Edison Light Bulb Archives

I have been working with this ladder on and off all summer. First I was going to use it as a rack for my blankets, then I was going to take it to the Island Home, but I have changed my mind…again. I decided to decorate my ladder with lighting just because I like the way it looks!

I had seen this image and fell in love with the hanging light but for my ladder I wanted a light with more of a vintage feel to it. At this point, I knew I was not going to be using my ladder for my blankets.

My ladder is actually a teak boat ladder so it is much shorter than other ladders I have seen. I knew if I wanted to hang a light from it, I would need to hang the ladder up instead of just propping it against the wall. Would I have preferred to just prop it up against the wall? Yes, but it looked too short and by the time I would drape my light it would be hanging way too low and the one thing I knew I definitely wanted to do was hang a vintage looking light from it!

Before I even found the light I wanted, I had to figure out how to hang the ladder. The ladder had hooks on the handles so I was trying to find a rod to hang it from and a way to attach it to the wall. I originally wanted to use a curtain rod but they were too large in diameter to hook the ladder over. I found a steel rod at Home Depot that they cut down for me, two plastic end caps that I sprayed silver and to eye hooks that I screwed into the wall studs. The gentleman at Home Depot was trying to figure out what I was doing and I could tell my explanation was confusing him. He was super helpful and I promised him I would show him a picture of the finished project. Sometimes, it is hard to explain what you see in your mind and how you are going to actually make it happen.

Once I got my ladder hung securely to the wall, I began searching for the light I wanted. I order mine through Etsy from a shop called HangOut Lighting. As soon as I saw all of their custom lighting, I fell in love…gorgeous, one of a kind pieces. I chose a simple vintage like black fabric plug-in cord, black socket, and an Edison bulb. It was exactly what I was picturing in my head and when it arrived, it was perfect!