Turn a Lamp Shade Into a Pendant Light

Hey Snappy peeps!  It’s Jessica from Mom 4 Real, back with a another fun home decor idea!  Years ago when we moved into our home, there were ceiling fans in every single room.  I dislike them very much.  For years, I swore I would get rid of them, but instead I ended up hiding them.  The one in my breakfast nook was hidden behind a faux stain glass window that hung in the opening for years.  Well, one day, I was changing up my living room a bit and decided that the shade on one of my lamps no longer belonged in the room.  It was such a beautiful shade though, so I sat it on the table in the breakfast nook hoping to think of something else to do with it.  Then…BAM!  It hit me!  I could turn the lamp shade into a pendant light.  Two problems though…first, I am 5 ft. tall and the ceiling is vaulted, and I have never messed with electricity.  So, I called my father-in-law.

First, TURN OFF THE POWER TO THE LIGHT SOURCE YOU ARE REMOVING!

Remove the ceiling fan.  We opted for removing the blades first to make it a little easier to work on getting the screws out of the ceiling.

You will need a pendant light kit that can be purchased at Home Depot or most home improvement stores for around $5, a cap to cover the hole in your ceiling that holds all of the electrical parts and of course, a lamp shade!

Next, follow these instructions… How To Wire Pendant Light Structures.  I could totally try to tell you how to do this in my own words, but I would severely mess up the names of each piece.  I snapped pics as we went along, and my father-in-law made sure to tell me that nobody should really need instructions for this, but I know better.  He is old school, so I just grabbed the you-tube video that actually explains it well instead of making you listen to me call things what-cha-macalits and doodads.  You are welcome 😉

A little note:  If your lamp shade needs a lamp harp, you will need to slide the harp over the pendant cord before installing.  Mine had to be installed this way, but most lamp shades can simply slipped on over the bulb.

Also be sure not to tighten the ceiling cap until you pull the cord down to your desired length.  I wanted mine to hang over my table like a chandelier since I will be using the light to work by.  If you aren’t placing a table underneath, then you may want to hang yours higher.

I just love the way it looks in my breakfast nook/craft space/office!  I actually enjoy working in there now and not having to hide the ugly old ceiling fan!

So, do you have any old lampshades hanging around that you could turn into beautiful pendant lights?

I hope you will stop by and take a look around for lots of fun and creative ideas at Mom 4 Real!