dress up your chandelier

photo from fleamarketstudio.

i have a little thing for chandeliers. i even bought my first house because the first thing i saw in it was an antique crystal chandelier from the 1920s. big, small, modern, ornate, old fashioned, bring them on. there is just something special about entering a room with the play of light in an unexpected sculpture hanging from the ceiling. chandeliers can say many things about the room, like this area is GRAND or feminine, nostalgic, demure or playful.

one inexpensive and easy thing to do as the seasons and holidays change is changing your everyday light fixture into a work of art, you can use items that you have found at flea markets, or that you already have, it only takes a few minutes for a fun transformation!

• hang pretty ribbons, in bows or loose strings, bright or subtle
• paper maché easter eggs, in groups of three or hanging alone from ribbon
• clusters of seashells, collected from the beach, pierce a hole and tie up with raffia or rope
• change the lampshades with something fancy, or cover/paint existing ones with new fabric
• suspend small collections, such as vintage toys, costume jewelry, feathers!
• tie gorgeous silk blooms with florist's tape, the bigger and brighter, the more exciting.