I visit our local Restore pretty frequently (or 'obsessively'...) and I think I've yet to visit without seeing one of these horrible light fixtures.
Remember them from the 80s and 90s? A row of bare bulbs reflecting the awful tackiness of its surrounding brass glory? While I may be extremely grateful it no longer holds the title of 'fashionable', I was hard pressed to see what new purpose this fugly thing could serve.
I happened to have a few fabric chandelier shades that I'm also not crazy about.
They collect dust and just aren't my style. But the combination of these shades with the brass fixture and a little paint equal a totally new look!
Here's what you need:
* Brass light fixture
* Fabric chandelier shades - get as many shades as the fixture has bulb sockets
* Black spray paint and drop cloth
* Epoxy
* Cool vintage Edison bulbs (local home improvement stores carry these!) First, do a little demo work to your shades and get all that fabric OFF to reveal the inner metal cage. Bend the inner part that attaches the shade to the light until it snaps off.
Stuff each light socket with a piece of paper towel to protect the electrical connections from the spray paint. Spray paint the entire light fixture and each of the shade cages. Remove the paper towel pieces when the spray paint dries. Epoxy the smaller end of the cage and affix it around a light socket. Repeat for each cage and socket pair. Install your fixture - I've attached a small chain to hang the fixture so the bulbs face downward. I preferred this look to the standard 'attach to the wall' mounting. Place the Edison light bulbs into each socket for a cool, vintage industrial look!
