How to inexpensively repurpose a builder grade mini pendant light with industrial style.
Happy Monday, friends! I have about three projects going on at once today. I’ve hit total beast mode to knock out several things that have just been sitting and waiting on me to finish. You’ll see a couple of them later this week.
I realized it’s been a while since I posted a builder grade light re-do. If you are new to following my DIY insanity, I’ve made it my mission to personalize every builder grade basic light fixture in our house…at least the downstairs for now.
My style isn’t for everyone, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with simple lighting. But for our home, the hubby and I wanted something with more interest, and the one I’m sharing with y’all today is definitely not your average cookie-cutter suburban light fixture. I know there are other bloggers out there who have shared their versions of industrial style lights, so it’s nothing new under the sun. But I’m stoked to have one for myself!
I have a mixture of styles that I love- farmhouse, French country, industrial- and I try to keep them balanced and working together in our space. (Do you find yourself in that struggle too? I blame Pinterest.)
Since I had most of the materials I needed already hanging out in our garage and four light fixtures still left to makeover in our kitchen, I decided to go for it with our bar pendant lights. And this one was super easy!
If you want to try it out for yourself, here are the materials I used:
Since I had two fixtures, the total ended up being just under $10 for each light.
Here’s what we were dealing with before. Nice, simple, but just not us.
I had a can of leftover (and my favorite) Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze spray paint and primer. So I taped off the electrical parts on the fixtures and sprayed two coats.
Even though I planned to wrap them in rope, I went ahead and sprayed the rods too just in case any peeked through.
I let the light fixtures dry for a full 24 hours before the next step.
Then, using high temp hot glue, I wrapped the sisal rope tightly around the downrods of the pendant lights. It was tedious but worth it!
Each light took about 30-40 minutes to wrap. The beginning is a little tricky to get started. Hold the rope in place for the first few wraps around the downrod, and apply about a dime size of hot glue for each wrap around.
I held the end in place until the last bit of glue was completely cool.
The lamp guards screwed right in place above the bulb and that was it! I used Edison bulbs to give it a more vintage look too. They give off a yellowy light that I’m okay with in person, but it doesn’t translate very well to photos. They are rustic industrial fabulosity though. 🙂
Tomorrow, I’ll be sharing a knock-your-socks-off fall recipe. If you follow me on Instagram, you might have already seen a sneak peek of the epic main ingedient. 😉 I just pulled it out of the oven and oh…my..heavens.
If you liked this post, check out these other light fixture DIYs too. (Just click the image to find the project details.)
Oh goodness. I don’t remember. I’m sorry. But I think a 25 ft spool did the trick for both lights. Usually 25, 50, and 100 ft increments is what they’re sold in.
Lauren – LOVE your blog. You have given me so many great ideas including these pendant lights which I copied in our house. The builder installed almost the identical pendants that you had so I took off the shades and spray painted them as you did and added the cages from Amazon. They look so much better. Your new kitchen looks amazing!
That is so great to hear, Gillian! Yay! The best part is if you ever get tired of the cages, they’re so easy to remove too and change out with something else. 🙂 Thanks for the love!
These are fantastic!!!! I recently just bought my first home. I have some updating/remodeling I have to do and your home is an absolutely inspiration for ideas! ❤️
I was wondering where it is you found the lamp gaurds?
Yay! I’m so glad to be a source of inspiration, Samantha! Congrats on your new place. 🙂 I got the lamp guards on Amazon, if I’m remembering correctly. They’re only around $5 each.
I have stalked all your light fixtures. How do you take them off of the wire? I have tried to take a fixture off and it seems COMPLETELY attached. Is that the case? What am I missing? Please direct me to a good website!
Yay! Stalk away, Lydia! That makes me happy. Haha! As for removing a fixture, here’s a good article to follow: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-to-remove-a-light-fixture-176020 Of course, be sure to turn off your electricity, and if you need to, it might even be a good idea to hire a professional just to make sure it’s done right. I’m all for DIY, but if you don’t feel comfortable, don’t push yourself too far.
