Hanging by the front door of his former bachelor pad, Mike had sconces made of old terracotta roof tiles. They were definitely a bit rugged for my taste but I loved their simplicity—just a candleholder drilled into a found object. Then I started thinking, with that formula, a sconce could really be anything. For the best light and shadow, the material should be something reflective with an interesting outline and for drilling reasons, it's got to be durable. I had a scalloped silver plate that was perfect, now I just needed to figure out the logistics of attaching the candleholder. After doing a good amount of brainstorming and research on Grand Brass Lamp Parts, I decided a candelabra arm was the closest to a ready-to-go candleholder (since welding wasn’t exactly an option).
Like many candelabras, the one I bought was made from two intersecting arms and fastened with the center candle. Once I separated the two arms, I took a hacksaw and cut it where the candleholder's curve met the decorative center portion.
The next move was connecting the arm to the plate (this is where Mike's skills come in). We drilled a hole into the plate and the arm nub and then with a screw, two washers, and a cap nut, we fastened them together.
This was our practice sconce but we were actually so pleased with it, that we've gone on to make a number of sconces out of these Jamali plates as wedding gifts.
Today, the first few we made are hanging in our bedroom as a mix/match collection.
See more of Anne's fun decorating projects on PointClickHome:
Share your thoughts on these amazing do-it-yourself wall sconces!
