…and final reveal of the completed boy’s bedroom!!
Whew! That took longer than it should have. I mostly finished the room ages ago, but I wanted to add this ONE MORE THING…and of course the thing I needed for the one more thing took a bit longer than expected to come in. But oh well, it’s done now and I present the final piece to complete the boy gamer bedroom- an Xbox lamp!
This page includes affiliate links. If you make a purchase using the link, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.
I am not an electrician. If you have no experience with this kind of project, I HIGHLY recommend you hire a licenced electrician to complete this task for you. This is how I did it, PLEASE DO NOT attempt this if you are not completely confident in your skills. Electricity can kill you!
Supplies
I am not sure what I was looking at originally, but I came across this light fixture on the Home Depot app and it reminded me of the Xbox logo in the middle of a controller. It was so inexpensive, I figured I would give a fun nightlight a shot. (Forgive the sticker, I had it delivered to be picked up in store, it’s ships free and they make it quick and easy to get in and out. Try it sometime- some stores even offer curbside pickup!)
The light would need a power source, the easiest way to do it is to use an extension cord. If the light has 2 wires (like a table lamp) you need a 2 pronged plug, if it has 3 (like this ceiling light), you need a 3 pronged plug. I was able to find one that has the compact head so it takes up less room on the wall. It took a little longer to get, I thought it was worth the wait.
Looking through the pieces the fixture comes with, I have all the major supplies I would need to do the wiring.
Out of the package, I was super excited, it looks so much like the glowing orb on the machine.
Wiring
Cut the outlet side off the extension cord with a pair of pliers. Carefully use a utility knife to cut through the center of the wires to separate them away from each other. Then through the plastic sheath around the wires about an inch or so from the top (this is more to be easier to see). Procceed gently, you don’t want to cut the wires. Twist and pull straight off and the cover should remove fairly easily.
When complete, it will look something like this:
Cut the interior sheathing off the center wire in the same way. That is the ground wire. If you look or feel closely on the cord, the smooth wire is the hot wire and is connected to the black wire of the fixture. The rigged wire is the neutral and is connected to the white wire. Twist the wires together in a clockwise fashion.
Next screw the wire connectors clockwise to hold the twisted wire together and tape with electrical tape to hold everything together in case of jostling.
Base
I needed a support system and a place to hide the wires so I decided 3/4 plywood would work. The back of the fixture was about 5.5″ round. Turns out I had an embroidery hoop about the same size. The interior piece made a fantastic template.
Making a circle seemed like more trouble than it was worth for this project, so I decided on a modified hexagon.
My Ryobi miter saw made that modification quickly and easily.
Rather than veneer tape the edges to hide them, I thought I would try an experiment. Rustoleum makes a primer than is also a bit of a filler. It’s designed for automotive use, though I saw no reason it wouldn’t work on wood as well.
I gave it a few coats on the back and around the edges, then wet sanded everything with 400 grit sandpaper. I gave it a quick coat of spray sealer as well. The layered edges were hardly noticable. I did cut a small notch for the cord to come out of the bottom too.
Logo
I initially tried using my Cricut machine to make the X.. but the metallic “vinyl” I had my heart set on has no flex to it so it was not interested in participating on the curved surface.
Plan B…. using a pencil, I traced out the shape and then painted it in with black. Two coats and a damp brush covered perfectly.
Then I did one coat of a metallic black pearl I had on hand to give it a bit of interest.
Assembly
Tuck in the connections and screw the fixture directly to the back plate.
Insert a bulb and put the cover on.
I used a simple D ring on the back for a hanger and hung the finished xbox lamp on the wall among the printables he picked out.
Finished room
Here is is! The finished boy bedroom refresh. Jack loves it. I love that it’s clean- I took lots of pictures so I could remember it this way. When you first walk in, you see the metal tile letter, to the right is the metal tile wall, and on the left is the new headboard.
Heading around, we hung up his cast poster from a play he was in and switched out the ugly ceiling fan sconces for wire lamp cages.
Jack loves it in here and my fingers are crossed it motivates him to keep it clean.
Next up is a “new” desk for Gracie… pray for me, she’s WAY pickier and has very strong opinions….I have NO idea where she gets that from.
Please Share and Pin this Post!
No Comments