Wood Detail Sconce DIY

Hit rewind and travel back to February, when I was selecting lighting for our kitchen renovation… I fell deep, deep in love with this sconce by Allied Maker, but couldn’t justify spending THAT much money. It was wayyyy out of our budget, but trust me- I wanted to. I’m serious when I say I was obsessed. I had dreams about that stupid light fixture. I looked for other alternatives and tried to push it out of my head, but I couldn’t envision anything else in our kitchen above the sink. I was literally feeling remorse that I couldn’t afford the light of my dreams. It was at that point when I finally decided I should try to make my own version and DIY it. Click through to see my interpretation of a modern black sconce with a geometric wood detail. I’m pretty happy with how it turned out- especially for the price! You will not even believe how much money I saved…

Here it is looking pretty great in the kitchen. I can’t wait to show you more of that space in a couple weeks! If you’re also into the look and want to try this easy DIY that cost UNDER $70, here’s what you’ll need:

S U P P L I E S    +    T O O L S

• this sconce
• stain
• wood filler
• round 2″ wood ball
• sand paper
• wood glue
• drill press (you can use a power drill as an alternative)
• band saw (you can use any type of saw, but a band saw is most precise)
• clamps or vice grip

I’ll start by saying- if you’re not super confident in your woodworking skills, the round wood spheres are REALLY cheap, just buy a few of them in case you mess up. We only used one, but Emmett is pretty good at this sort of thing. I kept thinking, “I should’ve bought a back up”.

Step 1 // Drill a centering hole in a scrap piece of wood. We began by making a circular cut that would hold the sphere steady, making it easier to cut and drill, as well as find the center. This step is optional, but it makes things a lot easier because you have a nice, secure template and work setup.

Step 2 // Drill a center hole. Next, sit the sphere into the template (like an easter egg) and drill a hole all the way through the sphere, as shown below.

Step 3 // Drill a recessed counter sink. Switch drill bits to counter sink indentations in the shape. Basically, this indented section will wrap around the profile of the sconce, just like the image below…

Step 4 // Cut the sphere in half. Using a band saw (or the saw of your preference), slice the sphere in half.

This is what the process should look like as you’re carefully cutting the circle through the center…

Test each half to make sure it fits around the sconce shaft. It should look something like this…

Here’s a view from the top- it fits nicely around the gooseneck…

Step 5 // Secure the halves back together. Dab a little wood glue on each side of the sphere and piece it back together around the sconce.

Allow it to sit under pressure in vice grips or clamps for 30 minutes, or until the glue is completely dry.

Step 6 // Putty and stain. Once the glue is dry and the sphere is totally secure around the sconce, fill the remaining portion of the hole and seam with with wood filler or putty. Once the filler has set up, give it a light sanding, and stain the piece whatever color you’d like.

That’s really all there is to it! You could even get creative and use a different shape. Here’s what the final result looks like:

And for a fun reference, this is the sconce I fell head over heels for… how do you think it compares to my DIY? I saved a total of $1,180. THAT IS CRAZY!!

Does mine look equally as breathtaking? Ehhh….not quite, but for the dollars I saved, I’m totally fine with it. I’d love to hear your thoughts. As always, leave any questions about the project in the comments below and I’ll be sure to answer!

SaveSave

SaveSave