A few months ago we redid our living room ceiling with a coffered ceiling. I HATED our old light so we switched it out for a basic pendant from IKEA. Though it looked boring, I always had plans to redo it so it looks like a giant peony! Today I’m bringing that vision to life by making a DIY flower chandelier. Here’s the tutorial (complete with a video and free template) if you want to create one too-

how to make a diy flower chandelier

SUPPLIES

Ikea RodFlik Pendant (the base light)
36 Gauge Metal Foil (to make petals)
Scissors (to cut the foil)
Spray Paint in Sun Yellow, Golden Sunset, and Vintage Gold (to paint petals- gloss finish)
Construction Adhesive (to attach petals to lamp)

Optional supplies-

Cricut Joy Xtra (to cut out the template)
Cutting Mat (to hold the paper while cutting)
Cardstock Paper (to create the template with)

before

Here is the pendant light I’m using for the base of the DIY flower chandelier. It’s the Ikea RodFlik Pendant that currently sells for $59.99. It comes in a beige color which is perfect for the base of a yellow flower! The shape around the bulb is perfect for creating a flower around it. Let’s get started!

step 1- cut out template

Start by cutting out the template. For this, I have a free download for you! This makes it SUPER easy to create the DIY flower lamp since it has all the petals and leaves shapes ready for you.

To download the free printable, just put your name and email in the form below. You’ll get an email right away with how to download. Plus you’ll be subscribed to my weekly newsletter! The download also includes the Cricut template. If you’re already subscribed, go here to download.

If you have a Cricut, upload the shapes in Cricut Design Space and cut out one of each shape onto Cardstock Paper.

Then pull the card stock off the Cutting Mat and you have your template!

If you don’t have a Cricut, print out the template and cut it out with scissors.

step 2- cut out foil

Next, use the template to transfer the petal and leaf shapes onto the 36 Gauge Metal Foil. Use a pencil to trace the following shapes-

Small Petals- 8
Medium Petals- 8
Large Petals- 8

The pencil will leave an indentation in the metal. Then, use scissors to cut out all the shapes.

Normal scissors work great at cutting the foil. It even will help clean and align your scissors! It’s a little slow cutting out the petals and leaves, but put on a show or a podcast or audio book and it’s a lovely cozy craft.

step 3- shape petals

And now, it’s time to contour and shape the cut out petals so they more closely resemble actual flower petals.

To shape the petal-

Take a large round item (I’m using a drawer knob) and grab a pillow. Put the metal petal on top of the pillow and use the knob to push down on the inside of the petal to create more of a cupped shape. The pillow has some flexibility so that the petal can be properly shaped.

And now, take a paint brush and use the bottom to indent lines on the inside of the petal. Start from the bottom and work your way towards the end of the petal. I made 30+ lines on each petal. I found this step helps the most with making a realistic petal!

Next, use your fingers to fold in the edges of the petal. Fold the edges up about 1/8 of an inch in.

Here you can see the difference between the flat metal petal and a shaped petal- much better! It took me about 5 minutes per petal to cut and shape.

At this point I tested the placement of the petals by taping them on. Tip- do this with the lower petals only and mark where they’ll go. Then when you get to the gluing step it’ll be really easy to put them up. The upper leaves stagger between the smallest petals so figuring out the first row is the most important.

step 4- paint petals and leaves

For the next step, let’s paint! It’s a good temperature to paint outside (between 50 degrees – 90 degrees), so I put cardboard on an outdoor table for my painting area.

Start with the inside of the petals. For that, I’m spray painting them the color Golden Sunset. That’ll need 2 coats of paint.

Once those are on, I’m layering with a little Sun Yellow spray paint. Using two colors of yellow spray paint helps give the petals a gradient and makes them look more realistic.

Next, I speckled on a little Vintage Gold spray paint. I mostly used this on the edges of the petals to give a little golden shimmer that’s subtle.

Let dry for 15 minutes. Then flip the petals and repeat the three colors of spray paint.

Put the petals inside to dry overnight.

Side note, I was worried about painting plain metal- will it adhere? But it worked great for me. I didn’t do any prep like sanding or priming. I’m also planning on this lamp not being touched a lot on the painted areas since it’s a ceiling light.

Customization Ideas

Changing the paint color for this project will help customize it for your home!

Try pink, white, or coral petals
Add leaves for a fuller look
Use different metals (copper, brass tones)

step 5- glue on petals and leaves

Finally, after letting the paint dry overnight, let’s glue the petals and leaves onto the lamp!

For this step, I used construction adhesive. That has immediate hold and works like a charm! I pressed the petals on hard and they stuck well.

For adding the petals- start with the small ones and glue them on so the petals peek over the edge of the light and slightly overlap each one. Work your way around the lamp.

Then continue with the medium size- stagger the petals so they lay between the small ones. Glue the base of the petal so it’s half way up the pendant.

Finish with the large size. The biggest size should cover the entire light shade. Focus on lining the base of the petal up with the top of the pendant.

Safety Note

Make sure to only use an LED light from this project. While this project includes metal leaves on a metal pendant which shouldn’t have any fire risk, it’s better to be safe than sorry and only use an LED lightbulb. Avoid using an incandescent bulb which can create more heat.

after

Ok, the DIY flower chandelier is complete! Ready to see it?!

As I was gluing on the last petal I was so excited- this is such a cute light! My vision for the room is coming together!

I love how the yellow petals turned out! At first, I was originally thinking pink, but with a pink ceiling, this definitely stands out more.

I think the chandelier looks adorable in my living room! Especially how the mural behind it coordinates!

price breakdown

Ikea RodFlik Floor Lamp $60
36 Guage Metal Foil $31

Supplies I already had on hand-

- Scissors
- Spray Paint in Sun Yellow, Golden Sunset, and Vintage Gold
- Construction Adhesive

For this project I spent $91. I’ve been looking at buying a vintage light and I can’t find anything under $200. And a new light is much more expensive in the look I want ($300+). So for me, I’m really happy with how this came together!

I worked on this project for a few hours over 2 days. On day one I cut and shaped the petals then spray painted them. That was about 3 hours of work. On day two I glued the petals on the lamp. That took about an hour. So a total of 4 hours of hands on working time.

how to clean it?

I did a similar smaller scale project with a floor lamp and I clean it with a feather duster or I put the brush on my vacuum and clean it that way. I’ll do the same with this chandelier. If you’re worried about dust, another thing to do is to change your furnace filters every 1-3 months to reduce dust in your home.

Quick Summary

Time to make: 4 hours
Cost: $91
Skill level: Beginner–Intermediate

So there you have it, my DIY flower chandelier. Do you like how it came out? Do you have any questions on this tutorial? Let me know in the comments. I’m so thrilled with how it came together! It’s cute and whimsical while being a functional light- such a win! If you liked this, be sure to pin it to save it for later.

This post contains some affiliate links for your convenience. Click here to read my full disclosure policy.