DIY Idea: Japanese Basket as Light Fixture

Spotted in the Brooklyn brownstone of interiors and furniture designer Pali Xisto Cornelsen: a basket repurposed as light fixture.

When we asked him about the inspiration, Pali—who shares the brownstone with integrative health couch Daphne Javitch—wrote: “I went to visit the Nakashima compound in New Hope, PA, a while back and saw that they had hung a basket upside-down over a lightbulb in one of the houses. I really loved the light that it produced. I was working with a friend of the Nakashima family on a project for Laila Gohar involving Japanese papers, so I mentioned this basket to him and he told me he knew artisans in Japan who could make one for me. I drew the basket in the proportions that I needed for my kitchen and placed an order. It was custom made in Japan and then shipped to New York.”

Here’s how it turned out:

Photograph by Brian Ferry courtesy of Pali Xisto Cornelsen.

For a peek inside Pali and Daphne’s previous place, see The Healthful Apartment: A Wellness Expert Finds Serenity on the Lower East Side.

For more DIY takeaways, see:

• DIY: Surprising New Uses for Cookware in the Kitchen and Closet
• DIY: The Humble Brick as Candleholder
• Remodelista Reconnaissance: A Deconstructed DIY Mirror in a Tokyo Bath