Last year when we built our house we had an electrical receptacle placed in the master bath ceiling. We capped it off, planning to hang a chandelier later. This allowed us to spend our budget on higher priority items and provided time to find a chandelier we liked and one that was a little different, not builder standard.
Although I really hadn’t been looking for a chandelier and was in no rush to find one, one found me in an unlikely manner. While shopping at World Market for other items a table lamp demanded my attention. The lamp’s shade was a waterfall of beautiful bronze colored capiz shells. While I oohed and ahhhed over it , knowing full well I had no place to put a new table lamp, inspiration hit.
Circles of capiz shells are strung together to create a lamp shade.
The lamp is sold in two pieces – a selection of table lamp bases and the hanging shells. This allows buyers to select a lamp base height and a finish that best suits their decorating needs. The shells hung from set of metal concentric circles and I realized a very basic, standard porcelain fixture for a single bulb would fit in the center circle. Sold!
My husband purchased a white porcelain electrical fixture from Lowes (most hardware stores stock them), painted it the color of the ceiling and installed it. And the rest, as they say, is history. We now have a chandelier.
Sold for a table lamp base the capiz shell "lampshade" works as a chandelier.
The shells creating the chandelier coordinate with the capiz shells on a piece of wall art that hangs in the bathroom. So, if you didn’t know the real story, you might think that I planned it! Imagine, a chandelier I really like for under $75, it works well with accessories already in the room and I didn’t have to search for it! Don’t you love it when projects come together easily and under budget? I do!
A 3-panel wall hanging in the bathroom features capiz shell leaves.
The shell chandelier is not the type of fixture I thought I wanted or planned to shop for. It also isn’t in the price range I planned or expected. I wasn’t ready for a chandelier, or at least hadn’t planned to get one anytime soon. But the fact is, decorating is a process and sometimes when you just step back and let the process work, you’ll end up with results that you love.
The chandelier and wall hanging both sport capiz shells.
Next time you want something for decorating a room but there’s no set deadline, try just letting thoughts of it simmer in your subconscious rather than heading out to beat the streets shopping. You might surprise yourself with an inspired discovery at an unlikely time and end up loving it. Or has that already happened to you? If so, what did you find when you least expected it and it wasn’t what you thought you wanted but was, in fact, better? Leave a comment below or email me at solutions@yourdecoratinghotline.com. I’d love to hear about your inspired decorating discovery.
You can see more affordable decorating ideas at the link party over at The Shabby Nest.
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Dear Cindy,
I love, love, love your new chandelier–it is very romantic and a perfect complement to the wall art. I continue to be inspired by your ability to repurpose and transform items. I have been staring up at my builders grade bedroom fixture for months considering options and I think I will now expand my focus because of you. Thanks for sharing!
Martha
Thank you! It’s important to consider the overall design or feel of your home, the big picture if you will. But sometimes it’s the unexpected little punches that really make it spark!