Wednesday, June 26, 2013

Hanging Lanterns (inside because I am too lazy to get some electrical going)

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Today's post is proudly brought to you by the laziest or most clever DIYer ever. Realistically it's a mix of both. 

You know how my cavernous vaulted (and spackled, eww!) living room ceiling has been on my to-do list for some time? No, you don't? It's probably because I mentioned that I wanted to plank it about a thousand years ago and you forgot. Life and two other renovations have seemingly taken priority. So it is still in all it's stippled glory.  

I had plans to eventually wire in a light over the living room area once we are up there and working on all the planking (similar to our kitchen/family room area) but the reality is that our roof beam orientation would make it hard and probably not a good idea without moving around a lot of insulation sheets and general annoying renovation work. Have I mentioned that my ceiling in the kitchen is like my favorite thing ever? But putting it up was not. Looking upwards while drilling/nailing/whatever equals a lot of things landing in your eyes and ears and hair and.... well you get it. It SUCKS! So if I can save myself one less thing to do while staring up at that ugly stipple I will. 

So I rounded up some non-electrical lighting. 
 Also known as lanterns.

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These ones came from HomeSense on clearance for $29.99, $23.99 and $11.99.
I liked the chrome finish with the rustic deal of the rope. The chrome matches our entry light perfectly as well which was a nice detail.

So momma rigged up the BIG latter and found those problematic roof beams to screw hooks into ( I will admit this was done through trial and error, as my stud finder also hates stipple as much as I do and refused to cooperate). Which meant a few tiny holes to fill after all was said and done.
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Three lengths of lighting chain adjusted to just slightly different lengths and mounted to the handles was all this project required. I think it drops your line of sight down nicely from the overly boring ceiling to the actual seating area.
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Ta da!!! Look mom, no broken bones!

This photo is kind of off because all the lanterns are directly over the coffee tables which means a particularly tall visitor doesn't have to worry about hitting his head. Although the lowest one is still 6 feet off the ground so even if they weren't exactly on top they are reasonably high enough. 
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I think I actually prefer how substantial these are over the option of just one fixture in here. Because it really is a sadly boring/high ceiling that used to dominate the room.
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I'll show you a bit more of what things look like (and what else needs to be done) tomorrow!


Toodles my noodles.

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11 comments:

Christina said...

gorgeous, Holly!!! And I hate working with electrical wiring, so this is definitely something I'd do :) I'd love to see a picture of them all lit up in the evening, I bet it's super cozy!! :)

Amy@TheBlissfulBee said...

Um, WOW! So elegant! I would love for you to share at my new weekly linky party today!

xo
amy
http://theblissfulbee.com/work-it-wednesday-linky-party-no-3/

bagfashionista said...

very pretty!

but the practical side of me is going to ask --- how easy would it be to light the candles in it though?

28years said...

I love this!

Anonymous said...

Those are the exact lanterns I've been eyeing at Homegoods here in Fl. I love what you did with them!

Unknown said...

These lanterns are lovely. I also like the picture where you have then sitting together on the floor. They would make a great little side table collection, too.

Audra said...

Looks great...you're always thinking outside of the box. I'm not sure what type of candles you have in your lanterns, but I love the automatic battery candles and if you put those in your lanterns they would automatically come on and off at your specified times each day.... Just a thought. My candles are from Pottery Barn and QVC or HSN (gift and I'm not sure which place).

Krystal Wight Armstrong said...

So now I'm curious about how they actually work. Did you just put wax candles in them...and do you plan to frequently have them really lit? They'd be pretty to look at even when not lit, though. I think we'd all be interested to see how they look in evening with their light going!
(Audra's idea is also pretty cool...I didn't know automatic self-lighting candles existed!)

Freckles Chick said...

Our house has vaulted ceilings & they are both a blessing & a burden! Which is why I'm SO digging your lanterns look.

Let's talk about your superb styling skills, gal. Anthropologie ain't got nothing on you!!

Unknown said...

Just lovin your living room! Especially the wood on the walls! How cool is that? You go girl;)Have a great weekend!
Brooke
onprairiehill.blogspot.com

endlessrainstorms said...

What kind of hooks do you use to hang the lanterns?

 
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