Coffee Filters, a Lantern, and a String Light Created an $8 Pendant That Looks Expensive

When Jennelle Mendes moved into her small Brooklyn apartment, she had to figure out how to live with some quirks. For example, there weren’t any closets (hence the multitude of dressers!) and, in the bedroom, the light switch was by the door and the attached fixture illuminated just a small part of the room. 

So, instead of shopping for a brand-new light fixture, Jennelle decided to make her own, and it wasn’t expensive or tricky. All she needed was a string light from Amazon, and coffee filters and a lantern from a nearby dollar store. Here’s how she did it.

Jennelle explains the simple process of making the pendant: She threaded the light cord through the lantern and then used a hot glue gun to stick the coffee filters to the outside of the lantern. I’ll literally never look at coffee filters the same! The way Jennelle scrunched the coffee filters makes them look flower petal-like.

“[I created] this really cool art piece that also functions as a lamp,” she explains. “That’s probably my favorite piece of furniture in this apartment because it feels really high-end and expensive, but it only cost probably $8 to make. That’s my kind of deal.”

Jennelle’s DIY light fixture, which cost less than $9, proves that you don’t have to spend oodles of money to get a unique light fixture. It reminded me of another inexpensive pendant project. Kayla Shannon, who also rents a colorful Brooklyn apartment, bought a best-selling IKEA lantern and draped a scarf around it to conceal the paper material and make it look one-of-a-kind. 

The thing is, these items are actually one-of-a-kind, which makes them priceless in my eyes. Shopping for pendants is definitely fun, but creating one from scratch using your creativity (or copying a clever idea!) is super-rewarding. To see more of Jennelle’s apartment and how she customized the space, visit the full House Tour.