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These easy DIY lanterns are the perfect starter project. If small power tools aren’t your thing, no worries. We found some lovely wood lanterns to shop for at a reasonable price.
By day a wood lantern creates a beautiful centerpiece for your casual dining table like the gorgeous and inviting one from betweennapsontheporch. Find a similar style white table lantern at Jet. Place a wax or LED candle in the center then add sand, shells and other beach treasures.
By night a lighted candle delivers a quiet warm glow for your indoor or outdoor decor. Place them around your home — in the bedroom, in the center of a coffee table, or along a porch rail for added ambiance at your next casual cocktail party.
Wood lanterns fit the beachy style perfectly. Use raw or stained wood for Rustic Farmhouse Coastal or Painted White for a Coastal Cottage look. Stick faux candles in your lanterns for a night-long flicker without worry.
My quest for wooden lanterns started with the need for a wedding centerpiece. Initially there were to be three lanterns per table in varying sizes. The cost was a bit much and then it soared when the venue said they don’t allow real candles (open flames) on tables. Flameless candles (3 per table in varying sizes too) were expensive, about $40 per table. Multiple that by twelve tables! But I found a sweet deal at Christmas Tree Shops and More online.
Planning a wedding can get overwhelming and the list of things to do grew as I thought about making thirty-six lanterns! Luckily the bride-to-be decided on one large lantern per table with three flameless pillar candles. The lantern would be placed in the center of a wreath made of greens.
I found a simple lantern design from Jaime Costiglio the bride-to-be liked which set me out to make a prototype. Then I cut a few pillar candles and cut a few greens from the yard to “mock up” the look we were going for.
Here’s the crude sample:
Carpentry students to the rescue!
Our local high school is blessed with a carpentry vocational program. They regularly produce small furniture, garden sheds and for years built a house as their year-long curriculum. The freshmen students took on my wood lantern project! How beautiful are these babies?
Image credit: Taken in the basement by a 7-year-old.
The bride-to-be hasn’t decided how we’ll finish them. Her main color is gold (New Year’s Eve) so we’re thinking gold leaf. My heart wanted white (and a beach-themed wedding) but it’s not my wedding.
In payment the students received a gigantic thank you of chocolate chip and peanut butter cookies, made with gratitude and love.
If you can support an organization like this it’s a win-win. The students got to practice their woodworking skills and a grateful city resident crossed a major item off her wedding planning to-do list!
Here are some easy DIY Wood Lantern Ideas for Indoors or Outdoors
Lanterns from Dollar Store Picture Frames | DIY Project Idea
Cheapo frames become lovely lanterns. Find frames at the dollar store, flea markets or recycle some you might have around the house. Check out the easy step-by-step instructions from hometalk. Perfect for pillar candles or flameless candles. The thick rope gives this lantern a nautical touch.
Pottery Barn Knock-Off Lantern | DIY Project Idea
Creative blogger Amy Kirst repurposed a metal paint can handle to finish her lantern. She left the red cedar wood “raw” to weather outdoors. See her step-by-step instructions.
Rustic Scrap Wood Lanterns | DIY Project Idea
This was the lantern project created by Jen from The House of Wood for a scrap wood challenge.
Easy Outdoor Lantern | DIY Project Idea
Leanne is not only the blogger behind Diva of DIY but a contractor as well. Loving all the outdoor lanterns she saw on a shopping trip, but not the price, she created this lantern using wood scraps from other projects.
Lantern from Dowels | DIY Project Idea
Wendi from H2OBungalow is a die-hard DIYer who divides her time between the north and south. Hmmm…that sounds familiar! She promises the small power tools used to make this lantern aren’t that scary (they’re not).
Basic Box Wood Lantern | DIY Project Idea
Stephen over at Four Oaks Crafts offers the plans and tutorial for this lantern on his website. He helps DIYers develop their skills and unleash their creative side. Finial tops can be found at flea markets or home improvements stores like Home Depot.
DIY Wood Lantern Centerpieces | DIY Wedding Table Decoration
Jaime Costiglio made this simple wood lantern as a DIY project for Home Depot. She has a video tutorial on her site you should check out. It was the inspiration for the lantern that will be on the guest tables at our family wedding. Looking for a ready-made version? I found a very similar design at Birch Lane.
Shop the Look!
CLICK ON A PHOTO OF ANY LANTERN FOR MORE INFORMATION
Glass and Wood Lantern | Shop
Create a flickering focal point in any arrangement with this pair of lanterns, measuring 21″ and 15″ tall. Showcasing a classic and clean-lined silhouette, each piece sports a distressed white finish for an airy and well-worn look.
DIY IDEA: Make a Driftwood Wreath from beach treasure finds!
Gray Wood Lantern | Shop
Handcrafted and hand-painted these pine wood and glass lanterns are stylish homes for your favorite candles—a pillar candle or LED flameless.
See more lantern choices from Pier1.
Lighthouse Wood Lantern | Shop
Shine a light into the night with this absolutely charming wooden candle lantern. A classic lighthouse framework is painted white and fitted with slender glass panels and topped with black metal embellishments to create this nautical delight. Just place the candle of your choice inside.
These wood lanterns are a welcome source of soothing light for any coastal decor, including a beach wedding theme. As an easy DIY project consider making one or more! Short on time (like me) or a bit iffy on your skills (you’ll do great!) you can shop for a style that suits your style and budget.
Wedding Lantern Revealed!
Here is the way the lantern looked on the tables. It was an evening wedding and the venue light was dim…the LED wax candles worked out great!
I worried that they’d look too yellow or “fake”. But the flickering candle actually added a warm glow against the gold painted lanterns. The all-green wreath, mostly eucalyptus leaves, complimented the simple elegance of the bride’s entire wedding.
At the end of the evening we invited guests to take the centerpieces home, and they did!
And lastly, just before the newlyweds made their exit, we created a walkway lined on both sides with guests holding LED tealights. A few MEN held the larger candles from the centerpieces. Fun. And funny.
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