How-to transform a paper lantern into a permanant fixture

Although I love my dining area, it's 11 foot high ceilings pose a bit of a challenge when it comes to lighting. I knew we would need a large, high impact fixture, especially since our house is open concept. But, for some reason, I felt that anything sparkly would be too much.

I decided that an oversized paper lantern was just what we needed.
 
The only problem? After searching every blog and website I could think of , I could not, for the life of me, find a paper lantern that was not hung with a cord socket that had to be plugged into an outlet. I was careful to make sure the lantern looked intentional, not like a temporary replacement for a chandelier. The last thing I wanted was a cord running across my ceiling and down the wall.

A few weeks later I found that what I was looking for was called a canopy kit. A canopy kit lets you attach any pendant to the ceiling permanently. Unfortunately all the canopy kits I could find still had a plain cord hanging down, and I was looking for something a little bit more polished.

Enter this pendant from Home Depot for only $29.99. It was the perfect compliment to the lantern, and had three different lengths in a brushed nickel finish.

Home Depot

When installing the fixture I added all three links to allow for the greatest length , and left out the shade. I found my 36" paper lantern at the aptly named Paper Lantern Store. Attaching the paper shade without ripping it was a bit tricky, but after using pliers to close the rounded top of the lantern, it stayed in place perfectly. Be sure to keep the light bulb in the middle of the lantern to avoid a fire hazard.

The finished product...

House of Movi

We still have a bit of decorating to do in the dining room, but I'm really liking  the direction it's headed.