Inexpensive DIY light fixture

I was building my home office in my basement when I encountered a problem. I wanted a lamp to light my desk, but I also wanted to keep it off my desk and mount it to the wall or ceiling. I wanted an industrial, utilitarian look, which was hard to come across while I was looking through the various hardware stores in my area. The lights I did like were hundreds of dollars, and since I was just starting this new company and quitting my nice, stable job, I couldn't justify the purchase. Instead, I chose to build my own. The result is exactly what I wanted and cost right around $20 (which didn't include the Romex, wire nuts, and various fittings most home owners should have lying around).

The lights themselves are the world's most basic work lamps. They initially had large metal clips on them for clipping onto various surfaces, but I stripped those off. The plug was cut off, and the wire run through the 90 degree corner to attach to the Romex as well as the other light's cord. I bought the lights from the clearance bin at Lowe's. They were just over $1 a piece.

For more stuff I build, check out my website at timwasson.com.

Comments

[Crucio]

Your lights look splendid as does your cozy room paintjob. The copper/brass paint on the conduit and lampshades turns the otherwise drab default colors into something stylish.

[timwasson]

Thanks for your comment, but I can't take credit for painting the conduit and lampshades... those are the bare-metal they came in. The wall color I can, and will, take full credit for!

[Crucio]

Bare-metal? They look brass-colored in the slideshow!

[unjust]

note that modifying UL listed fixtures invalidates their UL listing, and that *could* be a problem say, if your home owners insurance or mortgage company ever decided to inspect the place. looks very sharp, but obviously not code compliant as the conduit doesn't connect to the fixture head.