When Pins Collide

Published on by Our Humble Abode

I’ve had a major crush on this pendant, dreaming of having it, or something similar in our entry since we bought this house.

While lying in bed last week, I remembered the traditional Christmas Finnish Himmeli ornaments.

Eureka!  Couldn’t I merge these two together?  I ran my idea past Ben, but he worried a single bulb wouldn’t light the entry adequately.  Determined to give this a try, I decided to scale down the size to make a pendant for our bedroom.  Goodbye old fan.

Master-Bedroom-from-Door-One-Year-Later

I started with my supplies, 36 one foot pieces of 1/2 inch PVC pipe (under two bucks for 10 feet!), wire, and black spray paint.

PVC-Pendant-Supplies

Using the wire, I threaded three pieces on and twisted the wire ends together.

PVC-Pendant-Step-1

Then strung through one of those pieces, adding two more on, securing the ends with a few twists.

PVC-Pendant-Step-2

I made a group of four, brought it in the house and realized it would hang down too far.  So, I took it apart and cut the pieces down to 8 inches.

PVC-Pendant-Step-3

Treating each triangle individually made easier and tighter connections.

PVC-Pendant-Step-4

After twisting the ends several times, I cut the wire and pushed it inside the pipe.

PVC-Pendant-Step-5

The easiest way to think about this design is a hexagon turned to a six-sided star, like this:

PVC-Pendant-Six-Sided-Star

To make the three-dimensional shape, connect the outer points with another piece.  I’d suggest hanging it to make work easier.

PVC-Pendant-Six-Sided-Star-Connect

String on the last six pieces, connecting all to the center point.  And time for spray paint.  We had beautiful weather, so I strung it up between two trees and got my spray on.

PVC-Pendant-Before-Spray-Paint

I thought I had a pendant kit, but used it in the guest bedroom.  So this guy hasn’t been installed, but is finished.  Off to ReStore to snag a cheapie pendant to hang this dude.

PVC-Pendant-Black-After-2

Now that it’s assembled, I wish I had made the top and bottom six pieces a little longer than the rest.  The points aren’t nearly as noticeable as the Restoration Hardware version.

PVC-Pendant-Black-After-1

Not perfect, but for $16 in materials I can’t really complain.

PVC-Pendant-Black-After-3

What do you think?  Are you crushing on an expensive light?

16 thoughts on “When Pins Collide”

  3. Personally, I’m going to have to say I think it looks very ‘home made’ and I agree the top and bottom ends should have been longer. It seems to have no definition. Can you re-string it??

    Reply

    1. Hey Mintondorf!

      Definitely looks home made compared to the RH one. But, at about 1/20 of the price, I think I can live with it. I might re-do the top and bottom if I don’t like how it looks hanging up, just have to see it in application. 🙂

      Thanks!
      Amanda

      Reply

  4. Hmm, I appreciate the effort. I will withhold final judgement until I see it hanging in its final place! 🙂

    Reply

  7. This looks great! Can’t wait to see what it looks like in your bedroom. I’ve been brainstorming easy DIY light fixtures for a couple of rooms in our house and this one would be perfect =)

    Reply

    1. Hi Kristin!

      Thanks, lovely! I’m still searching for a pendant to use. Hopefully I’ll find something soon and I can get it up! 🙂 Glad this gives you an idea.

      Thanks!
      Amanda

      Reply

Now it's your turn! Share your thoughts and opinions, stories and links. We love hearing from you!