your-own lighting project. The focus of this project is a decorative, geometric pendant lamp made from thin jute or cotton cords, an inflatable balloon or exercise ball, PVA glue and an inexpensive electrical plug connector.
To make this lamp, you will need one piece of thin (cotton or jute) rope, one blown up balloon or exercise ball (of any size), polyvinyl acetate (PVA) glue, one pre-wired pendant lighting fixture and an appropriate LED bulb.
To build your lamp, inflate the balloon or ball to size, and place a mark at the top where you plan to attach the light fixture to hang it down. Soak the thin cord in a mixture of PVA glue and water. Starting from the bottom of the balloon/ball, wind the cord around in an inconsistent manner, leaving the area marked out to remain free with the exception of your light fixture opening.
Let the cord dry thoroughly (24 hours-48hrs typically) until you cannot bend it at all. Remove the balloon, and using your pre-wired fixture, feed the cord through the hole we made at the top. Finally, fasten the holder for the light bulb inside the thick rope shade.
Project 2: Industrial Copper Pipe Table Lamp
The combination of copper piping brings out a stunning, clean, industrial design, making this project an excellent way to create a stylish modern task light.
Items Required to Rebuild A Copper Pipe structure -Various length Copper pipes, Copper Elbows, T-Couplings, epoxy or Super Glue- for bonding/cementing and securing a soldering iron/saucer kit.
To build a 3D structure using T-Couplings and elbow fittings build a basic rectangle using Copper Pipes. Then build an arm that reaches skyward; you want to make sure all joints are well fitted and bonded using epoxy adhesive. Use the Decorative Cord to run through the copper pipe structure, with the Socket on top and Switch on the cord below.
Style: The lamp works well for a desk as an excellent Task Light, and can also serve as a beautiful accent on a side table.
Project 3: Vintage Book Spine Wall Sconce
This creative project for creating a DIY lighting fixture can add whimsy and elegance to your hallway or library with its literature-inspired design. To complete this project, you'll need the following: An unfinished wooden backlit wave, an assortment of older hardcover novels; A wall-mounted picture light; and some heavy-duty double sided tape.
By securing the wall light fixture to a wooden back piece. The next step is to arrange the book spines like a group of books on the wood back to hide any part of the back plate. Glue the books down with a strong adhesive and mount the wood back to the wall. The light provides a soft light that will give the book spines a warm and thoughtful appearance.
Project 4: Repurposed Basket Pendant Light
An ordinary woven basket makes a perfect pendant shade when you flip it upside-down. You will need a pre-wired pendant set and tools to cut.
Make a hole at the center base of the shade - slightly larger than the light bulb holder and pull the cord through the hole so it can be secured in place. This woven product creates an incredible ambient light that begins to diffuse out through the open weave. It has many different styles that will match well with a wide variety of decor, particularly for an Earthy or Beachy look to your Dining Table or Kitchen area.
Project 5: Wine Bottle Fairy Lights Display
Empty wine bottles can be reimagined as a creative and stylish light fixture for your home. To make this type of light fixture you need empty wine bottles (either clear or colored), fairy string lights and batteries in a cork shape , and optional materials such as decorative stones and/or sand. To add stability and weight for your light fixture (this step is optional), you can also add some stones/sand into the bottom of the bottle while building it.
When finished, insert the battery pack/cork into the top of your bottle after having inserted the battery inside the neck of the bottle. Be sure that the cork lines up tightly with the fairy lights inside and fits snugly in the neck of your bottle. When plugged in, the battery pack will illuminate the fairy lights inside your light fixture giving ambient light to all types of surfaces/areas where you would like some accent lighting.
Essential Safety Checklist
When creating a decorative lighting fixture, the aesthetic aspect of design is yours to determine; however, electrical connections must comply with current Electrical Codes and Regulations when being made.
1. Using certified components, always use qualified, factory prewired, then re-qualified, and installed kits, sockets, and cables that have been approved for use in the UK. Do not attempt to hook up older or damaged electrical wiring
2. Using low-heat, energy-efficient LED lights in place of traditional incandescent; while incandescent lights may produce high temperatures which present significant fire hazards when mounted or positioned too close to flammable materials, such as fabrics or ropes
3. Mains connected Fixtures must be hardwired or inspected by a qualified Electrician to meet the necessary Local Building Codes and Safety Regulations for safety reasons.
4. Weight requirements of your fabricated electrical luminaire require that the fixture is of light enough weight for the existing ceiling rose or junction box to safely support the fixture. Chandeliers that require considerable weight to be implemented require that the use of specialty bracing methods.
Conclusion: Lighting That Tells Your Story
With a Do-It-Yourself (DIY) Lighting Project, you can create beautiful products that not only serve a purpose but also allow you to showcase your personality through the art of customisation.
Each DIY Lighting Project offers an experience to create a unique piece that expresses your style, which is different from what everyone else has purchased in retail stores. With this kind of Do-It-Yourself (DIY) experience, you develop your techniques and skills in designing/building lighting products for your own use but also save money doing this yourself.
Are you looking to buy the safest, highest quality and highest reliability electrical component(s) for your next project?
Browse our selection of pendant kits, sockets, and LED bulbs at our online lighting shop to get started on your custom DIY home lighting decor today!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1. What is the main benefit of DIY home lighting decor?
- The main benefit is to inject individuality and flair into your rooms while being budget-friendly and a great creative outlet.
Q2. How does DIY lighting benefit sustainability?
- It is a sustainable solution because it encourages you to repurpose items you already own or use inexpensive, locally sourced supplies, reducing retail purchases.
Q3 What is the Elegant Geometric Rope Pendant project made from?
- It is made from a thin jute or cotton cord, an inflatable balloon/ball, PVA glue, and a pre-wired pendant light fixture.
Q4 What design style does the Industrial Copper Pipe Table Lamp fit?
- This project fits a stunning, clean, industrial design, making it an excellent modern task light for a desk or side table.