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Easy and inexpensive DIY orb chandelier

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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

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47 Comments

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Comments

  1. Kim {Pinspired Home} says

    April 16, 2014 at 8:46 am

    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

      April 16, 2014 at 8:57 pm

      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
    • WylmaG says

      October 4, 2018 at 11:41 am

      Thank you. When I saw the orb idea I knew it was what I wanted in my foyer. Love it.

      Reply
    • Meagan says

      March 5, 2020 at 8:56 am

      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
      • Carrie says

        March 6, 2020 at 3:58 pm

        I love that idea!

        Reply
  2. Chaney says

    April 16, 2014 at 1:57 pm

    So smart to use a decorative orb! I would never have thought of that. It looks fabulous, Carrie!

    Reply
    • Carrie says

      April 16, 2014 at 8:55 pm

      Thanks Chaney! It worked out so easily too!

      Reply
  3. DIY Fun Ideas says

    April 17, 2014 at 1:08 pm

    Hi Carrie,
    Beautiful lighting update. I love it! Just thought I’d send a note letting you know I’m featuring this project on my site: http://www.DIYFunIdeas.com. It’s a site for really cool DIY ideas. The direct URL to the post is: http://diyfunideas.com/diy-orb-chandelier-for-20/

    Thanks so much for your wonderful creativity! ~Jenise

    Reply
    • Carrie says

      April 17, 2014 at 8:10 pm

      Great, thanks!

      Reply
  4. Karah @ thespacebetweenblog says

    April 18, 2014 at 7:57 pm

    Your light came out so great!! I need a new light for our entry, would love to DIY one. Thank you for the inspiration today!

    Reply
    • Carrie says

      April 21, 2014 at 12:33 pm

      Thanks Karah!

      Reply
  5. Ashley @ musingsandoats says

    April 23, 2014 at 2:37 pm

    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
    • Carrie says

      April 23, 2014 at 8:06 pm

      Thanks Ashley! You would definitely never know how easy and inexpensive it was by looking at it!

      Reply
  6. Alexis @ Persia Lou says

    April 28, 2014 at 1:29 am

    Wow! It looks SO great in your space. And I can’t believe how easy it was to put together! So smart. Thanks so much for sharing it with us at The Makers. :)

    Reply
    • Carrie says

      April 28, 2014 at 8:03 pm

      Thanks Alexis. I was surprised it was so easy as well!

      Reply
  7. Christina says

    May 8, 2014 at 9:21 am

    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
    • Carrie says

      May 9, 2014 at 6:01 am

      Thanks Christina! I was pretty shocked myself how easy it turned out to be!

      Reply
  8. Roxanne says

    June 2, 2014 at 9:35 pm

    I did the same thing with an orb from Home Goods and a fixture from an antique store, I’m still finalizing that post!

    Reply
    • Carrie says

      June 3, 2014 at 8:35 am

      Awesome! It is such a great way to get a great light fixture – can’t wait to see it.

      Reply
  9. Julie W says

    June 3, 2014 at 2:15 pm

    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

      June 3, 2014 at 8:48 pm

      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
  10. Roxanne says

    June 5, 2014 at 9:28 am

    Hi Carrie, check out my version of the same idea!
    http://thehoneycombhome.com/restoration-hardware-knockoff-chandelier/

    Reply
    • Carrie says

      June 5, 2014 at 8:21 pm

      Oooh, just went and checked it out. I love it!

      Reply
  11. Libby says

    June 7, 2014 at 9:37 am

    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

      June 7, 2014 at 9:03 pm

      Thanks Libby! Good luck with your light!

      Reply
  12. Laura says

    July 21, 2014 at 1:43 am

    Beautiful !! What did you make the orb out of?

    Reply
    • Carrie says

      July 21, 2014 at 8:36 pm

      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

    October 15, 2014 at 12:37 pm

    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
    • Carrie says

      October 15, 2014 at 8:16 pm

      Thanks Pam! Since your fixture is the same as the one I had, twelve inches should work perfectly!

      Reply
  14. Jan Elizabeth says

    October 31, 2014 at 7:33 pm

    Very cool DIY! And great price. It looks fab next to the beautiful plank wall.

    Reply
    • Carrie says

      November 9, 2014 at 11:30 am

      Thank you!

      Reply
  15. Meburke says

    November 13, 2014 at 7:31 pm

    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
    • Carrie says

      November 16, 2014 at 10:11 pm

      Great minds definitely do think alike! Sounds gorgeous!

      Reply
  16. ginger says

    January 18, 2015 at 10:33 pm

    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

      January 23, 2015 at 8:47 pm

      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
  17. Sarah @ I Speak Canadian says

    October 19, 2015 at 10:27 am

    I did this! Thanks for your inspiration, I just blogged about it here: http://ispeakcanadian.com/2015/10/19/diy-orb-pendant-light-fixture-for-30/

    (and linked back to this inspiring post!)

    Sarah

    Reply
    • Carrie says

      October 20, 2015 at 9:33 pm

      Sarah, I am so happy you were inspired by my orb light. Your light looks amazing!

      Reply
  18. Rocio Carlson says

    May 7, 2016 at 5:21 pm

    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
    • Carrie says

      May 11, 2016 at 11:26 am

      Thank you – Glad I could help!

      Reply
  19. Debra Holland says

    August 6, 2016 at 1:49 pm

    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
    • Carrie says

      August 8, 2016 at 10:02 am

      Thanks Debra! I agree – the door would look great that color.

      Reply
  20. LISA B says

    August 24, 2016 at 3:20 pm

    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
    • Carrie says

      August 29, 2016 at 9:00 am

      Yay! What good luck – I love when that happens!

      Reply
  21. Melissa says

    January 7, 2018 at 9:57 pm

    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
    • Carrie says

      January 23, 2018 at 1:18 pm

      Thank you Melissa! I love that light and especially how easy it was!

      Reply
  22. Tondie says

    July 2, 2018 at 10:48 pm

    Hi Carrie,

    I know it has been some time but do you recall what size Orb you used?

    TIA
    Tondie

    Reply
    • Carrie says

      July 11, 2018 at 9:21 pm

      Hi Tondie, my orb is around 12 inches. It’s perfect for a small light fixture.

      Reply

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