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I’m spending any free DIY time to work on the staircase (new update on that tomorrow for Dueling DIY Tuesday), and a few scattered plans like my fun little light fixture project. Last time I posted about it, I’d only collected a handful of supplies (though to be fair, I did buy out the store’s entire quantity, they just didn’t have enough to complete it).
By the way, did you know that hardware stores have all sorts of light fixture adapters? Ones that turn a plug into a light, or a light into a plug, or both? There’s an entire aisle of this stuff at HD. I’ll admit I geeked out a little bit when I saw all of my options. I’ll never be without an extra light source ever again. But for this project, I stuck to socket adapters that split one socket into two (the Y-shaped pieces you see in the photo) and socket extenders (the black pieces) to keep things from being too uniform. After another trip to pick up a few more, the fixture is taking shape:
The temps here in Georgia are a little unpredictable lately (warm, then freezing, then springlike again), so I’ll be waiting for another month or so before giving this fixture a coat of paint. Until then, I’ll be playing with the various twists, removing, adding, etc. to see which way I’ll want each bulb pointing. You can’t really see it now (cough cough hot mess cough), but when it’s all painted in one solid color, it’s going to look kind of like coral. It’s one of those things were I think it’s going to look worse before it looks better. To give you some idea, here’s a shot of the original inspiration:
Be honest, is anyone surprised that it’s from a bar, and that I want to put something from a bar in my house? Yeah, didn’t think so.
(By the way, I announced the winner of the Ryobi giveaway – head back over to that post for the winner!)
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So…question: is it intended to give off any actual light?
It's really cute and something I might be interested in doing in my kitchen/DR, but at some point those tiny incandescent bulbs are going to be phased out, halogens burn one's eyeballs, and LEDs just don't put out enough direct light yet (although I'd definitely save enough on the “fixture” to afford the extra bulbs.) We like quirky light fixtures.
I like to be able to see what I'm eating (or drinking ;).
I'm planning on getting the small round bulbs from Ikea to see how much light it really gives off. Considering how many lights there will be, I think there will definitely be a considerable amount of light in the room. But I'm also planning on it for my study-o and will be using a desk lamp and a floor lamp in there as well, so I haven't been too concerned about the light it will give off yet. The fixture is inexpensive enough that it's worth trying for me (so I'm happy to be the guinea pig here). But definitely food for thought and I'll include that in the next update.
I'm slightly concerned about the amount of resistance in the circuit that is building up because of each Edison screw connection. This all means more heat and more opportunity for fire. Just a thought.
You bring up a good point. I'm planning on using low-wattage (11W) bulbs from Ikea because of the quantity. I'm also considering removing some from the current configuration just for aesthetic reasons (and it's a little heavier than I thought it would be). Definitely not thinking of using traditional Edison bulbs.
I've seen this project done on a few websites and on HGTV with no mention of a circuitry problems. Plus, the original idea came from a restaurant/bar, so I'm thinking that they would have to get something like that checked when they have multiples of these fixtures around. Regardless, I'm still planning on starting on the small side with low-wattage bulbs to be as cautious as possible.
As with any project, worry comes with the territory and you should always be cautious when dealing with electricity. I plan to follow up with some people who know more than me and I'll spill all the details in a later post.
I love it, we have been considering something similar for our dining room. But one question, what do you think the safety level is on something like this? Do you think the Fire Marshall would run screaming if he saw something like this? Or are we far enough advanced in technology that it wouldn't be an issue?
Sara, see above. Hope that helps.
The photo (from the bar) does make this project look like it could work! You crack me up with your reference to wanting the light from a bar in your house. Had I known I wish I could go back in time….to the day we were looking for a home to lease here in MO. before our home in VA sold. It seemed all the homes had the mini bars (hate them)but this trip (and it was a “trip”) beat them all. The very dated home had a mini bar (actual bar here not just a sink area with storage) with a mirrored back. BUT the mirror had a beautiful scrolled word painted across it…CHEERS. Ahh–where everyone knows your name. I blew it and high tailed it outta' there! Would this have been something for you or no? I'm guessing no.
Definitely a NO. But funny!
I just wanted to say that I saw something like this with cfls and it looked terrible. I thought oh no its that what its going to look like. When you mentioned it before I just couldn't picture it. Now I see what you are going for, and I cant wait to see the final project. I think its going to be pretty cool. This is why I love diy! So many different styles and ideas!