A bubble chandelier for the living room

From the first time I laid eyes on a DIY for a bubble chandelier, I knew I had to make one. I believe it was the night I discovered Door Sixteen, and I spent the AM hours reading through her blog, bookmarking gray rooms and the instructions for this chandelier.

While I love the idea of a standalone chandelier, and I still might make one for my foyer, I really wanted this in the center of my living room. However, I have a ceiling fan, and I am not willing to give up my cool breezes and good air circulation for aesthetics.

The fan that was in the room wasn’t bad. It actually matched the room, with the silver tones and the cut glass. For a couple of reasons, I didn’t care for it. The cut glass seemed a bit dated, and the fixture threw light around the room in a one-dimensional manner, creating harsh shadows. This was enough for me to embarque upon my first electric adventure. I placed the order for the bubbles from CB2. They arrived, and then they sat in a room for a good year before I worked up the nerve to take apart the light fixture.

A couple of weekends ago, after taking apart the fan to adjust one of the blades, I decided this wouldn’t be too hard. I headed to Home Depot for a few more supplies: heavy-gauge wire, porcelain sockets, and a bit more electrical wire. Then I began the task of attaching the fishing line that would suspend the bubbles. While I started with 12 bubbles as the instructions stated, I ended up using 24 in this final fixture to get the look I wanted.

The wiring was a cinch. The hardest part of the entire project was removing a bolt on one of the fan parts that had apparently not been made for removal. A bit of cursing & WD-40 was just what it needed to finally begin to move.

Once the lighting was attached, I decided the chain pulls for the fan and light wouldn’t cut it with this new look. So I experimented with a bit of ribbon, which looked odd on its own. I ended up covering the top electrical components with a shell covered in ribbon to make it seem as if it belonged. How’s that for killing two birds with one stone?

I am so happy with the result! Now, instead of big shadows being thrown about the room (which you can’t tell from the picture below since I had to have such a long exposure in the room to get a decent picture), I have lovely orbs of light cast about the walls and ceiling. The ribbon helps add that extra bit of whimsy that I love having in this room.