Posted by
Emma Reddington
Wednesday, May 16, 2012 2:27 PM EDT
Some women have a thing for shoes and purses. For me, it’s
chairs and lights. Honestly, I can’t pass up a good buy on an iconic chair or a great deal on a bespoke chandelier, even if I don’t have room for the item in my house. For a while now, I’ve been coveting some
Tom Dixon Beat Lights. You know the ones: matte black exteriors, hammered brass interiors, in three or four different shapes. A set of Tom Dixon Beat Lights would
look great layered over any dining room table — particularly mine.
Tom Dixon Beat Lights, in various shapes, both isolated and in a home environment; photos via Tom Dixon [left] and The Goods Design blog The trouble is, I can’t really afford these stylish, artistic lights and, since I have lots of other perfectly functioning pendant lights, neither can I justify acquiring them. Imagine my delight, then, when I came across what looked like a Tom Dixon Beat Light hanging in the home of one of my neighbours,
interior designer Sarah Keenleyside. Sarah came up with
a super-easy DIY to turn a $20 IKEA bowl into a Tom Dixon Beat Light lookalike, and she has kindly shared it with us.
The easy-to-source materials (IKEA ANGENÄM bowl pictured); photo by Emma Reddington Materials • IKEA
ANGENÄM bowl, $20, or
ANGENÄM dish, $20 (yes, they make two different shapes, and both will
work)
• IKEA
HEMMA cord set, $6, in black (note: white is displayed on
web image)
• One lightbulb — an Edison or other more decorative light bulb works best
• Matte black canopy (if hardwiring into ceiling)
•
Hole saw, 2" diameter
Directions Using the
hole saw, drill a 2" diameter
hole of in the centre of the base of the IKEA bowl/
dish. Thread the HEMMA cord set through the
hole, and follow the (easy!) instructions for how to keep the cord set in place. Plug your new light into the wall; if hardwiring, be sure to consult an electrician to finish the job.
Seriously simple, right? And the end result, as seen in Sarah’s own home — pretty stunning.
Interior designer Sarah Keenleyside's lookalike Tom Dixon Beat Light, installed in the designer's own home; photo by Kristin Sjaarda Photography Sarah recently installed a multitude of her
DIY lights in a new
kid-friendly café she is working on in Toronto. Check out Sarah's Faceboook page to see some behind-the-scenes shots of the process.
What do you think? Are you willing to give this DIY a try? . 