Coral-inspired chandelier rehab with the kids (Dec 2015 - Jan 2016)

Castoff chandelier transformed with plaster into coral

Our kitchen and dining areas have never had a great amount of light. Over the years the dated track lights had mostly burned out and were difficult to replace. In desperation I hung a paper lantern from IKEA over our table a few years ago, and it helped, but I've wanted a more permanent solution. I've trolled Houzz and various magazines for ideas but lighting is ridiculously expensive. Some DIYer paint old fixtures eccentric colors, but that never grabbed me. Covering an old fixture in plaster, on the other hand, was interesting. I liked the chalky, neutral look of a dipped or sculpted lamp.

Old ceiling lamp, minus a heavy ball of brass that used to be attached underneath

So one day at Habitat ReStore I perused the selection of donated lamps that were donated. If I could find something with the right size and basic shape, for minimal investment, I figure I'd take a chance and make it over with plaster. But I was confused: all of the lamps had a snipped wire on top. What could I do with that? The folks there explained to me that the wires can be connected to an existing electrical box; we've been needing an electrician's help on some other projects so I figured, what's one more? At the urging of another customer, I haggled over the price of a big, brassy monster (yes, I haggled with a charity) and hauled home 40 or so lbs of dusty metal for $17.

Electrical parts are protected and the bucket keeps everything steady

After buying a device to test the sockets to make sure they'd work, I put down a drop cloth and propped the lamp in a plastic bucket so I could reach around its arms. My daughter and I had purchased gauze dipped in plaster of paris from Michael's, and snipped it into small pieces. Then we got a small bucket of water and started dipping the pieces in and wrapping them around the lamp.

My daughter fearlessly starts layering on the plaster-coated strips

I was so glad to have a project I could work on with my kids and not worry about something getting damaged. The lamp was not precious, and drips of plaster are easily wiped up or chipped off. I flashed back to my childhood art teacher, who took on ambitious projects with elementary school kids (Mrs. Quakenbush, wherever you are, thank you). And of course my Mom was awesome, constantly giving us the clay, fabric, etc. to be creative. I want my kids to have that type of experience.

Much of the lamp is now chalky and white

As the brassiness changed over to matte white, the lamp resembled a barnacle-coated artifact from a shipwreck. I liked the look and wasn't sure if we needed to keep going with the coral idea. But at a minimum, something had to be done about the fake "candlesticks" -- they had been covered in plastic tubes that I had immediately (prematurely) discarded. Underneath were some wires that I didn't think should be coated with plaster. But how could I make that area look cohesive? I went back to Michaels and found some wire mesh, and without knowing quite what to do, I bent rough forms around each stem so we had a surface for some plaster. I'm not wile about the result but don't have a better idea.

Mesh keeps plaster away from wires (painters tape keeps sockets clear of debris)

Layers of plaster cover the mesh to create a ... tulip shape?

Now what? I decided we might as well try to go with coral shapes to distract from the bulky socket covers. I started piling up small blobs to simulate knobs and protrusions of some types of coral. It took a long time to build up each little bump, and I was getting tired, when my 6 year old son plopped down next to me and asked to help. He started smooshing big, messy gobs onto the side of the lamp. They looked awkward compared to the smooth pieces my daughter and I had labored over. But they stuck way out, and I had a breakthrough: this is how we can efficiently create extra "branches" of coral! We could quickly apply lots of shapes, then later apply a polished layer over them.

New shapes emerge from the formerly smooth surface

We kept at this on and off for a few more days. Towards the end I asked the kids to use the plaster dust to create a paste and smear it over any areas that still looked like fabric (the weave was very visible in some areas). Ultimately I broke out an old tub of gesso and handed my 8 year old a paintbrush. She went to town, filling in seams and imperfections.

This has taken up a pretty big chunk of our kitchen for two weeks

Finally it was time for the electricians to come and hang the lamp. I was nervous that it might not be functional. What if it was too heavy? What if there was an issue with the wiring after all? What if they just laughed and said, "no way!" ...? I kept my fingers crossed that it would work out.

Propped on the counter in anticipation of replacing the IKEA pendant in the background

Turns out there were a few parts missing that were crucial for hanging a chandelier, but thankfully the best hardware store ever (Ayers in Westover) is not far. And of course they had the odd bits that were needed. Because they're mystical.

Electricians sketched the pieces that I needed to find

The chandelier went up. The power turned on. It worked! I picked the kids up from school and they were SO PROUD of their achievement. It's not for everyone, but it is for us! I love it. And if we want to make it bigger, bolder, smoother, a different color? We can do it. With a step ladder.

