Best of DIYs | Woven Veneer Lamp

Continuing with our Best of DIYs all summer long, today we're bringing back this awesome pendant lighting DIY by Arounna of Khounnoraj of Bookhou.  Back in 2010 we were thrilled when Arounna of Bookhou was visiting us monthly with some of her amazing DIYs. One of our favourites (although all of them were really amazing), was this Woven Veneer Lamp. Made with strips of wood veneer, Arounna showed us how to make a cool pendant perfect to place above a dining room table, or even bedside.  Check it out below.

Materials Needed:
-strips of wood veneer (you can also get 3/4 in. veneer at the hardware store that is for ironing on the edge of shelves - you can also use strips of paper)
-white glue
-large clips (or clothes pins) - I started with four and found I needed more as I went along
-scissors
-HEMMA ikea light
-pen
-small piece of cardstock

Safety alert * use a low watt bulb and ensure material chosen is not touching or close to the bulb.

Step 1-2
Take the strip of wood veneer and make a circle shape to the desired size you want your lamp to be. place a small amount of glue to the attachment and hold with clip.

CONTINUE READING...

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Inspiration: Pendant Lighting

Patric Johansson

Last night as I sat down for dinner and looked up at our lonely dangling lightbulb (waiting patiently for a fix) and realized it was time to make a decision once and for all.

CONTINUE READING...

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Must-Have Lighting from West Elm

West Elm has hit it out of the ballpark with this gorgeous copper pendant light cord set. Not only is copper the “must have” metal right now, this cord light is so adaptable and totally affordable.  Cluster four or five together around a found branch and hang from the ceiling for a simple DIY chandelier or or customize with different bulbs. This is definitely on my must-have list. (Also comes in white). For more info click here.

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Interview with Jonathan Sabine

We fell in love with his less than 3 side table and pendant lights at IDS13 in January, so we just had to ask Toronto-based designer Jonathan Sabine a few questions about his background, current work and what he's inspired by.  Here's what he had to say.  But first his bio:

Jonathan Sabine is a Toronto based product and furniture designer. He established his studio after working as lead designer at Castor Design. He is the co-founder of Chromoly, a creative studio run with Adam Pickard and collaborates closely with MSDS studio. His design the Bourgeois Brass Knuckle is in SFMOMA's permanent collection. Every object produced by the studio represents an exploration of material and manufacturing process undertaken with the help of relationships with local fabricators and craftspeople.

Tell us a little bit about you. Where did you train or study and what led you to the path you currently are on?

I studied furniture design and construction at Sheridan College. After school I did some furniture and cabinet making but found that I had no interest in producing the kind of laboriously made and relatively conservative work that the market here demands. At that point I started transitioning my practice into the hybrid thing that it is now by piecing together a skillset: computer stuff, designing for new processes, finding suppliers, interior design, etc.


You used to work as a leading designer at Castor Design, can you tell us a little bit about that experience leading you here.

Working at Castor was rad. I got to see how a successful design project had structured its approach. The biggest takeaway from my experience there is the importance of a clearly communicated vision - obviously one of their proficiencies. Vision is one of those things that can't be put on though, and its development is iterative, so the sooner you start, the better. That's basically why I went out on my own.

Photo by Janis Nicolay

You mention in your bio that every object produced by the studio represents an exploration of material, could you expand on that concept?

Well, I guess it's that I'm looking for a transformative element in the things I design. That point at which stuff becomes a convincing thing. It doesn't always have to be a super technological approach, but in order to get to that transformative point I think you have to have a grasp on how materials behave and the techniques that we use to work on them.


What's your main focus currently and/or how would you describe your current design aesthetic?

I'm focusing on working with what I have on hand. When you start creating things you're kind of overwhelmed by the nearly unbounded possibility (I call it the anxiety of the arbitrary.) You have to choose the things that will constrain you (the luxury of being a creative type isn't that you're without constraints, it's that you have the privilege of choosing them.) So, I'm trying to stay away from working within an aesthetic but instead to try to make convincing objects using what's available to me. For instance, I designed the 60 pendant because I had a sheet metal guy who I knew would be up for a challenge. I then tried to make something beautiful using his capabilities.

