Young House Love

Home Decorating & DIY Tutorials

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How To Convert A Lamp Into A Pendant Light

After over a year of living without one, another bedroom has been upgraded to have a ceiling light fixture – and this time it’s Teddy’s room. Woo to the hoo guys. It’s the best thing ever. I know that sounds like an overstatement, but you don’t know how convenient ceiling light fixtures are until you buy a house without any in all of the rooms upstairs except for the bathrooms.

Light Detail After2

When I saw this stick light on Joss & Main I thought it was fun and beachy-yet-geometric. And call me crazy, but I immediately looked at it and saw a ceiling pendant. To make sure I wasn’t being weird, I ran the idea of converting this plug-in table lamp by John. Thankfully he was right there on the stick light train with me.

Joss And Main Shot

When it came, we turned it over to see what we were working with. There was essentially a small screw that held the cord down so it could sit on a table, so that was the first thing I removed.

Light Before1

Once that was out of the way…

Light Before2

… it allowed me to gain access to this bolt that held the existing cord kit and shade on. We debated just keeping this plug and turning it into a ceiling fixture (often you can cut the cord of a plug-in fixture to expose the inner ones you need to hardwire it), but it happened to have one of those very small bulb sockets – you know for teeny bulbs? We wanted a little more light and a standard sized bulb in there, so off it came.

Light Before3

To remove the rest of the original wiring, we were able to unscrew the socket from below…

Light Before4

… which freed it up.

Light Before5

Finally, we were left with just a shade, which we could convert into a hanging fixture thanks to the ring on the bottom which would easily hold a standard light kit (with a standard sized bulb).

Light Before6

So all that was left was to grab one of these white pendant light kits from Home Depot.

Light Kit

All we did to make it work with the shade was to thread the pendant cord up from below the shade (through that little white ring of the top of the shade) so that rests on the curved white bulb holder, which puts the light bulb right in the middle of the arched stick shade.

But wait, isn’t something made of kindling with a light in it a giant fire hazard?! Glad you asked. Paper lampshades and lanterns (as well as basket shades) are commonly used, so there’s no fire hazard as long as heat can escape out the top and bottom of the shade, and the bulb has ample clearance (i.e., it isn’t super close to or pressed up against the shade). And even though a normal bulb should work in this arrangement, we used an LED bulb which doesn’t cause as much heat buildup as an incandescent bulb (it still needs ample ventilation though!).

Led Bulb

So Teddy’s room is now all hooked up with a warm white LED that should give us about 25,000 hours before it needs to be replaced. Also, it looks like a robot eagle is holding the bulb. John digs that part the most.

Light In Vert

It’s nice to finally have something up there. And the sticks even subtly reference the driftwood mobile and the white lines in our T-wall.

Over Crib Shot

Here it is all lit up. So glowey (say that the same way The Soup says “so meaty”).

Light After Detail

And if you’re observant you might have noticed a little side table action going on, thanks to this yard sale find.

  End Table Vertical

The $1 price tag was too good to resist.

  One Dollar Sticker

Especially since it’s the exact same color as our old school rocking horse (another secondhand find of ours). So Teddy’s room is pretty much done for now, I think.

Whole Room Horiz1

Also, Clara is in here way too much. But it’s sweet. That girl can make that rocking horse look like it’s going to catapult her right out the window, but so far there have been no rocker-related injuries. Now I have to go knock on wood.

Oh wait, and speaking of lights, there were requests to see our bedroom fixture all lit up and glowing at night, so here you go.

Bedroom Light On

We love that it tosses out soft shapes on the ceiling.

UPDATE! We’ve finally transitioned our entire house to LED lights (they save tons of energy & money, and they’re a lazy person’s best friend because you never have to change them). For anyone wondering, these are our favorite interior LEDs. Their glow is warm & natural (not weird/blue like some of the others we’ve tried) and they’re actually the ones you see glowing in these pics (they’re extremely similar to regular bulbs, but they use around 90% less energy).

Comments

  5. Laura @ Rather Square says

    I think my favorite part of this is that you can look at a table lamp and see right away how to transform it into a ceiling pendant! I don’t know if I would have thought of that, but it looks great. A nice hit of texture up on the ceiling, especially when it’s turned on. Aren’t ceiling lights convenient? We’re lucky to have them in our upstairs bedrooms – very nice when you have kids in your arms and need to turn a light on quickly (as I’m sure you know)!

