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.

birdcage chandelier247135098271672151_OmQNjiCz_c

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!!

mantle, sign, chandelier 051

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.

birdcage chandelier 001 Step 2: Use a grinder to remove the bottom portion of the birdcage.birdcage chandelier 003Step 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.

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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.
 247135098271672151_OmQNjiCz_cCourt proposal january 2012 202 
We also wrapped smaller twine around the top and base of the rope to mimic the Restoration Hardware rope.
Court proposal january 2012 205Step 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. Court proposal january 2012 210Step 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.rustoleum To make painting easier, we hung the chandelier in our garage.Court proposal january 2012 213 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.
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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.

mantle, sign, chandelier 051mantle, sign, chandelier 052mantle, sign, chandelier 078mantle, sign, chandelier 071  mantle, sign, chandelier 051mantle, sign, chandelier 056

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!!!

Published on February 12, 2012

79 thoughts on “Restoration Hardware Birdcage Chandelier the Thrifty Way!”

  13. I am so making one of these!!! I love all things birds and have a dozen or so of birdcages so this is a gotta do project!!!! Thanks so much for the great idea! I pinned this to show off too!

    bee blessed
    mary

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  24. I am sitting here in utter amazement!! This is beautiful! I am so impressed with your hubby for bringing this home and for helping you turn it in to a wonderful light fixture.

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  25. This is gorgeous and right up my alley. I love making lamps and this one is spot on. If I have questions I usually have to call my dad…but its great you have such a handy guy to do things like this. Awesome!

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  34. Totally pin-worthy! Absolutely gorgeous and I love it even more than the $2300 one. I'm not sure I could pull this off but I've pinned it (that's the first step 😉

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  35. That looks awesome Brooke!

    p.s. I loved reading about your love/hate relationship with Justin 🙂 and he was honored to make the blog! Keep up the good work!

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  59. Wow! I found this photo on pinterest. What a great job. I need to try and find a birdcage to try and make one of these. Great tutorial. I am a new follower of your blog.

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  60. I'm so glad some body tackled this, I just knew it could be recreated when I first saw them in the magazine! It looks so insanely much like the original, I bet people can't tell a difference. Awesome, awesome, awesome 🙂

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  62. Well I did it….found a fabulous bird cage today and am going to do the same thing…just turn it upside down….thanks again so much for this creative and fablous idea you two…:o)

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  63. Saw the chandelier at RH and fell in love with it, but not the price tag. Hubby sent me this link and Im so impressed with how much it looks like the RH fixture. Great job and thanks for sharing! We will be doing our own light fixtures now. 🙂

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  71. OMg, I’m obsessed with your birdcage chandy! I’m kicking myself now – saw one not too long ago for a decent price but passed it up.
    Thanks so much for sharing! It is amazing!

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  72. Beautiful!
    Your ceiling/wall colors seem to look different from pic to pic…must be the lighting. But, what is that ceiling color? Can you tell? I am remodeling our master bedroom and need to consider something other than white for the ceiling, The fireplace will be a very dark, almost black, granite tile, floor will be honey oak. But I am stumped on the walls and ceiling colors right now.

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  73. It’s very rare I come across a DIY project that does not look DIY. Your chandelier looks phenomenal, and store bought! How creative using the spray paint lids! Blown away! 🙂

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  74. wow, BEAUTIFUL! You all did a great job! Might be a silly question, but how did you get the rope to stay twisted and not unravel when you let go?

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    1. Hi Lori! GREAT question! We wrapped the rope around the chain all the way to the top, and then we wired it together at the top and the bottom. That way the ropes were secured in their final spots and could not unravel. Hopefully this answers your question!

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  76. I love your story and it sounds like u have a keeper!! .?
    Your instructions r for beginners ( that’s me)to create really is one of a kind creations ..wow thank u…. Oh and it is not 2,300 dollars ..
    Thank u for sharing your creativity but most all your easy to follow and understand instructions..

    Reply
  77. Pingback: 25+ Fantastic DIY Chandelier Ideas and Tutorials : News Readly

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