A real chandelier can cost more than a sofa, so it’s no surprise that so many clever ones get made at the kitchen table instead. These 22 DIY chandelier ideas start with things like hanging plant baskets, embroidery hoops, paper doilies, yarn, lace and old light fixtures from garage sales. Some are true light fixtures that get wired in, some slip over a builder grade dome so nothing needs rewiring, and a few glow from solar lights or candles out on the patio. There are glamorous crystal versions for a closet or dining room, soft fabric ones for a bedroom and colorful ribbon pieces for a craft room. Pick a style, raid the craft stash and hang something that makes everyone look up!
1. DIY Crystal Ball Chandelier
A DIY crystal ball chandelier gets its sparkle from a ready made hanging crystal and gold ball, the kind sold as a tea light holder. Wire a bulb socket to a length of lamp cord, open the little door on the side of the ball, thread the cord through the top and pull it taut. Spray the ceiling canopy gold to match, hook on the chain and hang it like any fixture. The finished pendant cost about $60. Hire an electrician for the ceiling wiring if it’s unfamiliar.
Get the full tutorial at View Along the Way.
2. DIY Orb Chandelier
A DIY orb chandelier pairs a metal orb from HomeGoods with a small secondhand chandelier set inside it. The $10 chandelier was rewired, then the orb, chandelier, chain and cord all got the same spray paint in thin even coats. A hole drilled in the top of the orb takes a threaded rod (a zinc plated nipple) secured with two nuts on each end, which screws into the ceiling hook. A dab of epoxy helped it hang straight. A crystal prism on the bottom adds a little sparkle.
Get the full tutorial at Whats Ur Home Story.
3. Easy DIY Chandelier
This easy DIY chandelier hides a dated ceiling light without any rewiring at all. The frame is a wire hanging plant basket, flipped and fitted over the existing fixture, and strands of crystal garland are wrapped around the wires in a loose, random pattern. If wire can be wrapped around a basket, this project is doable. It’s a smart solution for old houses, renters or anyone who’d rather not touch frayed wiring, and it looks far more complicated than it is. The full step by step lives on a partner site.
Get the full tutorial at Hammer and Heels.
4. White Twig Chandelier
A white twig chandelier wraps a plain candle style fixture in pliable grapevine and willow branches for a rustic, lodge style light. Strip the leaves, spray the chandelier first, then bundle the vines in one hand, slip them under the fixture and tie them at the middle with twine. Bend branches out along each arm, tie them at every light and trim the ends like a haircut. Thin willow swags between the lights and a wrapped band under each bulb finish it. Keep branches clear of the bulbs.
Get the full tutorial at Funky Junk Interiors.
5. DIY String Chandelier
A DIY string chandelier starts with an inflated bouncy ball, which gives a rounder shape than a balloon. Draw a circle at least 2.5 inches wide around the valve to leave an opening for the light. Mix about 4 ounces of school glue with half a cup of cornstarch and a quarter cup of water, soak crochet thread or yarn and wrap it all over the ball. Once it dries hard, deflate the ball and pull it out. A $10 pendant lighting kit turns it into a lamp.
Get the full tutorial at Carey Creates.
6. Easy DIY Outdoor Chandelier
An easy DIY outdoor chandelier groups grapevine balls of different sizes, each filled with tiny string lights, into one glowing cluster. This one uses five ready made balls in 6 to 7 inch and 4 inch sizes, though raw grapevine can be woven into balls too if it’s soaked in warm water first so it bends without snapping. Tuck a strand of fairy lights inside each ball, hang them at staggered heights from a beam or branch and let the cords gather at the top. It’s natural, warm and simple.
Get the full tutorial at All Things Heart And Home.
7. Upcycled Vintage Inspired Chandelier
An upcycled vintage inspired chandelier starts as a dated brass fixture from the thrift store and ends up as an emerald showpiece for about $50. Drill the holes for the crystals before painting, since the drill can chip fresh paint. A couple of coats of Meadow Green spray paint and a clear sealer come next, then short strands of acrylic crystals hang from each drilled hole on fishing line, with extra crystal garland swagged across the arms. Mason jar shades came first, but smaller bulbs and no jars gave it a softer, more romantic look.
