let there be light

"Let there be light!" - said an electrician... And went to get the matches.

(A stupid Russian joke)

 

So this is, as promised, the result of my first origami attempt. It's looking quite okay. I made the electric installation myself, but I guess you can use a ready-made kit, but I must say that I do enjoy connecting bits of wires to sockets myself. One very important thing to mention is that the bulb for this lampshade must be the LED one that doesn't get hot when lit - or all your folding efforts will burn together with your kitchen!
I'm just not entirely sure whether I should have used cream-coloured paper instead of pure white. This white gives a very strange pink glow in the room, and looks more like the evacuation lighting in metro tunnels...that is not my idea of cozy...but I guess I will first try changing the bulb to a warmer, more ochre light, and use this bulb elsewhere... or get 'Keep calm and carry on' poster - and problem solved.

 

And here's my second DIY accomplishment of the week - more wires and sockets for the restless fingers!

 

 

I wanted another lamp in the same room, because on the contrary to what I like there will be no lamp directly above the dining table (due to the constraints of the rental kitchen layout), so I'm doing my best to light all corners of the room.

I once saw a similar light installation at Atelier Solarshop, and have been dreaming about it since. And then a friend of mine made the same one for his apartment - I was pretty jealous. It did take me a while to gather up the courage to climb on top of the ladder to fix that tiny hook to the ceiling that is 3,5 meters high.

Once again I assembled all the parts myself - chose the electric cord (a very pretty twisted one), a porcelain socket and a little plug. The bulb here is also LED, because it is hanging quite low and I didn't want anyone to burn their forehead with it. This one is transparent and has a cute crown on the inside, which makes me think of the diamond-shaped bulb by Eric Therner.

 

As a final touch, I am going to put a small cabinet in the corner where the cord lamp is. It is going to be an Ikea PS cabinet that is now standing without any use at my parents', but when the time comes (and opportunity) I will buy a vintage Scandinavian one to store all my dishes and display the flea-market finds.