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Easy and inexpensive DIY orb chandelier

I am so excited to share my first DIY light fixture with you all today – a DIY orb chandelier!

orb chandelier pin with text overlay

I am even more excited that this amazing light fixture cost less than $20 and took less than an hour to put together. 

Now that is what I call DIY at its finest! Particularly since it is pretty darn similar to some much more expensive versions.

orb chandelier collage with prices of store bought versions

This post contains affiliate links.  See my full disclosure here.

Our new plank wall went a long way toward saving our foyer from being the ugliest room in our house. 

But as you well know, decorating often leads to a bit of a domino effect. 

As soon as there is one fabulous thing in the room, everything else looks so much worse in comparison.

And that is the story in the foyer.  The little brass lantern never looked great, but it really didn’t stand out amongst all of the other blah-ness. 

But next to the new plank wall, it was looking dated and all around hideous.  It had to go.

brass lantern before

I wasn’t sure what to do with it until I was shopping at Marshall’s a few weeks ago.

They had a bunch of decorative orbs in the home décor section for only $20 and as soon as I saw them, I knew one was destined to be a fabulous light fixture in my foyer.

(I have seen several of these at both Marshalls and TJMaxx, but if you aren’t so lucky, Amazon has several similar orbs.)

Most of the time when I start a DIY project, about a hundred things go wrong and by the time the project is finished, it looks almost nothing like my original idea. 

Fabulous, but nothing like I first pictured.  Happily, that wasn’t the case this time! 

Seriously, it is almost mind-blowing how easy this was to put together.

I knew I wanted to reuse the actual light portion of my current light fixture. 

I was able to very easily unscrew them and remove the outside of the lantern, leaving the guts of the light intact.

Deconstructed brass lantern

The next step was paint.  Guys, I didn’t even take the thing down from the ceiling first.  Really.

I used butcher paper and painter’s tape to protect the ceiling and hung an old sheet over the plank wall just in case.

painting a light fixture the easy way

Three coats of oil rubbed bronze spray paint and it was finished. (Before attempting to paint a light fixture, always remove the lightbulbs and protect the light sockets with tape.)

Once the paint had dried, I slipped my orb onto the light and hung it from the braces that formerly supported the lantern.

And that’s it!  I mean how much easier can it get!

Quick and easy DIY orb chandelier
DIY foyer

This DIY orb light is definitely more worthy of hanging next to that gorgeous wall!

Need some more DIY lighting ideas in your life?  I’ve got you covered:

How to make a super cheap hanging light

DIY hanging light 2

DIY Industrial Light: An Upcycled Lighting Project

Vintage Camera Nightlight

vintage camera lamp

Comments

  1. Kim {Pinspired Home} says

    That looks great, and I actually like it better than the inspirations pieces! Unfortunately, the previous owners at our house really loved “boob lights” – they’re everywhere! Since my husband really isn’t a fan of the drum shade fix that many bloggers are doing, I think I’m stuck with them for a while! :)

    Reply

    • Carrie says

      Thanks! Boob lights are the worst – we still have one in one of our bedrooms too. It is pretty hard to do much with them other than just replace them unfortunately.

      Reply

    • Meagan says

      I’ve seen people take sunburst mirrors and use the frame of the mirror around the boob lights… It adds something to the ceiling and looks wonderful.

      Reply

  5. Ashley @ musingsandoats says

    I love this! It looks like you paid some big bucks for it! You did a great job :) I would gladly put this in our house.

    Reply

  7. Christina says

    I absolutely love this!!! You would never guess by looking at it that it was so simple to accomplish!! The sign of a truly ingenious project. :)

    Reply

  9. Julie W says

    Love the “new” light! We have can-lights all over our 20+ foot ceilings, and I’d love to replace the foyer one with something like yours. I can toally pitch at $20-$40 idea to The Man. It’s the $299 price tag of the other light I liked that threw him!

    Front door? If you’re going to paint it, how about picking up on one of the gray tones of the plank wall for the inside, and hit the outside with that gorgeous aqua? A cheery greeting for your guests, and a soothing exit. :)

    Reply

    • Carrie says

      Thanks Julie! The $20 price tag is definitely easier to swallow. :) And I am definitely thinking along the same lines as you – I did paint the inside of the door the darker gray from the plank wall. Haven’t tackled the outside yet but aqua is a fabulous idea. Just have to see how it works with the brick.

      Reply

  11. Libby says

    I LOVE this! Have a very similar foyer light and have been trying to decide what to do with it without spending a ton. I love how you didn’t even take it down to paint…genius!

    Reply

    • Carrie says

      Thanks Laura! I actually just bought the orb looking just like that. It was in the home decor section of Marshall’s and is meant to be used on a table or bookshelf as decor. I’ve seen similar ones for sale at Target, Overstock, etc.

      Reply

  13. Pam says

    The new fixture looks fantastic! I love this idea, we actually have the same exact brass fixture in our foyer. Would love to upgrade the look. Would a 12″ diameter metal sphere be ideal for this look?

    Reply

  15. Meburke says

    OMG, I did the same ! I found an orb @Homegood’s $19.99 in teal,spray painted it a broze( hammered) added a cheap ceiling plate w chain (brass) @GW painted it hammered bronze,my son welded it together…now I need to pay an electrician to put it up in my kitchen bay..great minds think alike…I did a mock up one in large embroidery hoops ( Hobby Lobby) & it sits on an armoire in my liv rm.. Love orbs ! not paying those website prices….

    Reply

  16. ginger says

    LOVE it! I can’t wait to make a trip to Home Goods! Love the way you painted the fixture without taking it down. That’s working smarter, not harder.

    If you still need for color ideas, a rich gray would be beautiful. You could also hang a wreath on the interior size of the door. That would give it some pizazz.

    Reply

    • Carrie says

      Thanks Ginger! I am definitely for working smarter whenever possible – anything that saves some time! I did actually end up painting the door a medium gray but hadn’t considered putting a wreath on the inside – great idea!

      Reply

  18. Rocio Carlson says

    You are a genius! I’m looking for a specific style of chandelier/orb and you just gave me the perfect idea. Thank you!

    Reply

  19. Debra Holland says

    Great lamp update. I think you should paint your door the pale turquoise to match your wall, which, by the way, I love. I’m not into the reclaimed wood look, but I like the pale colors and blues of yours. I could see doing that in my house.

    Reply

  20. LISA B says

    Thank you so much for posting this! Apparently I saw it a while back and saved it, but has no recollection. Recently I found it again and I realized we have similar light fixtures. As luck would have it a few days later I’d find an orb in Ross for $6, in the exact size I’d need.

    Reply

  21. Melissa says

    Carrie, your light looks amazing! I’ve been hunting for a DIY idea for our foyer lights and now I know what to look for. That’ll give me an excuse to go orb hunting! I love how you painted the rest of it while it was still hanging!!

    Reply

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