Hi, Pam! You commented this on my pendant lights but did you mean to post this on the mason jar light post? As for the mason jar light, I haven’t had any issues with heat building up, but it’s in our powder room where the light isn’t on for very long. Mason jars are traditionally used at boiling temperatures for jellying/canning, so we haven’t had issues with heat. Our light bulbs have been going strong for a year in the fixture since we installed it, so it’s been great. 🙂
Oh I missed this post!! I just ordered these light wire covers from Amazon–been wanting to do this for months–and finally got my hubby’s agreement. I’m one to mix things up. Im a bit defiant at times. I want to take off the white shade covers from our over our table five light fixture but these will be placed upwards not down. I have huge beveled chandelier crystals with rubbed on antique gold edges that I will hang from arms of the now looking more like a chandelier light fixture. The crystals are shaped in a free form styled oval/curved/pointed sides shape. Put with the industrial look of the wire cages makes me excited to try it!! I’m not out but $32 to try a unique look for me!! I love your idea. I love this rustic charm look!!!
Pinterest is definitely to blame! I have stalked your blog enough for today but I will definitely be back. Would love to turn my builder grade lights into this magnificence! http://www.marriedlifewiththemrs.com
Oh gosh! The light fixtures you created are just simply amazing. Your aesthetic and style just blew me away. Thank you for sharing all your great DIY projects, which are a great way of spreading beauty to homes everywhere. Happy Halloween, y’all!
Just gorgeous! I love your style. I can’t believe these started out so generic. I would have never thought to change them like this. Great work. Thanks for sharing at The Handmade Hangout. Featuring at Redouxinteriors tonight!
Wow! I am so glad you decided to get into “beast” mode! Now, this was a terrific project…you did a wonderful job and thank you so much for sharing the instructions! Love it! Leticia
Thank you, Leticia! And I just realized that phrase is probably really weird outside of the context of our house. My husband always says he’s in “beast mode” all the time when he’s cooking some intense recipe or working really hard on building something. Haha So glad the instructions could help.
Love not only your light fixtures, but also the wall decorations behind. Where did you find all those goodies, like the giant key? I’m glad you mentioned the color of the spraypaint, cause it’s just the color I need to spray a few things around here. My husband loves industrial/steampunk and I love Pinterest too! Now, if I can just get him to help me paint the living room!
Thank you! I’m so glad you like it! That spray paint really is great and eliminates a step since the primer is mixed in. I found the giant key on the clearance aisle of Target. The metal EAT letters are from Target too. The other keys are from Hobby Lobby and I found the clocks from all over- mostly from Garden Ridge if I recall.
Thank you, Shambray! That’s a huge compliment! It’s always a love/hate relationship with Pinterest, isn’t it? So many gorgeous things- it’s hard to pick what defines “you”.
Do you know about how many feet of rope you used for each light? I only have one light and don’t want to over/under buy. Thanks!
Oh goodness. I don’t remember. I’m sorry. But I think a 25 ft spool did the trick for both lights. Usually 25, 50, and 100 ft increments is what they’re sold in.
Lauren – LOVE your blog. You have given me so many great ideas including these pendant lights which I copied in our house. The builder installed almost the identical pendants that you had so I took off the shades and spray painted them as you did and added the cages from Amazon. They look so much better. Your new kitchen looks amazing!
That is so great to hear, Gillian! Yay! The best part is if you ever get tired of the cages, they’re so easy to remove too and change out with something else. 🙂 Thanks for the love!
These are fantastic!!!! I recently just bought my first home. I have some updating/remodeling I have to do and your home is an absolutely inspiration for ideas! ❤️
I was wondering where it is you found the lamp gaurds?
Yay! I’m so glad to be a source of inspiration, Samantha! Congrats on your new place. 🙂 I got the lamp guards on Amazon, if I’m remembering correctly. They’re only around $5 each.
I love you!
I have stalked all your light fixtures. How do you take them off of the wire? I have tried to take a fixture off and it seems COMPLETELY attached. Is that the case? What am I missing? Please direct me to a good website!
Yay! Stalk away, Lydia! That makes me happy. Haha! As for removing a fixture, here’s a good article to follow: http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/how-to-remove-a-light-fixture-176020 Of course, be sure to turn off your electricity, and if you need to, it might even be a good idea to hire a professional just to make sure it’s done right. I’m all for DIY, but if you don’t feel comfortable, don’t push yourself too far.
Does the heat build up inside the jars?
