It all started with a set of $10 chrome lanterns from Goodwill. Then the dining room makeover happened. Remember the Antiqued Mirror With New Wood Frame that I shared last week? We made these matching Modern Farmhouse Lantern Sconces to flank it. Even the rustic hooks are a DIY because when you can't find a hook, make one!

DIY Modern Farmhouse Indoor Lantern Sconces 

I found the metal lanterns a couple years ago and used them for our holiday decor. But during the recent dining room/living room makeover we added shiny chrome elements into both rooms and I remembered the lanterns. Needing something to hang above the new board and batten wainscotting and to flank our DIY antiqued mercury glass mirror I was determined to come up with an idea to incorporate the lanterns into candle wall sconces.


The plank lumber is salvaged from leftover pine boards from the Farmhouse Mirror Frame and I love how they look above our dining table.


The flameless candles with moving wick look just like the real thing and they create a lovely ambiance in our L-shaped dining-living room but with the convenience of set it and forget it timers.


Because the handles on the lanterns are square, it was difficult to find decorative hooks to hang them on. A regular hook made them hang lopsided and so we made our own cold hammered forged hooks. Then I had fun making them look like they'd been laying in a heap outdoors in the elements.


Let's get into the nitty-gritty of how we made them.

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How To Build Wood Candle Sconces

We salvaged leftover 1" x 6" pine boards from the new mirror frame to make these matching farmhouse wall sconces. The rounded top echoes the profile on the large plank clock we hung above our fireplace (coming soon) situated on the living room side of this wall.

1. First, we cut the pine boards 20-inches long.
2. Next, with a Kreg pocket hole jig and wood glue, we joined two boards together and clamped them overnight.
3. In the morning we traced the curvature of our wall clock in the living room onto a piece of paper.
4. We traced the profile onto the top of each wood sconce and cut it with a jigsaw.
5. Before moving onto the next step of making them pretty, the edges and top of the boards were sanded with 220-grit sandpaper and the handy new mouse sander I got for Mother's Day. Like my friend Larissa always says, tools before jewels!

How To Give The New Wood Sconces Rustic Farmhouse Style

Now we're ready to give the wood sconces some farmhouse charm with layers of stain and paint.

1. The first layer of color is waterbased Dixie Belle VooDoo Gel Stains in the color Bayou Moss applied with a lint-free rag. 
2. The next thin coat is the same waterbased stain in the color Tobacco Road.
3. The last layer of stain, again the same waterbased stain in the color White Magic.
4. For the final layer of color on the frame, I used Behr Premium Plus latex paint in the color Mined Coal (PPU-18-18), the accent color used in both the dining and living rooms. 
5. I dry brushed the color on, offloading the excess paint onto a paper towel with long brush strokes with the grain of the wood.
6. After the paint dried overnight the planks were aged with dark wax. Applied with a round wax brush along the outer edges and in the middle where the lanterns hang.   

How To Make Hammer Forged Steel Lantern Hooks

As I mentioned earlier, our lanterns have a square shape handle. Regular hooks made the lanterns hang lopsided and so we need flat squared-off hooks. After our unsuccessful attempts at finding square metal hooks, we decided to make our own with a piece of 1/8" x 1" x 36" flat steel.

If you have lanterns that don't have a square handle then your options for hooks are endless. I saw some really nice wrought iron ones at our local dollar store.

1. First, we determined the length we would need for the hooks (7-inches).
2. Next, we set the long flat metal bar in a vice and cut it to size with a grinder. A hacksaw with a steel blade would work too but it was Canada Day and we wanted some fireworks.  😉
3. Set the lantern down onto a candle sconce to measure the distance from the planks to the handle on the lantern and mark it with a Sharpie.
4. With the grinder, make a groove at the mark to help the steel bend easier.
5. Place the steel bar into a vice at the mark and with a hammer, cold-forged the bend.
6. Do the same on the end pointing upwards to make a small lip to prevent the lantern from sliding off.
7. With a steel drill bit, drill a hole in the bottom and top for the mounting screws.

Now it's time to make the steel hooks look like they've been laying in a heap outdoors.

How To Rust The Hammered Forged Steel Lantern Hooks

It's so easy to get the look of natural rust with the Modern Masters Rust Finish Kit and its such fun to watch the magic happen.

1. First, you'll need to protect your work surface from overspray damage.
2. Prime the metal with a coat of rust primer and allow thirty minutes to dry. Don't forget about the screw heads too.
3. Brush another coat of primer and wait for two hours.
4. Next, paint the primed metal with a coat of iron paint and allow thirty minutes to dry.
5. Brush on another coat of iron paint and wait an hour before moving onto the next step.
6. Spray a light coating of the rust activator over the entire surface. Wait five minutes then spray on a second light coat and watch the magic happen.
7. As the activated metal dries (30-40 minutes) a blue patina finish will appear.
8. We have some dark brown accent colors going on in our dining room and so I wanted to tone down the blue and add more brown. To do this I dabbed some Sophisticated Finishes Blackened Bronze with a small brush.

Now we're ready to get those babies hanging on the wall

Attach the rusty steel lantern hooks on the wood sconces with the rusty nails so the lanterns hang about an inch above the bottom of the sconces.

Next, add two D-hook picture hangers on the back of each sconce and use this no hassle-no measure picture hanging method for hanging the wall-mounted sconces on the wall.

Last but not least set flameless candles with moving wick on timers (they look so realistic) inside each lantern. Now we have set it and forget it ambiance in our dining room from 5pm - 11pm.


If you have any questions about these DIY Indoor Lantern Sconces, please leave them in the comment section below or the Contact Me tab at the top. I love hearing from you!

If you enjoyed this Candle Wall Sconce idea, I'd be so thankful if you shared it with a friend and pinned it to your DIY Light Fixtures or Farmhouse Decor board on Pinterest.



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