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DIY Pendant Lights (With Barn Pulleys)

February 27, 2014
DIY Pendant Light with Barn Pulley

Recently we counted how many holes we’ve poked in our apartment ceiling to hang lights. The answer’s 9. NINE. And eight of those ceiling holes are holding barn pulleys. While it might be time to slow down on the hanging light fixtures, I learned something really cool with the last light we hung.

DIY Pendant Light with Barn Pulley

All of those swoony industrial-looking pendant lights that are really expensive everywhere? You can *make* and *customize* them yourself for thirty bucks! There’s this amazing shop called Snake Head Vintage that sells lamp parts, colorful cords, and vintage Edison bulbs for really good prices. At first I was worried about electrocuting myself a la Homer Simpson with a lamp I put together myself, but it’s actually really simple.

DIY Pendant Light with Barn Pulley

Stuff you need:
DIY Pendant Light with Barn Pulley


-Light Socket (Mine from Snake Head Vintage)
Plug
Cord
Plug
-Pulley (My mom gave me mine for Christmas, but you can find them on Ebay.)
Swag Hook

DIY Pendant Light with Barn Pulley
First you need to take apart the light socket.

DIY Pendant Light with Barn Pulley
Next you need to strip the wire and prepare it for the socket.

DIY Pendant Light with Barn Pulley
Next you need to slip the wire through the socket and wrap it around them to the screws of the socket and screw on tightly.

DIY Pendant Light with Barn Pulley
Next, snap everything together.

DIY Pendant Light with Barn Pulley
For the plug, repeat the same process of stripping the cord and then screwing it tight to the plug.

DIY Pendant Light with Barn Pulley
Slip the outer casing of the plug down the prongs. It’s really that simple.

DIY Pendant Light with Barn Pulley
Next, gather your pulley and swag hook.

DIY Pendant Light with Barn Pulley
Drill a hole large enough to slip the base of the swag hook through.

DIY Pendant Light with Barn Pulley
Once you screw in the swag hook, hang the pulley from it and slip the cords around the wheel.

DIY Pendant Light with Barn Pulley
Secure the cords to the wall and adjust the cords to be straight.

End product:
DIY Pendant Light with Barn Pulley

DIY Pendant Light with Barn Pulley

I think we have plenty of pulleys in the apartment now, but IT’S SO FUN. The barn pulley addiction is a strong one. The rush is like sticking your head out of a fast-moving car or watching Breaking Bad until 4am on a Tuesday. 🙂

DIY Pendant Light with Barn Pulley

DIY Pendant Light with Barn Pulley

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  • Maria February 27, 2014 at 4:30 pm

    Love it!! For what it's worth, I don't think you can ever have too much light!

  • Sarah Muszynski August 1, 2014 at 2:07 am

    What did you use to secure the cords to the wall?

  • Caylie December 11, 2014 at 5:03 pm

    Where did you find the pulley??

  • StacieStacieStacie December 11, 2014 at 5:17 pm

    My mom gave it to me for Christmas but you can find them all over Ebay! 🙂