I’m working on the full recap of a White Party that I styled last December (inspiration board here), but I wanted to share a separate DIY of one of the centerpiece designs since it’s kind of fun & outside-the-box when it comes to the standard party centerpieces!

This project was for a couple that hosts a holiday party with a “White” theme every year (love this theme for New Year’s Eve too!) – and last year they wanted to do a Miami-style White Party inspired by the posh, contemporary style of the Delano hotel. I didn’t have the budget for elaborate floral centerpieces for the cocktail tables and became determined to come up with some sort of design that eluded to an actual hotel room… hence the faux “modern lamp” idea came to be!

A few issues in addition to budget constraints: the “lamps” needed to be cordless AND very tall in order to have a dramatic effect on the tent space, and also to ensure that the lamp shades wouldn’t get in the way of guests having conversations.

So… Ikea to the rescue, as usual! I ended up finding 2 styles of big white lamp shades for the tops ($6-9 each) and tall Blomster floor block candle holders ($20 each) to act as the sturdy base (they’re heavy!) – then created a “pull cords” for the lamps using strands from acrylic diamond beaded curtains with small acrylic pendants attached at the bottom.

Of course one of the most important things for a lamp to do is to give off some light, and that was one of the trickiest parts! I ended up finding battery-operated LED lights that are usually used for paper lanterns & set these in small clear glass cylinder vases at the top of the candle holder. The cylinder vases were secured so the candle holder with 3D glue dots and hidden by the lamp shade. These gave off just the right amount of “mood lighting” for a night time cocktail party!

*****

So when all was said and done, I only ended up spending around $40 per centerpiece for 8 of these tall guys, and all of the elements are completely reusable! It’s fun to think outside the box for centerpieces and see what crazy things you can come up with sometimes. Where there’s a will & some creative juice, there’s usually a way… =)

P.S. These lamps & cocktail table linens are 100% stark white, but the night lighting makes them appear a little more cream in the photos. Stay tuned for a full recap on the entire party – coming soon!