    Reply

  6. Molly S. says

    Did you remove the legs the light was originally made to stand on? In the finished photos it looks like they were removed, but in the steps you can still see them. Just curious about how you removed them if you did.

    Love it! Looks great!

    Reply

  7. Lisa E says

    See, now I would have passed right over that, but I love it! It looks great! You have great vision. Can’t wait to see Clara’s light. I have a question and it’s certainly not a criticsm. I love the light in your bedroom as well, but both of these styles would have me hesitating on buying them because they don’t look like they would be much fun to clean. How would you go about cleaning them?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Swiffer duster wand thingie or a regular old feather duster works for the capiz one, and for the sticks I’m thinking I’ll occasionally shoot it with canned air and then vacuum the rug under it if anything flies out. Haha!.

      xo
      s

    • Oriah says

      I was thinking the same thing about all the new light fixtures. They all seem like dust collecting nightmares.

      And i know it’s a “trend” but i’m not particularly fond of the harsh light fixtures that leave the bulbs exposed either….and somehow an “Edison” bulb doesn’t make it any better.

      “Canned air” is toxic. I wouldn’t use it in a child’s room.

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Canned air is toxic?! Never knew that! Thanks so much for the tip. Feather duster it is! As for dust collecting lights, I remember discovering an inch of dust on the top of the ceiling fan blades in our first house’s den, and I’d be up on a chair moving it around to clean all of those long blades in a 3′ radius, so I think pretty much every light/fan that you hang needs to be dusted. These might take me a little longer than others, but not as long as that fan! Haha! As for lights with diffusers, we like those too, but they seem to collect dead bugs, so there just tends to be “maintenance” with most overhead fixtures I think :)

      xo
      s

    • Lisa E says

      Oh ok. Didn’t know that about canned air either. Just found this: “One way that canned air can prove dangerous is the harmful ingredients found in the product. Certain chemicals, such as fluorocarbon, halons, carbon tetrachloride and methyl chloroform are found in canned air dusters. These chemicals can emit harmful gasses into the atmosphere.”

    • Kate says

      You can also vacuum lightly with a brush attachment. I do that on all my light shades. It would work well on the stick light.

      xo

    • Cathy says

      I use my air compressor! Sure, I use it for power tools, but I use it even more to clean my Roomba, lamp shades, dining room chair crevices . . . you name it! I have to drag it all outside, but wow! It’s my favorite cleaning tool. It would be worth taking a fixture down every once in a while to get it really clean. Life is short and there’s nothing more satisfying that blowing a year’s worth of dust off of something–and getting every last bit off!

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Back when we shared that we photographed it next to the chair but said it might end up in the living room (there’s not much pattern or color in there at all) so we think it might work better downstairs. Will keep you posted!

      xo
      s

  11. Stefanie says

    Love this little upgrade. It’s so weird how lot (even newer) houses aren’t equipped with overhead lighting. We, thankfully, have them in all of our bedrooms but our living room doesn’t have an overhead light and it drives me crazy. I’ve been on the hunt for 2 years for a lamp I love that will put off the amount of light I need. It’s definitely frustrating. Haha.

    Also, I picked up a few pieces from your Target line when they came out but also picked up a few pieces the other day when I saw them on sale to give as gifts. I’m sad to see them go. When will your next Target line be out? Can you share any details yet?

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw thanks Stefanie! We don’t have an ETA on our next collection with Liberty, but we’ve been working on lots of things that we can’t wait to see out in the world. The process isn’t always a speedy one, and there are lots of unknowns, but we’ll keep you posted :)

      xo
      s

    • YoungHouseLove says

      It’s not for sure going to be carried at Target (we’re doing these collections with Liberty and then they pitch them to retailers like Target, etc) so we’ll keep you posted! We have a few office drawers full of prototypes that just came in and they’re so exciting!

      xo
      s

    • Kim S says

      Oh man, I hope the next line is at another retailer! For reasons too long to type here (although I’ll tell you it involves a wedding registry debacle and my husband’s stubbornness), Target has a lifetime ban in our house. Most of the time I don’t miss it and frankly it probably saves me a lot of money and the time I used to spend aimlessly wandering there. But when I saw your lovely line exclusively offered at Target, I almost declared a temporary emergency lift of the ban (which I’ve only done ONE other time in the last 6 years because we got a generous gift card from a well-meaning friend who wasn’t aware of the ban lol). I have been hoping someday to be able to buy YHL-designed items somewhere else. I’ll keep my fingers crossed! :o)

  12. Rose says

    Did you have a dimmer switch on that bad boy? If not, do it! It’s the best ever to have a soft little glow when needed. You will be shocked at how much you use it :-). I think it’s a must for all dining and bedroom ceiling lights.

