Umbrella Pendant Lamp

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Issue 45

The Escapes Issue

Cook perfect pancakes
Build a modern rustic bench
Sew new life into a vintage dress

Umbrella Pendant Lamp

Pour on the umbrellas to bring out the sunny side.

Umbrellas come in so many fun colors and shapes that it’s a shame to save them for a rainy day. So we didn’t. We popped out two bubble-style umbrellas and did a little surgery on the shafts. With a cord strung through the top, a socket, and a globe, we had light. Plastic zip ties connect the umbrella bottoms, forming a bulbous pendant that makes a big statement rain or shine.

Retrofit the umbrellas. With a helper holding an umbrella open, use a hacksaw to cut the shaft about 1 inch below the sliding hub. Don your safety glasses. Drill a small hole in the cut shaft, just below the sliding hub. Feed the wire through the hole and bend both sides to hold the sliding hub in place and keep the umbrella canopy open. Repeat for the other umbrella.
Add the lighting. Use the pencil to pierce a hole in the top center of one umbrella canopy, right beside the finial. Insert the wire end of the cord through the hole so it dangles about 3 inches below the cut shaft. (The globe should be centered between the two umbrellas after the pendant is assembled, so adjust the length of cord in relation to the size of your umbrellas.Additionally, make sure the cord is long enough to reach the desired outlet and that the switch on the cord will be easy to reach.) Use zip ties to attach the cord to the cut shaft and finial; trim the tails of the zip ties. Wire the positive and negative wires of the cord to the socket, and top with the cap. Screw the globe into the socket.
Assemble the pendant. Align the bottoms of the umbrellas along the ribs, overlapping the tips slightly and forming a globe shape. Use zip ties to connect the overlapped tips; trim the tails of the zip ties. The open spaces between the adhered tips will allow for reaching in to change the globe. Hang the pendant, swagging the cord over ceiling hooks and down the wall to an outlet. Cautionary tale: Plastic melts, so don’t exceed the recommended wattage or leave the pendant turned on when you’re gone.