Just Finished a Dining Room Ceiling Fixture with Planters

Submitted by MTReznor18 t3_11wjx2d in DIY

Just finished this yesterday, album link here! Hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Materials:

  • 2 3'x3"x.5" poplar boards
  • 3 porcelain sockets
  • 3 socket rings
  • 1 5' aluminum wire
  • 2 4" glass cylinder vases
  • 3 4" frosted glass shades 1 2"x18" holder base
  • 4' of black chain
  • 6 1" lamp hook rings
  • 16 wooden dowels
  • 2 wire nuts
  • 1 black plate cover
  • Polyurethane

Tools:

  • Miter Saw
  • Hand saw
  • Hand sander
  • Drill
  • 1/4" drill bit
  • 8 90 degree angle clamps
  • Titebond wood glue
  • Philips screwdriver

Steps

  • Cut wood to size using miter saw (Top ends - 5.25" Top middle- 6" Sides - 7" Bottom-6")
  • Add wooden dowels for joinery
  • Cut .5' corner pieces for additional joinery support
  • Drill dowel holes, add wood glue to dowel holes, insert dowels and corner supports. Use 90 degree corner clamps
  • Saw off excess dowel ends
  • Drill 3 holes to support sockets/rods
  • Sand piece
  • Apply polyurethane
  • Sand again
  • Add sockets, rings, and wire to frame
  • Add wire and chain
  • Attach plate cover to ceiling
  • Attach wire with wire nuts
  • Secure and hang
  • Add bulbs and shade
  • Add vases and plants

​

https://preview.redd.it/21o11axbjwoa1.png?width=1536&format=png&auto=webp&v=enabled&s=fcda21140c5d63e93809624a6090aa02a6a9d281

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Comments

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fossilnews t1_jcyjoxs wrote

Not sure how that water is gonna look in a month, but that's a problem for another day.

I like the design, classic but new at the same time. Well done!

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MTReznor18 OP t1_jcykdif wrote

Thank you, that's very kind! I agree, and we share that concern. To make maintaining this as easy as possible, I bought two extra vases so I can swap them out when the water starts looking murky, toss the previous ones in the dishwasher, and have them on standby.

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sedition- t1_jcynbjc wrote

Being that close to light sources, you're going to eventually get algae in those regardless of how clean you try to keep them. You could try to hide it by frosting the glass to match the lamp covers though.

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MTReznor18 OP t1_jcyp5i0 wrote

Good idea, if maintaining this becomes too tedious I'll likely go that route.

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TheOtherPete t1_jcyt9ki wrote

I wonder if adding something like this to the water would help

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00HRHEOJC

Its supposed to be plant-safe

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MTReznor18 OP t1_jcytnc8 wrote

Woah and it's super affordable, thanks for the link!

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jiBjiBjiBy t1_jcziste wrote

You could look at products for keeping algae out of aquariums too.

Something like "Easy-life AlgExit" should work well tbh.

Most are plant safe, but you should check the label to make sure.

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ShuffKorbik t1_jd18rsb wrote

Just toss a handful of nerite or ramshorn snails in each and you're all set. Bonus points for your dinner guests being able to view fresh snail poop while they are enjoying their wine and cheese.

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YoungPatrickBateman t1_jcznsd4 wrote

Instead of clear glass you should use a dark tinted glass, like the kind beer bottles are made from.

The dark glass minimises the amount of light hitting the water - reducing the algae growth.

I have a lot of Devils Ivy cutting growing in brown glass bottles, never had an issue with algae; clear glass though has been an issue.

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DrZoidberg- t1_jcziea7 wrote

Could also go the fake plant and mineral oil route.

I don't know the details, but it looks enough like water for those "submerged computer" builds.

And I think it would continue to look like water with minimal upkeep.

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WalleyeSushi t1_jd0uyy6 wrote

Snails! I have freshwater snails in my huge vase like this with spider plants and they just live off the roots and reproduce every now and again. No work, I just water weekly. The glass is super clean but I do rinse out the whole thing every 2 months and then at that time add some fish food pellets and water that is off gased, but otherwise perfectly clear glass.