    Reply

  14. Laura says

    Love what you did with the light – very neat idea! Also glad to hear there haven’t been any rocker injuries yet…I’ll knock on wood for you that your good luck continues!

    Reply

  15. Em says

    What’s on the other side of his room though? Like the wall with the door? I’m sure there’s cute art and stuff on that side too – or did I miss it in a previous post?

    Reply

  17. Katy Simms says

    So does that mean that your Target line will never be sold again after the week or so it has left?? Or can we still get it online?

    Pssss.. love the lights =)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Not sure! There have been chats about continuing to sell some of the best sellers (like the octopus hooks and the bee hooks) – maybe even in different colors/finishes, so we’ll have to keep you posted!

      xo
      s

    • Katy Simms says

      aww man… that means I need to make a Target run (DARN IT!!) and see what’s left near me =X I’ve been meaning to buy one of the key/hook thingies but haven’t seen them in stock locally. May just have to order online lol

    • Berry says

      I definitely submit one huge vote to Target for keeping the octopus hooks in stock!! I can’t wait to hear if they come out in new colors and finishes even though I already love the glossy teal and white… You’ll keep us posted as always, right? ;)

  18. Jill says

    Ahhhh!!! Love!!! I am on Joss and Main like every minute, so how did I miss this lamp?? I love what you did with it!!

    Reply

  19. Rachel Laree says

    hmm…I looked at target and they weren’t saying they were on sale. I really want to buy several of them.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      It’s so strange how certain stores roll things out at different times. They were supposed to be marked down as of the 1st, so maybe pick them up and scan them to see (they might be on sale but just not have hung the signage!).

      xo
      s

  20. Crystal says

    It also looks like an eagle’s nest except that would actually be brown but close enough!

    Love that side table!

    Reply

  24. Wendy says

    Never would have thought to use this as a ceiling fixture. You are full of great inspiration.

    Saw a different pop-up while browsing the comments on yesterday’s post. I have a screen shot of it if you would like it. No big deal to click out of it, but I know they drive you crazy!

    Reply

  25. Eileen says

    Looks great! Where did the wood inlay table end up? I know you said it may not stay in the nursery long term. I can’t keep up with you guys!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We think that might end up in the living room when we actually get to work on that room (lots to paint before we figure out furnishings…).

      xo
      s

  26. Pat S says

    I love your ceiling fixtures. I know the pain of not having them. ;-(

    Your bedroom fixture is to die for.

    Reply

  27. jeannette says

    one of your best, if not your best, room so far. for some reason that rug just carries me away. the built ins, the T decals, the mobile are fab and the rocking horse and stick lamp add to a kind of afro or oz aboriginal vibe that gives it a real edge.

    gorgeous. rock on.

    xoxo

    Reply

  28. Annelies says

    I think bedroom lights are always the hardest and I love this one and how it looks all lit up. Can’t believe the table was only 1 dollar. Such good finds!
    Teddy’s room looks just perfect.

    Reply

  29. Lucy says

    So cute, I love how you guys manage to make things subtly reference each other in your rooms. That side table / rocker action is perfect!
    Is your target range being discontinued? (Sad face)… I was hoping I’d be able to pick up some pieces next time I was in the States, but perhaps not? Crossing my fingers for a whole new range of goodies at a later date! ;-)

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      Aw thanks Lucy! As for how things reference each other, I think once we have a certain finish (ex: the wood tone of the rocker) if we see something else in that tone that we think might look good with it, we’ll consider it. We were so excited when we found that $1 side table! As for our Target collection, it was always slated to be sold until July 15th, so this end-date has been planned from the start, but there are talks about continuing to have some best-sellers (like the octopus and bee hooks) available online- perhaps even in new finishes and colors. As for new goodies, we have some other collections in the works and will share those details when we know more about the where/when stuff :)

      xo
      s

  30. Desiree C. says

    The company I currently work for specializes in LED products, well, long story short, I’m working on a campaign for one of our new products. I was researching fun and interesting LED facts to incorporate into some designs. When you shared that you put an LED bulb in Teddy’s room (so adorable–Teddy and the room, by the way), I thought of this fact (it’s pretty neat, so prepare yourselves): An LED bulb in a newborn’s room today, would probably not have to be replaced until that child goes off to college.