Finished product in place

Built-in knife rack (November 2015)

Knife rack built into unused gap between cabinets and wall

We needed a good solution for storing knives. Drawer knife holders are not far enough out of reach for young kids. A counter top knife block would hog precious space. Wall magnets keep blades out of the way -- but in our small kitchen, "out of the way" could easily be bumped. For lack of a better option, we installed magnetic strips along our wall, but for years I envisioned a cascade of knives whenever a door was slammed.

Wall magnets where our knives used to hang, in front of unused gap

Between one of our sets of upper cabinets and the wall there was a gap. It looked awkward and I've long wondered what I could do with that space. Add a ledge at the bottom so we can store cutting boards or baking sheets? Buy a slide-out spice rack? I checked online but there were no easy solutions that would improve our lives. I kept going back to the awkward knife situation. There are a few images of pull-out knife blocks but the blades slide in from above. We are tall but not THAT tall. So I started sketching something I might be able to assemble myself.

Early sketch of idea for knife block that used wasted space

I didn't know what supplies I should use, how they would fit, or how to best secure this in place. I sketched some more, looked online some more, then thought about sandwiching a thin magnetic sheet between the layers of wood, to hold the knives put. I found what I needed on Amazon and placed an order. Momentum started to build.

Ideas continue to percolate

I looked around in the garage and found some scraps of wood, saving me a trip. Among the odds and ends was a long thin strip of lathe, and two boards that were pretty close to the height of my cabinet. I held them up and had an idea -- what if the rack went to the ceiling? The extra room would come in handy, and it might look more finished. I could trim off the top so it resembled the other cabinets I extended to the ceiling last year.

Simple box to hold odds and ends at the bottom of the rack

The wood wasn't long enough to extend from the ceiling to the bottom of the cabinet. What if I added a magnetized catch-all cubby at the bottom, for sharp stuff like the pizza cutter and cooking shears? I measured and cut some additional pieces that create a box below the knife holder.

Existing knives served as a template for the openings

Next I laid each of our existing knives on one of the boards and roughly traced where they might go, using the strip of lathe as a placeholder between them. The shorter blades made sense at the bottom, where there wasn't a lot of room, and the longer knifes had enough room higher up.

Ready to fit together 

I used wood glue to affix strips of lathe to the inside of the wood sandwich. These strips weren't pretty; I cut them roughly into the lengths I needed, only worrying about the angle of the edge that faced outwards. Next I stained the portions of this assembly that would be visible. I also sanded the sides of the wood that would touch the knives, so nothing funky would make its way into our food.

Whatever it takes to keep the pieces pressed firmly together while the glue dries

The strip of magnet that I purchased had adhesive on one side, and I assumed it would be strong enough to grab the knives as they slid into the holder. Turns out it's not particularly robust, and to make matters worse, the adhesive on the back is weak. That's fine for the knife slots because they are so narrow, it's not going anywhere, and the slots are slanted so the knives aren't going anywhere either. But in the wider opening of the cubby underneath, it's a bust. That area will probably need more powerful magnets in the future.

Not as sticky as it needed to be

When it was time to hang up my creation, I started by sliding the cubby into the gap. It was a tight fit, and I needed to tap it into place with a hammer. This was a blessing because I now had a resting place for the bigger knife holder.

Cubby finished with some quarter-round trim (idea was that this would be magnetized)

There was room on either side of the knife rack so I tapped some shims (thin slivers of wood) in with a hammer until it was snug. Next I hid the shims and gaps with a strip of trim leftover from another project.

Assembly and staining in progress

The top of the knife rack didn't quite reach the ceiling, so I wedged a block of wood up there and gathered up some leftover molding. My miter saw and box came in handy yet again as I cut the scraps to size. Rather than hammer them on, I took a shortcut and glued the pieces then used painter's tape to keep them in place while they dried. This was not an area that was going to be bumped often so I didn't want to invest a lot of time or risk shifting the shims etc. with an errant blow of the hammer. I slopped on some stain and called it a night.

Messy stain but it does the trick, and the ceiling etc. are due to be repainted

I started to affix more tiles onto the wall in front of the knife rack, which I'd been slowly covering over the past year as dishes broke or I got another box of tile. I knew I couldn't complete the mosaic wall right away but wanted to get a sense for how the wall might look when it was finally complete.

Knife rack with cubby underneath, and tiles in the process of being adhered to the wall

We've been using the knife rack for two months and it's doing the trick. I'm relieved we don't have a hazardous wall of knives, and it feels good to do something with an otherwise wasted space. I can't wait until our kitchen is painted and the tile wall is complete.