Restoration Hardware Birdcage Chandelier the Thrifty Way!

The good thing about Restoration Hardware is that it is definitely eye candy. I love looking at their catalogs, their home decor style, and their rugged/industrial type accessories are breathtaking. The bad thing is that everything in the entire store is very pricey. I love it though. I wish I had unlimited funds! Wouldn’t THAT be nice!?!? I’ve been eyeing the amazing birdcage chandeliers for awhile now.

So, instead of paying $2300 for this Restoration Hardware birdcage chandelier, we MADE OUR OWN!! This is one of my favorite projects that we have ever done here on All Things Thrifty!!

Once upon a time there was this prince who journeyed to other lands {let’s call him Prince Dan}. While visiting these other lands, the Prince would sometimes find treasures along his way. Prince Dan found a birdcage abandoned and ready to be thrown in the dump. Prince Dan knew that his Princess was OBSESSED with old things so he decided to bring it home in case she ever wanted to do anything with it…and they lived happily ever after. The end. Ha ha. Just kidding. Of course the story isn’t over! The story is just beginning! BAHAHA.

This is the birdcage that my super amazing Hubby brought home from a business trip for me…yep, you read that correctly…FOR FREEEEEEEEE!!! I knew exactly what I wanted to do with this bad boy, and Dan decided to tackle the project without my begging/nagging for his help. In fact, I was doing a completely different project {that day} and he made the entire chandelier without me! ♥ What a hunk ♥.

Step 1: Find a large birdcage.

Step 2: Use a grinder to remove the bottom portion of the birdcage.Step 3: Find a small enough chandelier to fit inside the birdcage. We bought our chandelier at the local Habitat for Humanity Restore for around $25.00. Step 4: Disassemble the chandelier, but make sure you save all the electrical wires and parts to reuse and put it inside the birdcage. Drill a hole in the top of the birdcage for the electrical wires to fit through.

   Step 5: Make the rope. The next step was a little challenging. Since we both LOVED the Restoration Hardware rope, we wanted to recreate it. So, we bought 3/4 inch rope and cut them into four equal lengths. Then we wrapped the rope around the existing chandelier chain to make it look like a large rope. If you can see the Restoration Hardware Rope below, you can see that the top and bottom of the rope had a metal cup to finish off the rope. We used spray paint lids to create the same look.    We also wrapped smaller twine around the top and base of the rope to mimic the Restoration Hardware rope. Step 6: Add teardrop jewels. We drilled small holes in the chandelier to add jewels. You can buy chandelier jewels in the lighting section at your local hardware stores. We bought ours at Lowes. We simply drilled small holes and stuck the jewel wire through the holes to attach them. Step 7: {take off the jewels temporarily} then Paint your chandelier. Make sure you tape off your rope before you start painting. We used Rustoleum Metallic Oil Rubbed Bronze paint and primer in one for this project. To make painting easier, we hung the chandelier in our garage. I was super careful to paint every angle inside and out of the birdcage. I also painted the spray paint lids on the top and bottom of the rope.    

Step 8: Hang the chandelier. Make sure you have someone that is experienced in electrical wiring. {I’m lucky that Dan knows how to do all that}.

The birdcage chandelier is the first thing that you see when you walk in my door, and EVERYONE loves it! I particularly love the design from the chandelier's shadow.

 

So now we have the look of the Restoration Hardware Birdcage Chandelier, but instead of paying $2300.00, it only cost right around $60 to recreate the whole thing. Now that’s what I call THRIFTY!!!