Just take into consideration that if you rent an apartment, this might be a fire hazard if it impedes the sprinklers.

I did a post on clustering chandeliers that featured oversized Chinese lanterns lining a small hallway; a great space:

http://www.atticmag.com/2010/05/clustering-chandeliers/

Allison Arnett
Shopping Editor
Atticmag

For full effect, these need to be combined with some taxidermy and a "Keep calm" poster

who has sprinklers inside their apartment?

@ particlebored
We've had paper lanterns in our home for over 40 years but we wouldn't be caught dead with 'keep calm' or taxidermy. (Or particleboard, come to that.)

We thought about doing this in our daughter's room but couldn't figure out how to terminate the multiple cords in a nice way. Any thoughts? The Maxwell how to uses a single light source with many shades, not multiple lights...

Oh particlebored, you sassy sasser! I love it.

I appreciate that this is in right now, but every time I see it it screams "Target-bought dorm room decor" to me. Just can't do it, sorry.

Lady J - I do. It depends on individual city/county laws, though, so not all apartments have them.

So very festive! I have noticed this trend at weddings, but never considered them for interiors. I think the look may be best suited for the loft shown above. Against the exposed brick, the lanterns are quite dramatic.

Cluttered Lanterns

lol @ ::particlebored::

In the movie 'Dare', there's a house that used paper lanterns as a room divider. They alternated round and square lanterns, and created an archway through the lanterns; dividing the Living Room and Dinning Room. It was entirely awesome!!! And very distracting, because I kept focusing on that, and not the action in the movie.

Would multiple paper lanterns help muffle sound? I'm trying everything I can for the nursery (carpet, quilts on the walls, etc.)

P.S. Lady J - I have sprinklers in my apartment. It's typical for a loft conversion, unless you decide to sacrifice height for a drop ceiling.

thanks for the education

Okay, the red ones are simply gorgeous.

I considered this idea awhile back, when I noticed similar displays in stores and design mags. But I didnt know what to do with all the cords? I would arrange the hooks how I wanted, but I didnt think the ensuing group of cords (albeit off to the side) would be attractive. I have a single paper lantern in one corner of my living room, at the moment.

I really want to do this, but when I tried to set it up the bulbs were resting against the paper, and that made me extremely nervous. I just had the standard IKEA setup, so maybe I need to buy some different bulbs or something.

Bad trend! No! No! Sit!

Hello Target-IKEA catalog! Trend over.
Agree with 'particlebored' and then some.

I think there's a big difference between the dorm-room vibe of cheap paper lanterns and the Noguchi Akari originals. We have three of them, asymmetric forms, rich tones in the paper and sweet warm light, hanging in a row in our hall. Love em. And nothing KeepCalmAndCarryOn ish bout em.

bemissblather,

How about a chandelier (chain) sleeve to corral all the cords? Like this:

http://www.thebellacottage.com/product_details.php?pid=1600&id=

You can find them in different colors if you shop around online. Or you could make one long one out of cheap cloth so that it covers the cords all the way to the edge of the ceiling. From there down to the socket... how about hiding them behind the curtains?

Agree with robBrooklyn. It's like the people who hate Eames fiberglass shell chairs because they look like school cafeteria furniture. The Noguchi shades are beautiful.