So far, working on our studio has brought a pretty good mix of different types of projects: Sometimes we are completely removing features, and sometimes we are creating features from scratch, but we’ve also had our fair share of restyling/makeover projects as well (like our concrete countertop). When picking out lighting for the house, we debated over keeping the existing chandelier in the dining room or picking something new for the space. Of course, a beautiful chandelier is one of my favorite choices for lighting a room, but this chandelier was in need of some major TLC and we weren’t sure if we could really bring back its proper shine. Eventually, its potential got the best of us, and we decided to dive in and bring it back to the life it deserves.
Since we loved the idea of being able to restore the original metal finish (not sure exactly what metal it is—maybe brass?) I tried a few different cleaning methods to try and bring back the original color. The metal had become extremely dark and grey over the years, and even with all the elbow grease I could muster, my cleaning attempts hardly made any difference at all. Bummer. So instead, we moved on to plan B and decided to paint the metal to mimic its original luster.
I removed the crystals and taped off the glass and candle elements of the lighting fixture and took it outside for a few coats of my favorite copper spray paint
. As the paint dried, I set to work on cleaning the crystals.
Man, were they dirty. With all the renovation dust from our construction on the home, there was definitely not going to be any sparkle coming off those crystals anytime soon. Luckily, all they needed was a bath in warm, soapy water and once they dried, they were good as new!
Once the crystals were reattached, we hung the light back up, and the difference in sparkle and shine was instantly clear. And we weren’t even done yet! I wanted to turn the crystal volume up just a bit, so I ordered a few crystal octagons from here and made some long chains to add to the chandelier. I also replaced the candle sleeves (the long white tubes around the “candle” part of the lights) and added new bulbs.
Voilà! What was once a dingy and dark fixture is now full of life and sparkle. This little light is ready for its close-up! xo. Laura
Credits // Author: Laura Gummerman, Photography: Laura Gummerman & Sarah Rhodes. Photos edited with Stella and Merit from the Signature Collection.
58 Comments
Wow- I love this! So very, very beautiful!
Greetings from Germany and please take a chance today:
http://lasagnolove.blogspot.de/2014/03/take-chance.html
Love,
Bambi
Fun! Looks great.
That is absolutely beautiful and stunning. Good job on this! I love when you can take old stuff and make them look like-new again.
http://www.thesecretsurprisinista.com
Laurali Star
Beautiful! its incredible how the color completely changes the object, makes it so much elegant and fact, I love it!
Have an amazing day 🙂
http://sheseeksvictoria.wordpress.com
Great job! You faithfully cleaned all those lovely crystals so they could shine their best, then added even more pretty sparkle with the chains. It looks like the original finish might have been brass, but unlacquered and unprotected so that it developed that darkness and grayness, although I could be wrong too.
I’m so happy you decided to restore it! It belongs to that home and looks even cheerier now between the spray paint and that pop of turquoise door in the background!
Laura, I have been absolutely LOVING every single one of your projects! I am so glad you’ve joined the ABM team 🙂 This chandelier looks so gorgeous, it’s great you’ve been able to save it and bring it back to life! xxx
http://sarah-nunn.blogspot.co.uk
The color you chose is so fun- nice and warm, which compliments the walls really nicely!!
So pretty! It looks like new, and I love the copper color.
what an amazing restoration project – looks stunning!
This looks so good! I completely love it!
Wow, that turned out beautiful!
this looks great! it would looks cool with some round modern bulbs.
Looks great! But i hate to clean my chandeliers, haha
We did this with a crystal chandelier in our house, only we painted it a glossy white. It changed the whole room.
http://www.wernerbeauty.com
Well done! That looks great. Crystal strands are so fun.
I love the copper color!
Stunning!!
can you tell what spray paint that you used?
Lovely! We have a chandelier in our dining room in a similar state. Was debating replacing it, but this has inspired me to try to restore it! Can you tell me what you used to replace the white “candle” tubes on your light? Mine are all cracked and falling to pieces. Thank you!
This looks great. 🙂 I love it.
I’m so excited for your studio as it is coming along. It’s just dreamy.
wow that looks so beautiful! love this project 🙂
I’m curious to know how/why you decided to paint the fixture as opposed to restoring it to the original finish? My husband and I are in the middle of remodeling our 1920’s era home and run into making thus decision a lot.