Loving the <3 Side Table - especially the copper plating - can you explain that design process (and is that a marble top option)?

Thanks! That table was the result of meditating on the “tripod” table, a furniture type that I really love. I wanted to remove one of its already few elements, and I realized that a single bent leg could do the work of two. Metal is a pretty obvious choice for this function, so I highlighted its role with copper plating. The copper looks pretty fantastic with the ash, too. I did a marble top prototype, but there are still some issues to work out. I like it though, and the way it really separates the function of each component by material.

What Canadian designers/makers/architects, etc do you look up to, are influenced by or inspire you?

I'm a fan of Castor's designs. Omer Arbel and Samare always do exceptional work. Gord Peteran's thinking had a big influence on me, and when I was a student I learned a lot about how to make good decisions from Peter Fleming.


Where else do you pull inspiration from?

I read quite a bit of history, fiction, periodicals – middlebrow stuff. Mostly subjects completely unrelated to design. I take in a fair amount of news and politics, too. Also enjoy stand-up comedy, UFC. We bike a fair amount. Pretty disparate things that I'm sure impact my thinking in ways that are impossible to measure.


If you could design anything - what would it be?

A half-decent suit for Don Cherry and/or Karim Rashid.


Check out Jonathan Sabine online:
jonathansabine.com
msds-studio.ca
chromoly.ca
@jonathansabine

All photo's by Jessica Nakanishi  except for the marble top table by Shanghoon and pendant lighting by Janis Nicolay

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DIY: Chandelier

 Some inspiration from creative designs



Photo Every Last Detail

made out of vintage cards...





Photo Ecofriend

...cd-cases



 

Photo Exeter 5

...glass jars





Photo Mauricio Affonso

...aluminium pop can tabs



Photo Lula Dot

...old books



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How to create an eclectic...exterior! Rugs, seating, lanterns and other colourful patio ideas

April always seems to be one of the best months in the North East of Scotland and today we had tropical temperatures of 19 degrees Celsius! It was incredibly windy, but still, I managed to enjoy lunch 'al-fresco'. Each year I hope that we'll have great weather until at least August, but unfortunately we've had plenty of wetness and cold too.... Anyway, enough about our crappy Scottish Summers, let's talk sunshine! As I have recently been writing a couple of posts about how to create an eclectic interior, I thought it would be nice to focus on how to create inspirational outdoor areas today, since we'll all be walking around in our flip-flops soon.

As you may have seen in earlier posts my husband and I are still busy building our own patio area from beautiful natural stone, which hopefully will be finished before Summer. Can't wait to dress it up with furniture, cushions and pot plants. The rockery plants are in place already.

To give you and myself some inspiration, I selected some great images to get our creative thinking going...

I adore everything in this picture. Look at those tiles! Image: www.style-files.com

How romantic is this...! Image: La Belle Vie

How to create this eclectic garden chandelier, read it on www.sunset.com

And another wonderful alternative chandelier

Not exactly a patio area, but wouldn't you love to have your al-fresco Summer lunch here? Image: Modern Interior Design

I have a thing for colourful cushions, like necklaces, you just can't have enough of them! Image: My Deco

Even small balconies can be transformed into wonderful spaces. Image: Houzz

Indoor furniture doesn't have to stay indoors! Image: House to Home

Get your vintage linens out to create a wonderful country chic dinner table. Image: House to Home

Yup, told you so, get those vintage linens out. What a lovely French style patio! Image: House to Home

And of course...an example from Stockholm, where we'll be heading for our Summer holidays. Great use of a tiny roof terrace! Image: Pitut.com
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Don't know about you, but I am really looking forward to Summer now...hope you like this post.  How do you create that individual look on your outdoor area?
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Chandeliers

Having just purchased my first crystal chandelier for the shop, I thought I'd write a post celebrating the drama that a great light fixture accomplishes. Though my tastes are not especially girly when it comes to interiors, I have to make an exception for chandeliers. I've always wanted to makeover an otherwise understated bathroom with an elaborate glass chandelier adorned with lots of colorful baubles. A beautiful vintage chandelier can add elegance to a dining or living space. On the other hand, an up-cycled found object (such as a bowler hat, as was recently suggested to me by a customer) can inject a sense of humor into an otherwise classic room. Why else were high ceilings invented if not to suspend elaborate sculptures?