Get the full tutorial at Mountain Modern Life.
8. Outdoor Chandelier Planter
An outdoor chandelier planter turns an old light fixture into a hanging garden for the patio. Strip off the plastic candle covers and cut out all the wiring. Glue a terra cotta saucer and pot to each arm, using plumber’s epoxy putty to hold them in place and raise the pots a little for drainage. Let the glue cure, then spray paint the whole piece, chain included. Hanging it from a low branch makes that easier. Wait a few days before planting with trailing flowers.
Get the full tutorial at DIY Show Off.
9. DIY Vintage Brass Chandelier
A DIY vintage brass chandelier refresh takes a contemporary fixture and gives it the look of a pricey designer piece with a can of gold paint. Remove the shades and bulbs, shut off both the switch and the breaker and lay a drop cloth. Painting it while still hanging means brushing instead of spraying, which is far less messy, so use a good 1 1/2 inch china bristle brush. Take off any decorative glass parts, sand lightly if needed and tape what should stay unpainted. Clear globe bulbs complete the look.
Get the full tutorial at Craft and Couture.
10. DIY Solar Light Chandelier
A DIY solar light chandelier brings soft garden lighting with no cords and no electric bill. Built from a hanging basket frame with a solar light at the top and chains to suspend it, it charges by day and glows for about an hour after sunset. The original has hung in a garden since 2015 and still lights up every night, even in partial shade, because a solar panel charges in bright indirect light. Dangling crystals bounce the glow around a patio or play area.
Get the full tutorial at Garden Therapy.
11. DIY Crystal Chandelier
A DIY crystal chandelier for a front entry was pieced together from a dollar store hanging basket frame and the glass teardrops of a too small existing fixture. Strip the old light down to its bare bones and set the teardrops aside. Rig the $1 basket frame around it, then string beads onto plastic wire. Mix in thrifted pearl and glass bead necklaces, wrapping them loosely around the frame and attaching them to the top of the old fixture. A slightly rough, eclectic look is easier and prettier.
Get the full tutorial at My House of Giggles.
12. Ribbon Chandelier
A ribbon chandelier is a cheerful group project that young crafters can help make. Cut about 60 pieces of soft polyester ribbon to 42 inches, mixing polka dots, gingham and rainbow stripes (skip curling ribbon). Tie each one around a large wooden hoop in a simple knot until the hoop is full. A pom pom maker turns leftover yarn or ribbon into fluffy pom poms that dot the top edge. Trim the poms with sharp scissors, hang the hoop from three strings and enjoy the colors.
Get the full tutorial at ARTBAR.
13. DIY Outdoor Candle Chandelier
A DIY outdoor candle chandelier upcycles an old dining room fixture into patio lighting that needs no electricity. Unscrew the bulbs, take the fixture apart and cut out all the wiring and the metal bulb holders, saving the nut from one part for reassembly. Spray every piece in a bright color, like key lime green, turning it to reach every angle. Put it back together, hang it from its original chain and super glue small glass votives into each cup. Use LED tea lights on windy days.
Get the full tutorial at Hey There, Home.
14. Bead And Ruffle Chandelier
A bead and ruffle chandelier is built from the metal rings of three thrifted lampshades, $4.50 in all. A cylinder shade with the widest top ring is the key piece, so look for that one first. Strip the fabric from the other two to free their top rings, then hang strands from a beaded doorway curtain from each ring in tiers. A ruffle of garage sale fabric covers the cylinder at the top. The result looks like a crystal chandelier, sweet in a girl’s room or nursery.
Get the full tutorial at Garage Sales R Us.