I prefer it neon pink or kept the old look.
Incredible! I was eyeing some gorgeous chandeliers at the Rose Bowl Flea Market in LA. This is exceptional and the color of paint makes it dazzling. Nice work!
Both are great options, for sure. We haven’t shared the table we built for this room yet but, well, there are parts of it that more closely match the paint we used. So I guess that was one of the factors that pushed us over the edge on our decision.
It’s good to think about what other things (furniture, paint colors, etc.) will be in your space. This can help you decide what to do. Or at least it helped us.
-Emma
Brillant !!
This is lovely! The copper was a great addition as it makes the crystals really pop! Awesome work!
Wow what a transformation!
I would be so proud of myself…. YOU SHOULD BE SO PROUD OF YOURSELF 🙂
http://www.fifimcgee.co.uk/
wow, this is so fab! great job!
xoxo,
The Quintessentials
this is genius! the copper looks great!
xxoo,
nikki
http://www.dreaminneon.blogspot.com
Wow, that is amazing. Great look!
Gorgeous! Way to go. I too have a vintage chandelier that I love. It was actually the original fixture in a house I had before the one I’m in now and the purchaser wasn’t interested in it, so I took it with me. I also had mine professionally rewired to be on the safe side because the wiring was also original (and so at least 70 years old). And you are so right … washing the crystals brings the sparkle to a whole new level. I take mine down a couple of times a year and give them a wash and polish.
Love the brassy gold you went with
I have a chandelier so so similar to this! I love it, it’s my little bit of luxury at home and every time I walk past it on the landing it makes me smile 🙂
Sarah x
http://www.daisychainsanddreamers.wordpress.com
Magnifique!
I have à plan to spray paint a similar chandelier we have at home in raspberry pink. I was wondering if you spray painted the chain as well? If so, what technique did you use?
Now, that’s what I call a makeover!!
Oh wow, I LOVE this. I love the copper paint too, use it on everything! Xo.
Glossy white is a great idea. That must look stunning!
I did spray the chain, but I didn’t have to do anything special. Just held it upright and sprayed it like everything else, making sure to cover every angle 🙂
Laura
I’m so glad you guys decided to keep the original chandelier! It’s absolutely stunning and looks even more fabulous with a little facelift!
xoxo
Taylor
Just go to a lighting store and ask for candle sleeves, that’s what they are called 🙂 You may have to look online for the right size…
Laura
It’s actually linked in the blog post where I talk about painting the fixture 🙂
It’s great!
Laura
What a great way to update and not get rid of the beautiful chandelier you already have!
http://everydayingrace.blogspot.ca/
This looks amazing! Its surprising how much they can lift a room. great job!
http://www.dancingthroughsunday.typepad.com
x
Thank you Laura 🙂
I absolutely LOVE it! I’m not going to lie, it turned out way better than I thought it would!
Liz
http://www.liz-makes.com
I’m obsessed!!!!!!
Yeah, that’s gorgeous.
This looks amazing!
I love it! 🙂
http://threepinkcats.blogspot.de/
Gorgeous! I had no idea you could buy paint like that, and it looks so much prettier with the added crystals! x
I haven’t been able to stop noticing chandeliers; how did you know that this was exactly what I needed?? Yesterday I was half joking with friends when they walked out of Hollister with bags of clothes and said that I wished I could walk out of Hollister with their chandeliers! http://brunchataudreys.tumblr.com
I love this idea!! So great that you could keep the old chandelier!
Wow Laura! I am inspired! Really, really love the charm of the past while adding sparkle to your today. I can imagine the parties/celebrations this lovely piece will light up!
Wow! Great job, it looks amazing!
Amazing! I’m not sure if I would have thought of copper to paint it with… I didn’t associate it with such shine! Looks amazing. And I am obsessed with chandeliers so you guys are killing me. Might need to go splurge.
msmelange.com
My crystal chandelier is my most favorite possession–my aunt had one for a long time, redecorated, put hers in the shed, and she then generously passed it on to me. I love it–I clean it in the sink the same way you do (I think it’s the easiest way), and I clean it twice a year (June, and the week before Christmas). It’s STUPID how happy that damn thing makes me feel : )
This looks beautiful! Great refresh!
xo
Christa
http://www.gardeniasandmint.wordpress.com