DIY Leather Fringe Boho Chandelier

Friday, July 28, 2017 -
How to make a leather fringe boho style chandelier with step by step tutorial

Kids spaces are so hard for me!!! Is it just me or do you struggle to walk the line between style and function? My boys have a small den right off the living room we call their "game room". The only games really are a few board games in a cupboard, but it sounds so much less formal than "den". 


Last year I added french doors and built a custom transom window and just last month I transformed our off-the-shelf futon by building a custom storage base. It was time to upgrade the lighting situation. The pseudo-southwest boob light that was previously hung just wasn't cutting it. Like almost everyone else, I'm in love with the Boho trend in decor right now. I decided to make my own Boho leather fringe chandelier to spice things up. 

Materials List:



1. You'll need literally hundreds of lengths of cord, and there is no way you want to measure and cut each piece by hand. The quickest and easiest way to cut multiple pieces of material is to make a simple jig. 

Cut two, 2 x 4 x 17"  boards and two, 2 x 4 x 20" boards. Make a mark 2" from each end, and centered between the width. Use a 3/4" forstner bit to drill a hole half way, or about 3/4" deep. 


2. Cut four, 6" lengths of dowel. Insert a dowel into each hole. Pre-drill through the bottom of the 2 x 4 and into the dowel. Coat the end of the dowel with wood glue and secure in place by driving a 2-1/2" screw. 



You should now have one jig to produce 26" cords, and one to produce 32" long cords. 

3. Once the glue is dry, you can start cutting the cord. Use a small piece of tape to secure the end of the cord near the center of the jig. Loosely wrap the cord around the dowels, until you reach the top. 



4. Align the scissors with the taped end and cut straight down through all layers of cord. 



So much faster than cutting one cord at a time!




5. The base of the larger shade is a 20" wire wreath form. 



Fold each cord in half. Wrap around the outer ring, and pull the tails through the loop. 




Find a good series on Netflix grab a comfy seat. Squeeze the knots a tightly together as you can, packing in the cords. The larger shade took me about 5-6 hours to finish. Follow the same steps to fill the 16" brass ring. 

I recommend cutting and tying cords in batches to make sure you don't cut too many of one length.

6. Use wire nippers to cut several 13" lengths of chain and 16" lengths of chain. Slide a jump ring through the last link. I had a hard time getting the particular jump rings I used through the tiny links in the chain. A thinner gauge ring would be easier, but make sure they have at least a 1/4" diameter. 


7. Hook the jump rings around the wire frame and use piers to clamp the rings shut. 



8. Measure and cut the fabric to fit inside each shade. Poke an open jump ring through the top edge of the fabric and hook the ring around the wire frame. Use pliers to clamp the ring shut. Attach the fabric around the inner perimeter of each shade with jump rings spread approximately 2 inches apart. 



9. At this point the shades are completed. Its time to string them together. Loop the cotton cord through the inner ring of the larger frame and around the smaller frame. Allow the smaller shade to hang about 9" past the bottom of the larger one. You may need to re-tie the cotton cords to adjust the length and make sure the smaller shade sits level. 



10. Slide four key rings on the middle ring of the larger shade frame. Space them evenly apart. 



11. Screw four screw eyes into the canopy of the pendant light, spaced evenly and close to the center. You may want to add a dab of glue on the back side to secure them tightly in place. 



12. Attach the pendant light according to manufacturer's instructions. Hook chain to the key rings and hang the shades from the screw eyes. 



To amp up the light from my new boho masterpiece, I added a socket splitter to accommodate two standard bulbs. 



I'm really happy how it turned out! It doesn't look "home made", but you can tell it was still made by hand. I love the fact that no one else has one just like it. The imperfections are what makes it special. 



The faux leather cord I used comes in about a million colors. I went neutral with charcoal gray, but I was really temped to try a beige or natural leather color. In the right room, how amazing would brass chain look?



The game room is still a work in progress, but I'm getting closer. Those fabulous 90's bi-pass doors are next on my list. 



Ready to create your own leather tassel chandelier? Pin the image below to save the idea for later.


how to make boho bohemian leather tassel fringe chandelier light fixture


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6 comments

  1. This is definitely my next project!! I love this. Thanks for the details on how to make this

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    Replies
    1. I'm glad you liked it! I would love to see how you version turns out!

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  2. This is amazing. I LOVE it and am definitely going to try and make one! Thanks for sharing!

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    Replies
    1. Thanks girl! I bet you would make something magical.

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  3. I like this site so much, saved to favorites.

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