DIY Vintage Chandelier Makeover
Hi Loves!
I hope you all have found ways to stay busy during quarantine. I have spent a lot of my time with home projects, including today's topic and my new favorite addition to my home: this beautiful antique chandelier!
If you know me, you know I'm in love with all things vintage and I adore antiques. Though sometimes, these little gems need a little TLC after gathering dust in storage for years on end. To me, fixing things up to be your own is the best part of thrifting!
This baby was actually gifted to me by my parents a few years ago and I had it hanging (as is) until I recently moved. I knew I needed to freshen it up a bit before hanging it again, so I took advantage of having some extra time and finally finished this fun project!
So...here's what I was working with:
The bulbs were burnt out, candle stick covers were chipping away, some of the crystals had cracked, and overall it just looked a little old and bare. Not too pretty...I know! But I knew she had some potential and I had a vision.
First thing's first, I removed all of the crystals and bulbs then gave her a good wash to get rid of all the dust.
Now, the fun part - the makeover!
Here's what I used:
Gold Paint: You can purchase it here!
Foam Paintbrush: You can purchase it here!
Teardrop Crystals: You can purchase them here!
Crystal Strand: You can purchase it here!
Ceiling Medallion: You can purchase it here!
Candle Covers: You can purchase them here!
Clear Bulbs: You can purchase them here!
I started with a couple coats of gold paint. This metallic acrylic was the closest thing I found to resembling true gold. I actually mixed a couple of colors together to get the shade just right! I used the shades bright gold, true gold, and sunset gold from Jacuard Metallic Acrylic paints on Amazon. You can purchase it here! It would be pretty easy to spray paint the metal, but I wanted a little bit more of an imperfect look to keep to the fixture's antique style. To achieve this, I used a foam paintbrush to apply thin layers, some even allowing the original metal to show through to appear a bit tarnished.
After the paint was completely dry, I added the crystals. This part is so much fun because it's so customizable! The original fixture didn't have nearly enough for me. I personally love chandeliers with tons of crystals - the more the merrier! It's sort of like creating a giant piece of jewelry, so have fun with it and be creative with your design! There are lots of different shapes and styles of crystals to choose from. I purchased some teardrop shaped, as well as a strand of the smaller beads. I suggest laying out your pieces in a pattern so you can create some sort of even balance to each side. I actually counted each individual crystal on the stand to ensure it was perfectly even.
Every chandelier should have hooks attached to it, though if you run out of spaces to hang the beads like I did, I suggest adding a strand and attaching the teardrop shapes to the middle of it. This way you create more space to work with and you can fill in any gaps!
After I found a pattern and added the crystals to my liking, I went ahead and replaced the candle covers and bulbs. I personally liked white candles with a clear bulb!
The chandelier is now complete! Now..for hanging it up. I'm not much help on this topic, because well..I didn't do it myself. 😂 You will need to purchase a light fixture mounting bracket kit if you wish to hang it from the ceiling like I did. Otherwise you could purchase a swag light kit if you'd like to hang it from a chain. No matter which you choose, be sure to look at the weight limit so the chandelier doesn't collapse! (I still have a fear this will happen to mine..haha!)
I decided to hang mine from the ceiling with a ceiling medallion to top it off! I have dreamt of having one of these beautiful pieces after seeing them everywhere on Pinterest in French Apartments. I always thought they were built in to the house, though little did I know you can just purchase a foam one to attach to any ceiling! My mind was blown and I knew I needed one. Elena Millwork has a ton to choose from on Amazon and I was shocked how cheap they are! Just be sure to measure the diameter of your canopy (the gold piece that attaches to the ceiling) so it fits! My canopy was about 1.5 in bigger than the diameter of the medallion, but it worked just fine.
Full disclosure, I don't actually have the the electricity hookups for my lights to actually work as a functional light fixture, so it's really just for decoration.
Well, there you have it - a full guide to create a beautiful new piece to treasure in your home. My favorite part about this chandelier is every afternoon when the golden hour light hits the crystals just perfectly enough to shine their reflections throughout the room. It is truly one of my favorite things in my home and now even more special that I re-made it myself!
That's all for today! I hope you enjoyed this blog post! I'm hoping to write more DIY/home decor projects, especially since moving to my new space! I spend so much of my time doing fun projects like this, but most of the time forget to actually document them. 😂 Please feel free to reach out if you have any questions or even to share if you tried to make your own version of this!
Thanks for reading!
xo
