20+ Bright DIY Light / DIY Lamp Ideas

20+ DIY lamp installation ideas…

Lighting. We all love it. Thank you, Mr. Edison. It lights up our life, and gives us hope, to carry on…

Biggest problem with lighting is the Benjamins (i.e. m-o-n-e-y) we have to shell out to light up those bulbs. But the thing is, SO many really cool, functional, unique light fixtures can be DIY’d.

And honestly, a good DIY light or DIY lamp or lampshade tends to be my favorite, anyhow. Not like your typical boob flush mount (don’t get me started), DIY lighting can brighten a space with tons of flair and personality, all for typically a MUCH lower price point.

Today, I’m sharing 20+ DIY lighting projects from some of my favorite places on the www…other fantastic DIY blogs.

And in a few weeks, I’ll share at least ANOTHER 20 fantastic DIY lighting projects because, well, you guys light up my life…you know you want to sing along, right? So awful it’s kinda good.

20+ bright DIY light / DIY lamp ideas

1. Fabric Flower DIY lampshade

Our blog tends to do a fair number of DIY light projects as well. Why? Mostly because we’re cheap.

One of our faves has been this fabric flower lampshade that lives in our “urban country” guest room. This is a super inexpensive way to dress up a standard, run of the mill drumshade.

All you need is some inexpensive, sheer-ish fabric, a glue gun and DON’T forget the circle cutter…TRUST me on that one.

 

2. Vintage Tin Can DIY Chandelier

Here’s another one of our very own. Our “can-delier”. We made this outdoor lighting from some outdoor rated pendant kits and vintage oyster and coffee cans, many of which came straight from my grandpa’s garage.

Not only do I LOVE this super unique, crazy colorful fixture, but every time I see it, outside on our almost completely DIY’d deck, I’m reminded of my grandparents…serious bonus points. Full tutorial here at The Heathered Nest.

3. DIY Rope Chandelier

This DIY light knock-off project by my friend Lauren at Bless’er House is a classic. She took a couple of inexpensive items…rope and a builder-grade/basic chandelier and created a knock-out. Little time consuming, perhaps, but easy, and TOTALLY worth the results, right?

4. DIY Lampshade…from a coffee cup!

This is one of my favorite DIY lamp projects ever. The brilliant blogger behind Creatively Living took…wait for it…a STARBUCKS cup, and turned it into a bright gold desk lamp. WHA???? I know.

5. Wood Slice DIY Lamp

Another genius, easy DIY lamp project that can save a BOATLOAD over buying retail.

Tasha at DesignerTrapped.com made this DIY lamp from wood slices that looks so similar to the much more expensive version available at hipster Anthropologie.

6. Sweater DIY Lampshade

Julie over at RedheadCanDecorate.com used an old cable knit sweater to make this fantastic DIY lampshade. I love it. This project is easy, and it’s been on my DIY to-try list for ages. I think this is the year.

7. Orb Pendant DIY Light

So this is one that a number of bloggers out there have tried. And the tutorials have a lot of similarities. Generally, these types of DIY lights are made from either a store bought orb of some sort, typically picked up in a home decor store, like Homegoods, OR, like this one, made from embroidery hoops.

I really liked this version, by A Crafted Passion because she chose to paint it that awesome yellow. Makes it standout and be seen.

8. Bubble DIY Light

Lydia of Pudel Designs made this DIY bubble chandelier from an IKEA lampshade. She’s a bright one. Oh, how I do love a good bubble chandelier. Maybe I should have tried to DIY ours! 

9. Upcycled 80’s Kitchen Fixture

Who hasn’t seen one of these standard mid-1980s kitchen chandeliers? They are a dime a dozen. Rather than pitching it, Lovely Etc. did an easy update, and now it looks fantastic!

It’s a great reminder that we don’t need to pitch things just because they look a bit dated!

10. Leftover Marble Tile DIY Lamp

Jenwoodhouse.com came up with a smart (and lovely) way to use some excess tile…a table lamp. Isn’t it pretty?