    WOAH! Right?! ;)

    Happy Belated Anniversary, by the way!

    Reply

  34. lizaanne says

    Sooooo – how long do you think it will be before Joss & Main offer that as a hanging fixture now? :-)

    I think it looks amazing like that!! You guys are so freaking creative – and it just never ends!!!

    Reply

  35. Amy Brewer says

    Strange question, but where did you get the fan in the changing area? We need a table fan for our room and I am having a hard time finding one that looks a little “nicer”!

    THANKS!

    Reply

  37. Brenda says

    My first apartment didn’t have an overhead light in the living area. I made do with a lamp plugged into a switch-controlled outlet, but when I moved into my current apartment, I discovered how amazing it is to have overhead lighting! Is this light on a dimmer switch or a regular switch?

    Reply

  39. Fara says

    I love both of those lights! I’ve been scouring your blog, and BowerPower for lighting inspiration, lately. I’m really jones-in for a Moravian star light!

    I did pick up a shelf and hooks for the baby’s room, and *finally* found your book locally! You guys are awesome, and I love your ideas and designs. They are so practical, thought out, and fun to look at and use!

    Reply

  40. Danielle says

    While I absolutely LOVE all your celing light fixtures I sweat at the thought of them? How do y’all love without celing fans? I guess this FL girl can’t hang without them!

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      So far he has been doing pretty good without them (we do have light blocking faux wood blinds, but it’s not pitch black). Since he was born not knowing day from night, allowing a little natural light to shine into the room in the morning seems to keep him on schedule, so we don’t want to mess with that – at least not yet :)

      xo
      s

    • Annie says

      I personally think blackout curtains mess with kids natural sleep abilities. Mine learned to sleep despite the light pouring into the room and they have grown up to be much better sleeper than their friends raised with blackout curtains.

  42. SM says

    Can’t say that I am a fan of this one. It is too much like the old fixture in your bedroom in the old house. It would have been nice to see you mix it up a bit more.

    Reply

  45. Julie says

    Love you choices in light fixtures! How do you think you keep them clean? I know weird but thats what I think of since I feel like mine are always dusty and I see all the little spaces. I know OCD right.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      I’m thinking I’ll occasionally shoot it with canned air and then vacuum the rug under it if anything flies out. Haha! A feather duster might work too…

      xo
      s

  47. leepert says

    Do you ever consider installing multiple recessed fixtures instead of one center-of-the-ceiling fixture? I appreciate the decorative-ness of the fixtures you pick, but definitely prefer to quality of light provided by recessed lights.

    Reply

    • YoungHouseLove says

      We love adding recessed lights in kitchens and living rooms, so we have plans for that here but have never had them in bedrooms just because we seem to prefer ceiling fixtures with table lamps (our bedroom has two table lamps that flank the bed for reading, Clara has the moose lamp on her dresser, and we’re planning to add accordion sconces for reading in bed to Teddy’s built-in wall once the crib becomes a bed down the line).

      xo
      s

  48. Katherine says

    I’m local and looked for your hooks in the Target on Midlothian by Chesterfield Towne Center and couldn’t find any. The clerk didn’t seem to know about them either. Do you know which local stores have (or had) your hooks in stock?

    Reply

  49. Sally says

    I’m stopping at Target tonight, so I’ll look for the hooks. I haven’t seen them there yet (even though my store is listed in the locator). But it’s been crazy around here and I didn’t have time to check every end cap!

    Reply

  50. Katalina says

    so cool. he looks like a sea urchin.

    there re not that many lights you can change the bulb from beneath– can you design more??

    I have those awful ceiling lights that you have to unscrew three screws at the same time to get the fixture down to change the bulb.

    unrelated related: where oh where is that double whale tray ( I want him) you use to have on a wall in your last house– he has to live in Teddy’s nautical room!!

    Reply

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