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Firerrhea t1_jcz2cv2 wrote

I think the sides of the wood are blocking the direct light. Something like Flourish Excel might be good since it's sort of an algaecide (think "off-label" use), but also meant to help aquatic plants grow. It might help make your plants grow while also deterring algae growth. They sell it in the usual pet stores, and you would need such a smaaaaaall amount. Like drops worth at that volume.

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sedition- t1_jcz7207 wrote

That's a good point tbh, and yeah flourish is widely used as an algaecide in the fish tank community.

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CoderDispose t1_jczkgz3 wrote

Have you ever grown Pothos (or anything) in water before? Root rot occurs due to a lack of oxygen, so you need to change it out regularly. You might be hopping up there a lot. You could achieve a similar effect with air plants (just put a bunch all over and it could look awesome) and they can be handled with misting a few times a week.

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the_rest_were_taken t1_jczevtd wrote

I've had pothos in water like this and the water getting murky really isn't too much of an issue. The biggest problem I've seen is with dust settling on top of the water. Maybe consider making lids with cut outs for the different stems (sort of like a toothbrush holder)? You'd keep a lot of the dust out, help limit some of the evaporation so you have to fill it less, and be able to pose the stems much easier as they grow.

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the_rest_were_taken t1_jczcqm8 wrote

It'll be fine. As long as the plant remains healthy it won't mold or decay in the water. The only issue is dust that will settle in the opening, but that could be solved by adding a lid that has cut outs for the stems. Pothos are really stable in water

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SkiSTX t1_jczs4qv wrote

Another "plamp"!

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Dre_wj t1_jd0tqxe wrote

Another Simone Giertz fan, I see

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Cahuitan t1_jcymo06 wrote

On the topic of the water looking weird after a while, I've heard that people use charcoal in the bottom of planters to limit bacterial growth. I don't know if it would work in a system like this, but it could be with looking into.

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MTReznor18 OP t1_jcyp1ff wrote

Thanks for sharing, I didn't know that! I'll definitely look into using charcoal.

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BigGuyInATinyHouse t1_jcyn9gu wrote

Very nice. I'm all for anything that brings more green indoors.

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lodoslomo t1_jczr9oc wrote

I see what it says but for some reason I thought it was some sort of design that included peanuts...

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MTReznor18 OP t1_jczusf7 wrote

I mean, I did go nuts on it so you're not wrong.

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crilen t1_jd0ejr8 wrote

make the plant basins black, free to do, no algae

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crystalClear58 t1_jd24uyq wrote

Thank you. You just gave me an idea and I will work on creating a new light fixture for my dining room.

Absolutely love your light fixture ❤️❤️❤️

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SM1955 t1_jd2rre5 wrote

Really pretty—and creative!

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this_guy_right_here_ t1_jd58kms wrote

Looks awesome! I wanna add it to my backlog of things to try (behind things I need to do and things I have to finish).

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D3M0Sthenes t1_jd01hbu wrote

What is the CRI of those bulbs?

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analpinestar t1_jd0zaqs wrote

You could snag some frosted tall candles, clear out the wax/label and use those to hide the water quality

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ThatRandomFELLER t1_jd1phwn wrote

Super interested in a follow-up. Love the concept... but questions?

Does the plant survive just with water and no soil? Will it become stagnant and uuugh! Mosquitos or a fruitfly?

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RoundishWaterfall t1_jd2c7o0 wrote

Cool! I share the worry about it looking less clean in a few weeks. I wonder what it would look like if you were to frost the planters and put a small LED underneath them that shines up.

If you like the shiny exterior of the glass, you could also put a smaller diameter matte black planter (so there's a 1/2 inch gap to the glass) into the first one. Maybe both could contain water? I wonder if that would give you a tell for when to water the plants as well...

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