Make a Statement with Inexpensive Palette Art & Shop Lights

This week we finally finished my vision for lights and feature art above Dub’s bed.

Our home didn’t come with overhead lights standard in the bedrooms, so we needed lamps that would put out a lot of light. I struggled to find the right look for his room, because I discovered most lamps max out at 60 watts, and we really needed two 150 watt lamps to adequately light the space.

I was inspired with looks like these:

I was looking for something industrial and rustic to fit his space, but didn’t want to break the bank.

That’s when I landed on these clamp lights. They fit the look I was going for, are  just $15 each, and are compatible with up to 300 watt bulbs. I also found this option that is even less expensive and still goes up to 150 watts, but I loved the look of the cage on the lights I chose, and figured they would help prevent touching the bulbs while in use.

Once I landed on the lights, I needed a way to affix them to his wall. I bought these Ikea Shelf Brackets for just $4 each, drilled holes for the cords, and stained them to match his the DIY frames on his wall gallery.

We placed them wide enough on the wall that the placement will still work when he graduates to a full bed in the coming years.

We liked this look as it was, but we decided to give it a more custom look with vintage look fabric electrical cords. We chose the black and white zig zag pattern, but there are so many nice options here that it was hard to choose!

Now, if you’re trying this yourself and are working with a low watt light, a very inexpensive option is this cord from Ikea. However, this is only a two wire cord so you’ll want to make sure it’s compatible with your light. It also only works up to 40 watts (400 lumen) which in my house is no bueno.

I think these turned out fantastic, but I still debate weather I should spray paint them or weather the metal down the line. There are so many possibilities with these as he grows and his room evolves.

When this project was complete, we spent a total of $75 for the two lights and fixtures – at least half what I would have paid for 2 of my inspiration lights.

These look great when they’re hanging, but Dub also loves the way that they can be used as a spotlight when we use the clamp to adjust them on the bracket.

For the art above his bed, my dad removed these boards from a pallet using a reciprocating saw. I loved the way these boards were of varying wood stains and colors, so I used all of them together. My husband then screwed these boards to several 1×2 boards. He then added this galvanized letter that I found at Hobby Lobby.

I’m not done with his room quite yet, but I’m happy with the progress we’re making – see the custom DIY wall gallery we made for his room, here!

Details:

• Wall Color – Sherwin Williams Indigo Batik
• Lamps
• Vintage Wrapped Electrical Cords
• Wall Brackets

Are you considering using industrial shop lights or pallet wood for a traditional indoor space? Let me know if you have any questions and I’d be happy to answer them for you!