Hi, Pam! You commented this on my pendant lights but did you mean to post this on the mason jar light post? As for the mason jar light, I haven’t had any issues with heat building up, but it’s in our powder room where the light isn’t on for very long. Mason jars are traditionally used at boiling temperatures for jellying/canning, so we haven’t had issues with heat. Our light bulbs have been going strong for a year in the fixture since we installed it, so it’s been great. 🙂
Oh I missed this post!! I just ordered these light wire covers from Amazon–been wanting to do this for months–and finally got my hubby’s agreement. I’m one to mix things up. Im a bit defiant at times. I want to take off the white shade covers from our over our table five light fixture but these will be placed upwards not down. I have huge beveled chandelier crystals with rubbed on antique gold edges that I will hang from arms of the now looking more like a chandelier light fixture. The crystals are shaped in a free form styled oval/curved/pointed sides shape. Put with the industrial look of the wire cages makes me excited to try it!! I’m not out but $32 to try a unique look for me!! I love your idea. I love this rustic charm look!!!
Ooh that will look really cool! So different! I hope it turns out well! I’d love to see pictures when you finish it.
Hey Lauren,
These are very awesome looking pendant lights ..I really liked them.
Thanks for sharing …
Pinterest is definitely to blame! I have stalked your blog enough for today but I will definitely be back. Would love to turn my builder grade lights into this magnificence!
http://www.marriedlifewiththemrs.com
Stalk away, Tasha! So glad you’re here. 🙂 And yeah, always blame Pinterest. Haha
Oh gosh! The light fixtures you created are just simply amazing. Your aesthetic and style just blew me away. Thank you for sharing all your great DIY projects, which are a great way of spreading beauty to homes everywhere. Happy Halloween, y’all!
Eleanor Roy @ Douthit Electrical
Love this! Where did you get the light guards? Your link didn’t work 🙁 Pinning 🙂
Oh darn! Fixing it now. You can find them on Amazon or in most home improvement stores. They will set you back about $3. Thanks for pinning!
Just gorgeous! I love your style. I can’t believe these started out so generic. I would have never thought to change them like this. Great work. Thanks for sharing at The Handmade Hangout. Featuring at Redouxinteriors tonight!
That’s a HUGE compliment coming from you, Charlie! I love your style too. 🙂 Thank you so much for the feature!
I love these lights! Awesome job! following from wellnessandfamily.blogspot.com
Thank you, Jamie!
Wow! I am so glad you decided to get into “beast” mode! Now, this was a terrific project…you did a wonderful job and thank you so much for sharing the instructions! Love it! Leticia
Thank you, Leticia! And I just realized that phrase is probably really weird outside of the context of our house. My husband always says he’s in “beast mode” all the time when he’s cooking some intense recipe or working really hard on building something. Haha So glad the instructions could help.
ahh restoration hardware, so dreamy. I can’t believe what an awesome hack this is! way to go! I’d love you to share it at our Outside {the Box} link party! http://www.carissamiss.com/2014/09/outside-box-link-party-no-2.html
Thanks, Carissa! Already one step ahead of you. It’s already linked up. 🙂
wow, you are incredible!!!! PINNING
Yay! Thanks, Christine! That means so much to me.
Wow. Crazy good up-cycle! Pinning that one and the other ones in your post. Love it. Would love to have you link up with us at The DIY’ers! http://biggerthanthethreeofus.com/the-diyers-16/
I’ll head over there and link up! Thanks, Ashley!
Love not only your light fixtures, but also the wall decorations behind. Where did you find all those goodies, like the giant key? I’m glad you mentioned the color of the spraypaint, cause it’s just the color I need to spray a few things around here. My husband loves industrial/steampunk and I love Pinterest too! Now, if I can just get him to help me paint the living room!
Thank you! I’m so glad you like it! That spray paint really is great and eliminates a step since the primer is mixed in. I found the giant key on the clearance aisle of Target. The metal EAT letters are from Target too. The other keys are from Hobby Lobby and I found the clocks from all over- mostly from Garden Ridge if I recall.
Great update! Thank you so much for sharing at the Twirl & Take a Bow Party! Have an awesome week!
Leslie
House on the Way
Thank you! Same to you!
Another fabulous update! Love the rope {hope your fingers didn’t get too burned}!
~ Ashley
Thanks, Ashley! I managed to escape this project unscathed. I can’t say the same for the chandelier I did about a month ago though. 🙂
I love your style. I blame Pinterest too! These look amazing!
Thank you, Shambray! That’s a huge compliment! It’s always a love/hate relationship with Pinterest, isn’t it? So many gorgeous things- it’s hard to pick what defines “you”.