Make a beaded chandelier

Turn an ordinary ceiling light into a statement chandelier for any room with metallic spray paint and glistening glass droplets

room with beaded chandelier

(Image credit: Future PLC/David Giles)

Add an elegant touch to your scheme with a striking ceiling light, as shown by Style at Home. This simple project takes next to no time and you can pick and choose different beads to suit your existing decor.

You will need:

Sandown five-light fitting, £18, Homebase

Masking tape

Plasti-kote metallic spray in Antique Gold, £7.39 for 400ml, Amazon

Glue gun

2m clear octagonal glass beads with connecting rings, £3.89 per metre, Chandelier Drops Ltd

10 x green crystal tear drops with three beads, £1.98 each, Chandelier Drops Ltd

5 x blue crystal tear drops with three beads, £1.47 each, Chandelier Drops Ltd

Step one

Remove the light bulbs (if using an existing light fitting) and metal cylinders around the light bulb fittings and wrap masking tape around the five electrical points. Working outside on newspaper, turn the chandelier upside down and spray with two thin coats of gold paint to avoid drips, leaving to dry between each coat.

Step two

Take the string of clear beads and divide into shorter sections of 15 beads by removing the rings. Make five of these shorter lengths. Working on newspaper, use a glue gun to stick the end of the beaded strings to a bobeche (the cup around the bottom of the light bulb fitting), and work around the arms in swags.

Step three

Remove the top bead from each green drop so that they will hang at a different level to the blue ones for interest. Use a glue gun to secure one blue and two green drops on each bobeche. Leave to dry thoroughly and replace the metal cylinders. Pop the light bulbs back in and hang up the light.

Liked this project? Check out the Style at Home page for more crafty ideas!

Thea Babington-Stitt
Assistant Editor

Thea Babington-Stitt is the Assistant Editor for Ideal Home. Thea has been working across some of the UK’s leading interiors titles for nearly 10 years. 

She started working on these magazines and websites after graduating from City University London with a Masters in Magazine Journalism. Before moving to Ideal Home, Thea was News and Features Editor at Homes & Gardens, LivingEtc and Country Homes & Interiors.