We all know how expensive attractive pendant lights can be. A client of mine, Elizabeth, took matters into her own hands, creating a lovely light from this inexpensive Ikea pendant lamp. The results are inspiring. Who knew that paper on plastic could look so polished...

Elizabeth craved a lovely, colorful pendant for her stairwell entry but didn't want to spend a fortune. She settled on customizing a shade with Paper Source papers, using the Ikea Vistofta Pendant as her skeleton.

Here's her process: "The shade is made of interlocking pieces of bendable plastic. I removed the eight different pieces, 4 thin, 4 wide, and spread them out flat. Then took glue from papersource ("PVA for Bookbinding and Paper Arts, 10.95 for a large jar) and spread it onto the paper using a sponge brush. I smoothed the paper onto the sheet of plastic, using another tool from papersource called a bone folder (approximately $7.95). It smoothes out any wrinkles or bubbles from the paper. Then I also used the bone folder to gently fold the extra paper over to the back side. I reshaped the plastic and reattached it to the lamp while the glue was still wet. It dried in place. It is hard to show in a picture how pretty it is when the light shines through it. And it could be made into any color scheme under the sun!"

I'm so impressed by how smooth and polished the finished product looks. Thank you Elizabeth for sharing this lovely idea and execution - well done!

Has anyone else done some Ikea light modifications?