IKEA Hack: Easy DIY Pendant Lamp
My home office is very small and also happens to be in a rather dark corner of my apartment, so having proper lighting was very important. I considered a desk lamp but given how small my desk is, I decided to go with a pendant lamp instead. Since I didn't any more money in my budget to buy a lamp, I looked around my apartment to find something I could use to make one. I already had an extra IKEA HEMMA pendant lamp kit left over from another project and I also had an IKEA ALANG lamp I wasn't using, and that's when I got the idea to combine the two to make a pendant lamp. It literally took minutes to make and install!
First, I cut two pieces of wire, about 12 inches long, and bent them in half around the neck of the pendant lamp kit. Then I placed the wires facing each other, under the lip on the socket and twisted the wires together.
Next, I passed the cord of the pendant lamp kit through the hole in the middle of the lamp shade and twisted the 2 wire ends around the wire frame (this is to stabilize the lamp kit so it stays in place).
To hang the lamp, I used the hook provided with the lamp kit and an anchor. I used a plumb bob to make sure it was centered above my desk (I have a short 1 minute video showing tips on how to do this on my blog: http://www.engineeryourspace.com/quick-tips-for-hanging-things/).
I also added a light diffuser to hide the light bulb from below (I used a flexible chopping mat from the dollar store to make it). Since the light kit doesn't come with a switch, I use a dimmer switch that plugs into the lamp to turn it on and off.
This couldn't have been easier to do and the pendant lamp brightens up my office all day long, without having taking up any of my precious desk space! You can see more details on this project and other DIY projects I did in my home office on my blog, including how I turned my IKEA desk legs into a cat scratching post!
Want more details about this and other DIY projects? Check out my blog post!
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4 comments
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Looks great!
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Great idea and so pretty.
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Thank you!
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