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DIY Foyer with Glass Chandelier. AKA Bubble, Bubble, Toil and Trouble

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It is no secret that I have a huge soft spot in my heart, and a massive hole burnt into my wallet, thanks to my love for lighting…particularly chandeliers. We bought our home in the country, about an hour outside of DC, almost exactly one year ago. When we toured the home with our realtor before we bought, I remember walking into the foyer and knowing exactly what fixture I wanted to put in the space.

These pictures of glass chandeliers from Houzz were inspiration:

Contemporary Entry by Fairfax Photographers Jim Tetro

 

 *This post contains affiliate links. Please read my full disclosure policy HERE*.

 

Sure enough, the first thing we bought for the house was this bubble glass chandelier.

MY OTHER PROJECTS

Here was the foyer BEFORE:

Dark wood, white trim, bubble chandelier foyer makeover at heatherednest.com

And here we are in the midst of the update. We rented scaffolding, painted the walls and moulding.

Dark wood, white trim, bubble chandelier foyer makeover at heatherednest.com

 

And removed the old entryway chandelier, to make way for the new bubble glass light fixture.
Dark wood, white trim, bubble chandelier foyer makeover at heatherednest.com

 

Truth be told, I don’t feel like this space is *quite* finished yet, but it’s coming along. Because I blew our budget on the chandelier, the rest of my grand scheme, like to-die-for elaborate mouldings is going to have to wait a while longer. But here’s the progress…
Dark wood, white trim, bubble glass chandelier foyer makeover at heatherednest.com

 

shop-this-space

(we’ve linked to all exact items if available, and similar items for things like thrift-scores and DIY projects)

 

The walls are painted in Benjamin Moore “Nimbus”. We decided on a modern entry/sofa table with chrome legs, and a tri-color cowhide rug.
Entry table and bubble glass chandelier foyer makeover at heatherednest.com

 

The lamps were purchased at Homegoods, and the mirror from Etsy.
Dark wood, white trim, bubble chandelier foyer makeover at heatherednest.com

 

The settee was found on Craigslist, and I re-upholstered it in burlap.
Cowhide rug, glass bubble chandelier foyer makeover at heatherednest.com

 

It was one of my first attempts at re-upholstery. I love it in this space because it’s neutral, which makes it easy to change the look with pillows and what-not for the seasons.
burlap settee with nailhead trim, bubble chandelier foyer makeover at heatherednest.com

 

You should see what this piece looked like before.
Dark wood, white trim, bubble chandelier foyer makeover at heatherednest.com

 

It’s a pretty big change.
Dark wood, white trim, bubble chandelier foyer makeover at heatherednest.com

 

The floors and staircase were repainted and refinished.
Dark wood, white trim, bubble chandelier foyer makeover at heatherednest.com

 

We love the chandelier, but here’s the trouble…how the heck do you clean this baby? Being the completely impractical, “form over function” person that I tend to be, I hadn’t really thought about that prior to buying it. This light is made up of individual strands of glass bubbles. It’s pretty fragile.

 

SO, after months and months of trying to think of some scheme OTHER than climbing up a 12-14′ ladder and cleaning each bubble individually, that’s EXACTLY what I had to do…

Dark wood, white trim, bubble chandelier foyer makeover at heatherednest.com

 

Not so much fun. AT. ALL.
Dark wood, white trim, bubble chandelier foyer makeover at heatherednest.com
But, it’s a very pretty light…until once again, I have to clean it…then this thing is going back on my $%^&-list.
Dark wood, white trim, bubble chandelier foyer makeover at heatherednest.com

 

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Popular foyer design check out this modern farmhouse foyer with glass bubble chandelier & cowhide rug

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Comments

    • Yeeeeaahhhh….. GORGEOUS chandelier…. pigs would be flying up there to clean before I would. lol Maybe the manufacturer has some insight… suggestions… on how to keep it clean. It looks like a dynamic wind chime too.

      Reply

  4. Absolutely gorgeous fixture! and I know what you mean…cleaning lighting is one of my least favorite chores. I think I am going to start putting it on my christmas wishlist for my children to gift to me!

    Reply

  6. So gorgeous! The entire space is stunning! Definitely pinning this for your paint color too. Tall grand ceiling are gorgeous until cleaning/painting and then you want to curse every inch of it. 🙂 Thanks for linking to Craft Frenzy Friday. One of my faves!

    Reply

  16. The light is absolutely gorgeous! But you are a braver soul than I am — I have trouble on a 10' ladder! My hubby would take one look at that, realize that he would be the one to clean it, and simply say "NO!"

    Reply

  18. I think that there is a product for prisms that you just spray on or dip and let dry. It wouldn't save you getting up high but you didn't really go into detail about the actual cleaning technique. Covering the floor might be in the plan if you find the spray/dip and removing the lights too. Not sure about the electric part though.

    Reply

      • Many, many moons ago I read a post from Martha Steward where she had a tip for cleaning chandeliers. Cover floor with drop cloth (plastic?), fill a spray bottle with ammonia and water and spray the prisms. In theory the dirt should ‘drip away’. Not sure how that would work in your case because your prisms seem to lay flat but it’s worth a shot. ( can probably ‘google’ her cleaning tip for exact parts ammonia and water.) Love that rug!

        Reply

  27. We are building a home & this is the chandelier I've been looking at on Houzz. So glad I came across your blog on Pinterest. Your foyer, especially the chandy, look amazing. Just wondering, what are the dimensions? I"m trying to figure out what length would be appropriate for a foyer similar to yours in height.

    Reply

  30. Your light is absolutely stunning and it really transforms your foyer along with the staining of your floors and bannisters. I've tried the spray on cleaner for lights and it doesn't work so don't waste your money. I would imagine you're in the same boat with having to clean that window in the picture too. Just have to get it done when needed. The beauty of your piece is worth any problems it may cause! I'm visiting from Project Stash!

    Reply

  35. That light fixture is perfection, and it has be itching to finally splurge and change out the chandeier in our two story entry way (a project that's been on my list for 6 years). Thanks for linking up at The Creative Circle!

    Reply

  39. I have several crystal chandeliers and sometimes have to take them apart to clean. But other times I use a spray to clean chandeliers. You spray it on and it works! Guess you would still need a ladder and of course you need to spread plastic or towels on the floor below. I got it off Amazon. I think it is called Bright.

    Reply

Trackbacks

  2. […] Understand where the fire in my belly came from to make a change? I was either going to go all 80’s Talking Heads and start “burning down the house” or we were gonna “fire it up” Busta Rhymes style and figure out how to paint this beast baptism-by-fire-style. Before I painted the brick though, we painted the walls, the trim, changed the ceiling fan to a big ole chandelier. I have a weakness for chandeliers. […]

    Reply

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