Good Questions: What to Do with this Ugly Pendant Lamp?

Dear AT,

We have a fantastically ugly pendant lamp in our dining room that we are too lazy and DIY-ally inept (also, broke) to remove and replace.

Is there any way of covering this thing up that doesn't make our dining room look like a whorehouse or a dorm room? All I can think of are those Japanese paper lantern things, which we'd have to cut apart to fit it over this thing, and then sew (?) back together. Any suggestions will be welcomed with open arms because this thing is painful to look at.

Thanks,
Kristina

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Dear Kristina,

We really encourage you to just get rid of the thing you hate! For the tight budget, there are tons of really inexpensive options, and for the DIY ineptitude, most lamps will come with hanging instructions. As for covering the lamp with parts of a paper lantern? That seems way more complicated than just replacing it altogether with a paper lantern. We got ours at J. Toguri Mercantile, and it was both cheap and incredibly easy to put together. We're sure IKEA has a slew of options (paper or otherwise), too.

Anyone else?

Comments (1)

I guess the real question is what is your style? There a lot of things you could do!

For a modern deconstructed soft look you could just drape a large hemmed bit of linen or muslin or felt over it and pin it together (with a old-fashioned safety pin if you like the look). If you make it long enough it will even cover most the view from below as it drapes inward... So it looks sort of like a soft cone hanging from the chain...

You could also look at place mats- especially grass or twig ones. Put one or two end to end and wrap it around the outside edge of the existing shade so it looks like a hexagonal upright tube. Maybe attach a strip underneath if the bottom is still viewable from below. (Low enough so that it doesn't create a fire hazard). You could probably use electrical tape to secure it in place. (Which should be able to come off when you leave- you may need to use a little goo-gone to get any remaining residue off).

Or remove the glass part of the shade and zip-tie antlers all over it?! :)

More romantic look- rig a parasol so that it is hanging upside down under it. Chose a large enough parasol that no one really sees the actual light...

Or wire a lightweight (like a cheapo one from Target) milkcrate to the outside of the light fixture. (Run the wires from the top sides of the crate to the chain just above the fixture). Cover the outside and bottom of the crate with rice paper. So the light will shine through the rice paper where the cutouts are on the milk crate... Choose a milk crate with decent looking cutouts for a nicer look.

*Lots* of options...! :)