11. Microphone “Sputnik” DIY Light

This DIY fixture from Sarah’s Big Idea is amazing. Never would have thought of this one in a million gazillion years. She took microphones, painted them gold, and wired them together to make a sputnik style DIY lighting fixture. Sputnik’s are quite the rage right now, so the price tag can be pretty hefty.

This was such a smart, cool way to create the look. PLUS, she named the post “Gold on the Ceiling” which is a fave song of mine…and happens to be the name for our Pinterest board dealing with all things ceiling. So many things to love here, I’d say.

12. Mosaic Tile DIY Lampshade

Pretty Handy Girl has a different lampshade riff, and this is another great use for a bit of leftover mosaic tile, which you may have around your house if you’ve tried a backsplash or bathroom project lately.

Or, if you don’t happen to have some extra mosaic tile, you can grab a just one sq. ft of this material, in all different shades/colors/shapes, etc from Home Depot or your closest big home improvement box store…and they will typically cost about $10/tile or so.

13. Rustic Industrial Pendant DIY Light

Love Create Celebrate provides the building plans and full tutorial for how to make this lovely fixture. Such a cool addition to a dining room or kitchen space, right?

14. Ribbon Lamp/Lampshade

Shabbyfufu took an old lampshade she had on hand, and used vintage and other fun, feminine odds and ends to craft this precious DIY lampshade.

This could be used to top a desk/table lamp, or by adding an inexpensive pendant light kit which can be purchased at your local home improvement store, this lampshade can turn into a DIY pendant light, as well!

15. Thermos DIY Lamp

House of Hawthornes and myself share a love for big ‘ol vintage Thermos’. And I LOVE how she used one of hers to make this fantastic DIY lamp. What a great use for this vintage item.

16. Plug-In DIY Sconces

My Love 2 Create made these DIY lights from some garage sale fixtures she found for $1 each, some wood, and a couple chicken wire baskets she found at the craft store…and turned them into rustic gold! She shares the full tutorial on the blog.

17. Vintage Milk Glass Lamp Makeover

Do you have a couple of vintage lamps that belonged to your grandparents that you love and want to use, but they just aren’t quite your style? Did you stumble onto some great lamps at a garage sale that you need to do something with, but aren’t quite sure what?

Well, Ashley, from 3 Little Greenwoods had two fantastic hobnob milk glass lamps, but they looked a little worse for the wear. She cleaned them (she gives all the DIY details on the blog) and PAINTED the original shades, and VOILA! Picture perfect, and completely updated on a dime.

18. Painted Brushstrokes DIY Lamp

Very cool idea to personalize a lamp and make it really fit perfectly into your room…Windgate Lane shows how she updated a lamp with a little DIY paint job.

19. Antique Water Bottle DIY Lamp

Jessica from Petal & Ply took this lovely, large antique water bottle and made a gorgeous DIY lamp. Another great idea for a vintage piece.

20. Custom Lampshade

This is another DIY light project I’ve been wanting to try. Turquoise Home took a basic, inexpensive drum shade, and personalized it by using a different fabric.

I love the idea because it can take a light fixture to another level, and make it really fit in perfectly with a space.

21. Vintage Chandelier Update with Orb

Teryn of Vintage Romance Style melded modern and vintage together so beautifully by adding this DIY orb to a gorgeous vintage chandelier.

She shows you exactly how to make that great orb out of high tensile wire. I love the look, personally, since blending modern with vintage is one of my favorite games.

And there you have it. 21 gorgeous DIY lights, DIY lamps and DIY lampshades. And if this wasn’t enough, hang on to your pants, because in a few short weeks, we’ll be sharing another 20+ glorious DIY lights.

Why spend a fortune, when you can DIY this all this gorgeousness for the same look at a fraction of the price? DIY’ing your lighting is one seriously BRIGHT idea 😉

Pssst…before you go, I sure would love to hang out with you again really soon! Sign up now and get a FREE copy of “Builder-Grade To Beautiful: 10 Totally Transformative Home Decorating Solutions, All Under $100!” Click here or on the image below. Your copy will be sent right away!