Very impressive. Kevin sent us in this photo of a Tree Branch Chandelier that he made himself for under $35. Inspired by a recent Met Home spread and some available Eucalyptus branches, he put the project together quite creatively...
Here is how Kevin describes the process:
- Chose the branches I liked
- Cleaned them up by removing all the little twigs that werent attractive
pulled of any loose bark
- Placed the branches on my dining table so that when I stacked them I could do it to match the table, and the bottom was "flat" when it was hung
- Screwed the branches together - first drilled a pilot hole - and used small "bullet" head wood screws
- Bought some lamp cord, small candelabra sockets, some 1/4 IP nipple, and a light canopy at Cliff's Variety hardware store here in SF (any good hardware store would have the parts)
- Drilled a shallow hole a little smaller than the 1/4 IP nipple and twisted them in to the hole
- Wired the all the candelbra sockets together ("daisy chained") and screwed them onto the nipples
- Covered the sockets with plastic candelabra "candle" covers
- Suspended the whole thing using thin plastic-coated cable....the hanging wires were passed through 2 small pulleys and attached to the light in four places so I could balance it back and forth to get it level.
- Ran the electrical to a canopy I bought...connected to the "daisy chain" on the lamp with small wire nuts, and hung it up
The whole thing cost me $35 in lamp parts from my local hardware store and about a couple of hours to make!
We think it looks amazing - nice job, Kevin and congrats on the new chandelier!
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His place looks fab. Maybe the next AT tour? :)
Sweet. And then I could hang Christmas lights on it....
What a beautiful and creative solution!
He MADE that? Wow.
Gorgeous!
i was gonna find a branch and stick it a vase and hang some dangly snowflakes on it. this trumps that.
Nice!
Reminds me of the more elaborate ones seen at Bugaboo Creek Steak House restaurants. (Might be New England, only...) This one is more sleek, though.
wow, you did an amazing job...thanks for the tutorial!!
Hi Guys, this is Kevin who made the chandelier, thanks for all your kind comments...if you have any more detailed questions on how I did it, I would be happy to answer!!!!
Wow, fabulous job, I love it! And I would love to see more of the house as well. I'll be linking to this in today's Daily DIY.
I know Kevin and he does amazing things with minimal resources.
Kevin, can we get a close-up? I'm very visual and i'd like to see more of your contruction up-close.
BTW, this is beautiful!
Nice. I am not much of an electrician...is it hard-wired? If so, how?
I would love to post a close-up...I can take one tonight...I am not sure how to do that, I think I have to send it through AT?
Hi JOliver, yes it is hardwired. There is a lamp cord (bought at your hardware store by the foot) that is wired to each candelbra socket (also sold at your hardware store), and then run up one of the support wires. The wires are then attached to the power feed inside the ceiling box, just like any chandelier would be, with wire nuts.
Just lovely, Kevin. You're brilliant. I'd like to try a mini version for the bedroom and paint it either silver or white , maybe add some fairy lights. Any suggestions on doing this in a spot that can't be easily hardwired? There are no existing ceiling fixtures and although I know it's possible to connect it to the wall sconce somehow, that seems beyond my abilities. Any advice? Thanks!
This is stunning and so creative...I've been a branch collector/decorator all of my life...seems I can't resist them! Will definitely try this. Thanks for explaining your method.
This is gorgeous. Wonderful job!
My oh my....more more this is making me feel so good today. To answer your question Lili...yes you can make this for a room with no electrical box. You would get a long enough lamp cord to travel across the ceiling and down to an outlet. Get a plug end you can install yourself at the end of the cord. They have them at the hardware store. Staple the cord to the ceiling and along the wall, or to a corner of the room and down the corner. There are many kinds of staples that are made for this, I prefer the staples that have a plastic part on it to protect the wire. There are also "staples" that are all plastic with self adhesive. Make sure you get a cord that will blend in with your wall and ceiling color or paint it afterword. I prefer the lamp cord that is clear, is it blends in the best. Remember to get an inline switch to install on the cord somewhere. They have ones that can dim as well. Lights should always be dim-able, in my opinion. Also, let your wood dry out and prime it well before painting....
Yes, detail photos please!
Okee dokee....I will do some detail photos and post them to a website somewhere tonight...watch this post for the hyperlink
Kevin-
no need to post photos elsewhere...please send them to me and I'll put together a follow-up post...
Fabulous!
Kevin--would it be possible to do this with normal-sized Edison bulbs? (Obvs might need thicker branches.) I have an irrational dislike of candle-shaped bulbs...
I am going to do some closeups and further how-to's tonight and Janel will post them. Marfa, yes you can use edison light bulbs! There are cool ones they sell at Rejuvination http://www.rejuvenation.com/location17/templates/collection.phtml?accessories=Reproduction%20Bulbs
The only thing is you would have to use a regular, not candelabra fitting, as they are bigger bulbs. Hiding them with a fake candle may be a problem. You can find lots of lamp parts to design with at http://www.grandbrass.com.
Also, I actually looked at using edison bulbs on this, but the light output is rather weak for me, so I couldn't really use the chandelier for task as well as ambient.
Thanks, Kevin. I'm going to look for some nice branches on my morning walk tomorrow. Very cool!
This looks sweet, Im going to try it with some sntlers. We are going for home madfe antler sconces....wish me luck. Sweet tutorial!
Thanks soka! Love antlers! I think on Monday they are posting some close-up photos and a detailed schematic I did of how to make one.....
Here's a link to the tree branch inspired work that I do. These recycled content fixtures are made from salvaged aluminum.
http://cplighing.jalbum.net/newGROWTH
I love it. It looks like it would cost thousands of dollars in a boutique store.
Has the follow up been posted yet? I'd love to make this for my living room; detailed instructions would certainly be helpful for someone not so hot at "tool stuff". Keep up the great work!
Kevin... You rock! This is fantabulous...love it, love it, LOVE it! :) I stumbled upon this link while I was looking for where to get the branches from! I need some nice branch/es for one of my project. Could you tell me where can I find the branches? Havn't seen any in my neighborhood :( I called urban forestry dept & have left a message. Hopefully I can find some. But your chandelier totally made my day :)
Hi Kevin. I'm a freelancer for a national syndication service. I'm doing a story on using tree branches as decoration and I ran across this post. I'd like to interview you. Could you contact me at afiscruggs(at)yahoo(dot)com to schedule a time? I work for the Homestyle Weekly publication of Content that Works www(dot)contentthatworks(dot)com. Our clients range from publications in Pennsylvania to Colorado, so you'd get a lot of exposure.
What an original and creative idea Kevin. A perfect Fall decor project. I featured this in a recent post of table decor ideas for Fall at:
http://www.saffronmarigold.com/blog/a-fall-dining-table-setting-in-creams-and-golds/
Kamini~ Saffron Marigold
I did something similar to this but I draped the power cord across the ceiling and plugged it in. Really the only thing you would need different would be a 12 volt transformer. Love this idea! Let the creative juices flow.