Seems I’ve been roped into one of Sherry’s projects again. This time it’s her “Dude, Get On That Already” challenge — yes, the “dude” applies to me too — where she’s determined to use or donate the items we’ve been hoarding in our spare room. This week’s project: a thrifted light fixture we rescued in Delaware nearly a year ago for $19 that has been sitting on the playroom floor ever since. It was high time it did what fixtures are supposed to do: provide light.
It’s made of a resin-like material and looks like a glowing orb of clear spaghetti in a very cool, vintage ’70s way. Update: we learned from a savvy reader that it’s called a spaghetti lamp and it’s made of spun lucite. Our original plan back in February 2011 was to strip the gold finish and hang it in the master bathroom nook. Plans changed: we decided the closet would be a better home for it.
The closet won for two reasons: the bathroom nook can be seen from the bedroom, and the round fixture might visually compete with the other large round light in that space; and the closet’s bare bulb was dull and uninspiring. Replacing that exposed bulb would be an instant improvement.
Much better:
We put the lamp up and immediately noticed the improvement. It’s rewarding to use what you already own and to upgrade a naked ceiling bulb. Beyond the lighting, the closet needed a few other tweaks, too.
When you last saw our closet a few months after we moved in, it was tidy and well organized. Over time it had become less organized — partly because of Burger, our chihuahua.
We moved Burger’s crate into our closet because Clara kept getting into his food, water, and crate in the playroom closet. He likes small, tucked-away spaces, so the master closet became a better spot for his crate. Since the crate took up some floor space, we reorganized my side of the closet to make room.
I didn’t need the full shoe rack left by the previous owners — I only keep a couple of pairs here — while Sherry has an abundance of footwear on the other side. After a quick brainstorming session (Sherry encouraged me to give up some floor space), I removed my shoe rack. Removing both pairs of shoes was a truly exhausting job, but we pressed on.
Sherry took the rack apart while I trimmed the long shelves by about 14 inches. We reassembled and nailed it back together, creating a smaller shoe rack that fits my needs and frees up space for Burger’s crate in the corner.
To give you a sense of the space, here’s Burger’s viewpoint. (Yes, the tour is partly narrated in his voice.)
“Welcome to my bedroom, people of the Internet!”
“My crate is tucked away and private now. Apparently my family prefers having dirty laundry closer than their beloved canine. But privacy is nice.”
“Next to my sleeping spot are the dining facilities. Yes, I do live the good life.”
“A little personal attention would be appreciated — hand-fed, preferably.”
Back to the light: installation was straightforward. We cut off the plug, exposed the wires to hardwire it, and used a kit to attach the chain to a crossbar. We did have to find a canopy that fit, which required a trip to a specialty lighting store. We kept the gold finish because the closet doesn’t need to match other fixtures, and we like the retro gold look. If we change our minds later, painting is always an option.
I deliberately underexposed some photos so you can see the lamp’s texture; in real life it’s even more impressive. Sherry wants to make a short video because the lamp’s glow and the little streaks of light it casts across the walls and ceiling are much more striking in motion. The effect is playful — almost like party streamers — and for a moment we joked about adding a rotation mechanism, like a tiny disco ball. Not serious, but fun to imagine.
It’s a shame the lamp spent almost a year in a pile, but we’re glad it’s finally hanging where it can be admired. To set the height, I stood beneath it while Sherry adjusted the chain until we found a comfortable clearance — it now hangs around 6’4″ from the floor (our ceilings are 8′ high).
As for the extra chain we didn’t use, we repurposed it for a little playtime elsewhere — Clara had fun with it and there’s a short clip of her playing dress-up. Overall, this was a satisfying small closet makeover: a thrifted spaghetti lamp, a reworked shoe rack, and a happy little dog with a private nook. Did you cross anything off your “Dude, Get On That Already” list this week? Reorganized a closet? Convinced someone to help? Or ghostwrote a blog post for your chihuahua? Just me?