As the following pics show, Etsy is chock full of options for beautiful and whimsical lighting.

Classic Hanging Lantern from Rosebuds Home.

Hollywood Regency Faux Bamboo Chandelier from Fabulous Mess.

Pink Beaded Chandelier from Paris Couture Antiques.

Ball Mason Jar Chandelier from Boots N Gus.

Trouble Light Chandelier from Modern Upcycle.

Images: Lonny mag, Dec 2010. InsideOut mag; May/June 2010, June 2004. Thrifty Chic: Interior Style on a Shoestring by Liz Bauwens and Alexandra Campbell, photography by Simon Brown, published by CICO Books, 2009. Living etc mag; Dec 2010, Aug 2009. Rosebuds Home. Fabulous Mess. Paris Couture Antiques. Boots N Gus. Modern Upcycle.

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Design line-up: lamps and pendants

I love Danish design and this lamp, called the IQ Light, is one of my all-time favourites, especially when lit at night. The one pictured below is a replica and sold on eBay.

Another mid-century cracker from Denmark (from collectables.articles.com):

I also love Moroccan lanterns and pendants that create such a lovely diffused light. This one is from Haysom lighting.

This one is a cheapy from B&Q, that we've got hanging in our hall way. Got a nice retro feel to it!

This pendant light is great for its simplicity and elegance and would go in any interior really (and I'd love it to in mine!). You can get it on eBay.

 

This pendant light with aluminium casting is reminiscent of the successful industrial era of the 60's. I love it! Wouldn't it look great in a pair above the kitchen table? It is available from Garden Trading.

Fabulous warm orange light coming from this retro beauty (found on eBay):

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Making furniture out of old pallets

Image: Ana White

I am a big fan of recycling, or in other words, making sure that something doesn't end up in the skip. I love seeing old wood being reused and the crates made by Ana Whyte are a beautiful example of this. She has the complete How-To on her website, so do have a look if you want to do this yourself.

The next example from www.folksy.com I really like, but... £180 for coffee table made from a reclaimed old pallet? (For US-based readers, that's $288 - yes, you are reading that correctly!). It doesn't look that difficult to screw four wheels under a pallet, give the thing a good varnish and get a cut-to-size piece of glass to put on top of it, does it? Although, glass can be expensive...maybe that's what has put the price up... ;-)

Image: mobius-living.co.uk

Hold on, I just came across this Studio5 website with some tutorials on it... Time to save some money, folks! Tutorial: How to make a coffee table out of a pallet

And another great looking coffee table here... And you know what? I've got the tutorial here just for you: pallet coffee table tutorial

You may be charging £180 for your own home-made creations soon!

This design is very nice too, an ottoman designed by BCK design from Canada. Looks very contemporary, beautiful and functional at the same time.

Image: Designspotter.com

The lovely Recicla e Decora blog also shows a great number of recycled pallet projects (although I can't understand the Portuguese text - I always enjoy the pictures!). What about this shoe rack...? I know, a bit basic...but an original idea.

Image: recicla e decora

One of my favourites is this rustic bench and a similar one was shown in the BBC gardening programme Gardeners World last Summer. I'm pleased to say there's a video tutorial for it on the BBC website. It's not the most glamorous looking thing, but hey, it's a pallet - what do you expect!

Image: treesandthings via GrowsonYou

Pallets are not just great for making tables and benches, London based Studiomama also makes lamps out of them.

Image: studiomama

That's it for today! But if you still can't get enough of pallets and the magic you can create with them, go and have a look on www.greenupgrader.com, for many more ideas and "The 8 best resources for Building with Pallets".

Time to dive into the skip, I think, and find some old planks...

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