Lighting is the glue that holds your décor together. It accentuates your room's attractive features, turning it into a warm, cozy oasis you'll love coming to every evening. The best part? You don't even have to break the bank because there are some pretty phenomenal DIY ideas to light up your bedroom. Here’s our top 10:
1. Cloud Light
Ever wished for a calming thunderstorm before you go to sleep? This DIY cloud light comes close and is surprisingly easy to make.
All you'll need is cotton batting, paper lanterns (as big, small, or as many as you want depending on the size of your desired cloud light), LED strips, and a hot glue gun to put it all together.
For the LEDs, opt for a pair with animation effects and, if possible, app-compatible to easily create realistic thunderstorm effects in your cloud.
2. Flamingo Marquee Light
Put your artistic skills to work with this unique DIY idea to light up your bedroom. You'll require a piece of cardboard, chart paper, spray paint (bright pink or any other color you like), a glue gun, and 3D liners. Hand-draw the flamingo outline on the cardboard, cut it out, and then, using a glue gun, put it all together as illustrated in the video above.
3. DIY Lampshade Out of Old Leggings
Want your bedside lamp to match your bedroom décor? You'll love this DIY project. Using a pair of scissors, cut off the legs from a pair of your old leggings, stretch the widest part over the lampshade, hot-glue it into place, and trim the extra fabric for a clean look.
If you've got an old T-shirt you never wear, you can also use it to spruce up a bland-looking lamp. Cut around it an inch above the top rim and follow the steps described earlier.
4. Pineapple Lamp
Pineapple lamps are a trend right now, but they cost an arm and a leg. DIY one for your bedroom and you'll not just cut costs, you'll also end up with an incredibly unique pineapple lamp model.
Materials for this project are so easy to find, you probably even have them lying around in your home. Take a bunch of plastic spoons, cut off the stem, and stick them around a plastic bottle until it's completely covered.
Outline and cut out a leafy shape from craft paper to create the crown, hot-glue it to the top, place your lampshade on a light source, and voilà! You own an eco-friendly pineapple lamp that costs little to nothing.
5. Glow Jars
Glow jars will lighten and add a mystical touch to your bedroom's darkest corner. And they are super easy to make too.
With your glass jar ready, use fabric glow paint to create a series of small dots on a piece of acetate cut out to fit in the glass jar and then let it dry. Create a second layer of bigger dots and, once completely dry, place it inside your jar and you'll have a unique glow jar your friends will envy.
6. Tin Can Lamp
For a DIY tin can lamp, all you need to do is create holes all over that empty peanut tin (or any other tin) besides the bottom. Drill a slightly large hole near the base where you'll screw the light bulb, spray-paint in your favorite color, and hey presto, your tin can lamp is ready to use.
Instead of poking holes all over, you can also follow a specific pattern. For instance, you may create a pattern of your initials or a favorite date. You can use artificial candles instead, as illustrated in the video.
7. Flameless Fire Pit
The flameless fire pit is the perfect project to complement that cloud light you created earlier. You'll need lace ribbons, a few tree branches, aluminum foil, fabric stiffener, a sharp knife, a few stones, and string lights to make your flameless fire pit ideal for that dark corner in your bedroom.
8. DIY Lava Lamp
A DIY lava lamp is simple to make, but the results are super satisfying. Take a glass jar or a clear container of choice, add a spoonful of baking soda, add vegetable oil until it's about a quarter way full, then add a bit of vinegar with a drop of food coloring in your favorite shade.
Put the lid back on, place your glass jar on a small light source, and boom! You'll have a unique lava lamp to complement your bedroom lighting and a sure conversation starter.
9. DIY Pendant String Light
Don't like the standard builder-grade lighting fixture in your bedroom? Ditch it for a DIY pendant string light. You'll cut costs and create a unique lighting fixture you'll love seeing every day.
Blow up an exercise ball and mark a seven-inch circle off-center. Generously apply petroleum jelly on its surface and wrap saturated yarn around the ball until it's completely covered (except the space you marked earlier), and then let it sit for a day. Deflate the ball the next day, add your light kit, and mount it.
Another way to go about this is by using a plastic bottle (4:43 in the video). Cut it in half, then take the upper half and cut off the mouth. Hot-glue yarn on the outer part until it's completely covered; insert your light kit and you'll have a beautiful plastic bottle string light.
10. Liquor Bottle Lamp
Don't want to trash that empty bottle because it came from someone special? Turn it into a functional keepsake with this simple yet phenomenal DIY idea.
You'll only need a few items to make it: the empty liquor bottle you don't want to trash, a lamp kit (or pieces of an old lamp), and some glass drilling bits. Then follow this detailed video to create a unique bottle lamp perfect for your bedside table.
You can add a lampshade or leave it as is. You can also add oil to the bottle, a wick, and then light it up for a traditional approach.
Light it Up
Creating amazing bedroom lighting doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg, and the ten DIY ideas above are sure proof. Try or use the ideas above as the inspiration for some fantastic lighting fixtures. Upcycling household items to make new things is always a satisfying creative process.
