DIY Barn Board Light Sconce
I’m big on bringing nature into the home. And on being as sustainable as possible when designing a beautiful home.
Enter DIY light fixtures.
I wanted a wall sconce for both my living room and bedroom that would provide good light to read by, but without taking up space on a tabletop or floor. I decided to use some old barn boards that were leftover on my parent’s property (that actually came from my grandfather’s old barn).
Here’s what I came up with and how it was done.
Natural vintage light sconce DIY instructions
I took a piece of rough old barn board (6” width) and sanded it down with a palm sander to bring out the beautiful brown tones and smooth the edges.
I found an end that was naturally beautiful and cut the other end to the length I wanted for my hanging sconce (about 2 ft).
I cut another shorter piece (about 6”) and screwed it into the longer piece about 3/4 of the way up.
I drilled two holes in the short extension piece of wood for the rope for the light to pass through.
The lighting hardware was purchased from Snakehead Vintage - a corded set comes with a cloth twisted cord and plugin attached. I wired it to the socket (I chose an antique brass socket with the 3-way switch so I can turn it on and off from bed) and added the cage at the end. Full directions for wiring the lighting are here. The Edison bulb was purchased at a local hardware store.
Final step: I screwed the fixtures (I made two) to the wall (find a stud to screw them to or use drywall anchors).
Turned out beautifully for only about $25! This was really simple, except for perhaps the light wiring, but you could also purchase that part on Etsy!
Have fun getting creative with your lighting.
Kelly Anderson