Tuesday, October 7, 2014

26 A Gem of a Chandelier

I recently found a new piece of artwork for our master bedroom, and it sprung the desire to revisit the room all together.  They always say that the master bedroom is one of the most neglected spaces in the home, when in fact, it should be the room that is considered a retreat and a sanctuary from everyday stresses. 

I am not planning on doing much, we have much bigger fish to fry in this house.  In fact, I am about to finish up our last dirty project which is the dreaded storage room, so the bedroom is just going to receive a few small tweaks.  A couple happy projects to keep me excited in-between sorting through tools and holiday decor.

To give myself a fresh take, a few weeks ago I emptied everything out of the room.  I took down the art and wall decor, cleared the clutter from all of the surfaces and put out our white comforter on the bed.  Just that act alone made the room feel so much more calm and relaxing and I have been enjoying the simplified state.  The first project on the list in the bedroom update was the chandelier.


We already had a chandelier hanging in our room, which we installed a few years ago.  It was initially from IKEA and we added a few shades to soften the look a bit.


Every time I looked at the chandelier, I thought about our dining room.  It didn't feel bedroom-like to me, but more formal like I should be eating a plate of spaghetti under it.  So I pulled off the shades and it was already much more romantic feeling.

Then, while window shopping during my recent trip to New York, I spotted a chandelier that had swooping strands of marble beads.  I have seen my share of beautiful crystal chandeliers, but I was loving the effect of the stone.  I initially thought I may want to attempt to replicate the look with white beads paired with grey nail polish to achieve a pretty marbleized look (like I did for my tray project).  However, I decided that the room needed a small dash of color and something a little more substantial than plastic beads dipped in nail polish.

After a lot of searching, I found these pretty gemstone frost mixed color amazonite beads on amazon.  They came in 15" strands and after measuring and math I determined I needed a total of 135".  That would give me five, 12" strands for between each light and five, 15" strands that would swoop to the top of the chandelier.


Once the beads arrived in my mailbox, I was giddy to get started.  The beads are beautiful quality, heavy weighted and have a gorgeous detail to them.


I began by stringing the beads on a .15 mm beading thread, giving myself enough extra thread to attach the beads to the chandelier.

To get started, we slightly disassembled the chandelier to give us a good location to string the upper strands of beads.


Once all nine strands were strung, I asked Bryan to drill some holes into the chandelier candle cups.


I then strung each 12" strand of beads between the candle portion of the chandelier.



I looped the thread around the candle cup a few times and then added a small dab of hot glue on top to really hold the strands in place.  None of this can be seen from ground level, so I didn't have to get sneaky about hiding any of the ugly stuff.

Bottom portion done.


To string the upper beads, I just wrapped the top thread around the bolts holding the arms of the chandelier.  They would eventually be covered by the canopy, so this was the perfect spot to attach things. 


I added a small bit of hot glue on each strand before buttoning things back up.


The beads are so pretty and now the chandelier feels so much more whimsical and romantic!



The stone adds a beautiful natural element to our space.  Makes me want to sing, "Swoop, there it is!"


Here is a view from below.


Aside from a few small purchases {like the art that inspired it all}, I am hoping to reuse many of the items from the space in new ways.  This little chandelier project was a great start!

Don't you just love when one new room accessory sets you into a tailspin of new ideas?  I will be sure to share the art when I get it framed and hung, as well as the rest of the tweaks we make along the way.  Toss in a storage room clean-out and it is sure to be a party around here!

26 comments:

  1. looks great! i think adding round frosted bulbs would modernize it even more! i love round bulbs on chandeliers!

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  2. Now I want a chandelier in my bedroom! Love it!

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  3. Wow I love this! I love all the wood beads added chandeliers but the color in this is so much better. Nice job! Thanks for the inspiration!

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  4. So creative Jen! And a classic case of "one thing leads to another". Happy bedroom updating!

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  5. Hey Jen- I know you have finished this project.. but would you consider painting the chandelier white?? I think it would give it a lighter feel and would echo the white paint trim on the wall behind you bed... just a thought. Love this so so creative!!!

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    1. Thanks for the suggestion! I will keep it in mind as the room evolves. I always love mixing and matching metals and having touches of black in my spaces, but I am not opposed to a white chandelier either. :) xoxo!

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    2. I agree. But I would pick silver or gold. I realize this is OLD though 😀

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  6. Gorgeous and fun! Thanks for the daily inspiration- your site always feels like a breath of fresh air. :)

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  7. Beautiful! But please tell me where you found that amazing ruler?! :)

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    1. Hi Andrea! The ruler is from Poppin. :) You can find them online, at Staples or at The Container Store.

      xo!

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  8. What a great idea! I always love reading your ideas - everything is so creative! Thank you so much for taking the time to share with us these thoughts and tips!
    :) Rebecca
    www.caravansonnet.com

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  9. This is so pretty. Isn't it something when something little snowballs into changing other things. :) We too added a new light fixture... a new ceiling fan (so much needed for a upper floor of a 2 story at the end of the heating run), replacing the old one as it was about 17 yrs old. I would of loved to do something different, more fun, but it is too hot in the summer. Still, amazing how much it changes things.

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  10. I love this! So beautiful and creative!

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  11. I love the natural element added! And I agree it looks much more like a bedroom light fixture now than a dining room fixture. Can't wait to see the other little updates you have planned! Our own master bedroom is sorely neglected, maybe I'll get some inspiration from your projects :)

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  12. Such à great idea! I was about to making painted wooden beams, but here you shown me à much easier and more beautiful way of doing achieving the same thing!

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  13. This looks amazing Jen! I never would've thought to add beads to a light fixture... Love the way you always think outside the box!

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  14. I think the beads made a whimsical, beautiful difference. It definitely looks more "bedroomy".... that took courage to drill into your chandelier. Not sure I would have the nerve... wish I did!

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  15. Well, I have to be honest...I don't care for it. I love everything you do, but not this one!! Maybe replacing the fixture is best bet! Love your white comforter! I have gray walls and had a gray quilt....wanted to try the gray/aqua/yellow combo. Then I switched to white quilt and pops of burgundy/mustard and white curtains. It TOTALLY brightened up the room and I LOVE it now!!

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  16. That's a great idea! The chandelier looks really unique and dreamy now. I can't wait to see everything else you're changing in the bedroom :) and the final stretch of the storage room! I love organized storage-only spaces (maybe because I'm unable to keep mine at bay, ha!)

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  17. I love this look. And I love that they are stone, that's one of those 'maybe I can't tell the difference but my mind will know' special details that makes for a little internal giddiness every time I look at it. Totally inspired and will be looking to do my own version for something.

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  18. Well aren't you just the most clever girl!! I love this!!! it looks so fun and pretty in your room...and I'm laughing picturing you taking the pic from below! ;)

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  19. I have been planning to do this to one or both of my chandies! Great job girl!

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  20. Sorry, but don't love it at all. You did a great job, but the look is way off. Sorry, love the blog

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  21. What a great idea. Love the beads and the end result!

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  22. This is SO gorgeous! Those beads are amazing. Love how this turned out!

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