When it comes to renting, there are a number of small details that come with the place — like appliances, flooring, closet storage space and wall paint color — that you sort of just have to make do with. And in fact, light fixtures often fall into this category as well.
If you’re lucky (and if you have the budget for it), you may be able to easily twist off or unscrew an ugly light fixture so you can replace it with something that’s more your style. But if that’s not feasible or you’re simply not allowed to do that, then you’re stuck with two options: either learn to live with it or find a convenient way to cover it up.
At my place, there’s this boring old light fixture in the bedroom that isn’t exactly the worst eyesore in the world, but it certainly isn’t stylish. I’ll show you how to create a nice-looking and totally temporary cover that not only looks so much better but also can be built from cheap stuff you might already have in as little as five minutes!
I used four items I already had, but you can pick any of these up from almost anywhere. I used two scarves, two elastic hair ties, some thumbtacks and a beaded necklace.
My plan was to create a cover with a bit of a Bohemian look to it, but this project is versatile enough that you can go for almost any style you want. You could probably pick all of these things up from any regular old dollar store and even swap out the scarves for just fabric.
Now, the thumbtacks work nicely in my situation since I have this lovely popcorn ceiling to work with, which won’t show any of the holes that I make by sticking them into the ceiling. If you have a flat ceiling, you may need to use fewer of them or perhaps come up with a different alternative if your property manager has a strict policy against putting holes in the walls or ceilings.
Start by folding the scarf or cutting a piece of fabric to a length of about 3 feet. You’re going to use the thumbtacks to pin the scarf or fabric right along the edge of the light fixture, as if you were tracing its edges.
Once you’ve thumbtacked the whole way around the fixture, you should have a cylindrical shape of fabric hanging down that completely covers it up. The hard part is done!
Take one of the hair ties and feed it through the scarf or fabric just once so it bunches it together nicely. Then you can use the other one to secure a big knot in it.
As a final option, you can string some nice-looking beads or jewels around the knotted area for some extra finishing details. If you don’t want to sacrifice any of your own necklaces, they’re easy enough to pick up at any craft store.
And that’s it! Now you have a gorgeous new light fixture that barely cost you anything at all, which you can remove easily whenever you want.
As a final tip, I’d add that going with lighter scarves or fabrics is ideal. Not only will they hold better with the thumbtacks, but they’ll also let a lot more light through when you need to turn the fixture on.
Want more creative lighting options? Check out these creative ways to replace a floor lamp that lights up your apartment.