15. Cloth Chandelier
A cloth chandelier is made from strips of fabric tied to an oval wire frame, with no sewing required. A small snip at one end of the fabric lets it tear cleanly all the way down, which saves hours of jagged cutting. Cheap white fabric makes up most of it, with creamy fabric and chunky lace on the outer edges for softness. Cut every strip the same length, knot them on and shape the outline at the end. Skip cool LED bulbs, which make it look spooky instead of elegant.
Get the full tutorial at Beholden.
16. Industrial Edison Style Chandelier
An industrial Edison style chandelier hangs a row of bare bulbs on twisted cloth cord from a wood base. The base here was a recycled coffee table top and a cabinet door, with vintage reproduction sockets in satin nickel and clay colored cloth wire. The large dining room version runs twelve 20 watt tube bulbs on a dimmer, while a smaller kitchen version uses three amber tube bulbs for a warm glow. Stagger the cord lengths so the bulbs hang at different heights.
Get the full tutorial at Lia Griffith.
17. $10 And 10 Minute Solar Chandelier
A $10 and 10 minute solar chandelier needs exactly two supplies: a solar garden light and a hanging floral basket. Pull the stake off the solar light so only the globe remains, and remove the liner from the basket. Turn the basket upside down and dry fit the light into the bottom opening. Check sizes when shopping, since some baskets suit round globes and others suit square lights. Glue it in, let it dry and hang it from a chain over a patio for evening mood lighting.
Get the full tutorial at Down Home Inspiration.
18. DIY Yarn And Orb Chandelier
A DIY yarn chandelier drapes loops of yarn from a 12 inch sewing hoop around a single bulb. Wrap the inner hoop with double stick tape, then loop yarn around it until it’s full, adding a few pieces of contrast color. Wrap the outer hoop with a third color, secure a center wire for the lamp and set the outer hoop over the inner one. Finally, wrap the socket in yarn and knot the cord to the center wire holder. A vintage Edison bulb adds a nostalgic touch.
Get the full tutorial at Wedding Chicks.
19. Wax Paper Capiz Shell Chandelier
A wax paper capiz shell chandelier copies the look of real capiz for the price of a few rolls of dollar store wax paper. A 1 1/2 inch circle punch makes quick work of hundreds of discs (cutting by hand isn’t worth it). Spray paint the wax paper first if you want a color tint. Sew the circles together into long strands on a sewing machine, or glue them, then hang the strands in layers from a wire hanging basket. It glows softly in a closet or bedroom.
Get the full tutorial at Decor Adventures.
20. Beachy Wood Bead Chandelier
A beachy wood bead chandelier gives an inexpensive home improvement store fixture the look of a designer wood ball light. Spray paint the chandelier dark gray first. Instead of screwing hooks into every bead, drill a hole straight through each wood ball and string them, mixing two sizes from the craft store. Some wood balls come predrilled, which saves time, and a drill press makes the rest easy. Drape the strands from arm to arm for a relaxed coastal and modern look in a guest room.
Get the full tutorial at Tatertots and Jello.
21. Wagon Wheel Chandelier
A wagon wheel chandelier stacks three wheels (18, 24 and 36 inches) into tiers hung with rows of mason jars. Drill a hole in each jar lid and sand off sharp edges. Wrap jute rope around each wheel between the spokes, staple it down and cut a 7 inch strand per jar. Tie the lids to the strands, chain the tiers together through screw eye hooks and hang it from four points on the top wheel. Battery tea lights with a remote mean no wiring.
Get the full tutorial at DIY JOY.
22. Paper Doily Chandelier
A paper doily chandelier hangs three embroidery hoops (12, 5 and 3 inch) in a soft, lacy column. Cut each paper doily exactly in half and hot glue the halves around each hoop, letting them overlap a little and trimming around the clasp. For even spacing, cut the hanging strings 35 inches for the largest hoop and add 7 inches for each smaller one. Glue two strings directly across from each other on every hoop, then knot them together at the top. Hoops come in pairs, so two cost the same.
Get the full tutorial at What Meegan Makes.
