DIY Geometric Light Fixture

Hello again!

You may have seen my post a few weeks back featuring some of my favorite light fixtures I used for inspiration for creating my own DIY light fixture. You can find that post here. I am happy to say I was able to use that inspiration to come up with a creative solution for a DIY light fixture for the nursery. I never did find a light fixture I thought was “perfect” for the nursery anyway, so creating my own worked out in the end. This was my first lighting project and I think it turned out great! No major disasters anyway. I would love to hear your thoughts!

I had two reasons for designing and making my own light fixture, versus buying one:

1. Cost: I didn’t want to spend $300+ on a light fixture for the nursery
2. Design and size: I wanted a hanging fixture instead of a flush mount and most hanging fixtures that I liked were too big and would hang too low, meaning my husband would hit his head if he wasn’t paying attention

I went round and round before coming up with a solution for a nursery-worthy, yet cost-friendly design. Once I stumbled upon this inexpensive Globe Pendent Light (which comes in several sizes), I came up with the idea to design and build something around it that would make a statement in the room, and wouldn’t be too complicated to build. And that ‘something’ was a simple, geometric cube I made out of wooden dowels, then painted white. I love the playful design and the allusion to childrens’ blocks. I also love the opaque glass (versus clear glass) because it gives a softer glow and so no one is blinded by staring directly at a light bulb. Here is the finished product, with progress pics below. I will share the rest of my design ideas on my next, and last, post before the holidays.

Supplies:

• Wooden Dowels: 4 @ 36 inches long x ½ inch thick (located in the trim section of the hardware store)
• Sea Gull Lighting, Hanging Globe 1-Light Pendent (8 inch size): http://www.homedepot.com/p/Sea-Gull-Lighting-Hanging-Globe-1-Light-White-Pendant-6018-15/203832089
• Clamps
• Wood Glue
• Drill
• Sander
• Paint (optional)
• Metal tubing (optional)

Steps:

1. Cut the wooden dowels to size:
   • 4 pieces @ 9 ¾ inches long
   • 8 pieces @ 8 ½ inches long

     

2. Use wood clamps and wood glue to create 2 squares. ***Be careful to use the correct size pieces in the right places to ensure you get a perfect square cube. You might have to put your long-lost math hat on for this one***

   

3. Once the 2 squares have been glued, use wood clamps and the remaining wood pieces to connect the squares with the remaining wood pieces.

   

4. Sand a flat surface on one corner where you will drill a hole for pulling the electrical wires through

   

5. Sand all edges and seams, and paint (if desired). I used a small paint roller and small brush to paint the cube the same color as the trim since I already had the paint. Spray paint would work too
6. On the flattened corner, drill a hole (carefully) big enough for the electrical wires to be pulled through. We started with a small drill bit and drilled a small hole, then increased the drill bit size until the hole was big enough to pull the wires through

   

7. After the cube was finished, we threaded the wires through the hole and installed the light fixture according to the manufacturer’s instructions
   • Note: We did use metal tubing to create a spacer between the cube and the top of the globe so the globe would hang centered within the cube. To do this, thread the wires through metal tubing before threading them through the hole in the cube
     

All in all, this project cost me under $75. The hanging globe fixture was $50 (for the 8-inch size), and supplies were about $25. I absolutely love the playful, yet modern design and I think it is perfect for a nursery.