Decorating DIY Home Decor DIY Home Accents Transform Paper into an Amazing Origami Pendant with Modern Charm Turn a basic pendant lighting kit into a contemporary showpiece by following this step-by-step guide on scoring and folding paper into a geometric lampshade. By Caitlin Sole Caitlin Sole Instagram Caitlin Sole is the senior home editor at BHG. She is a writer and editor with nearly a decade of interior design expertise. She has vast experience with digital media, including SEO, photo shoot production, video production, eCommerce content, print collaboration, and custom sales content. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Published on October 16, 2018 Share Tweet Pin Email Project Overview Working Time: 1 hour Total Time: 4 hours Skill Level: Beginner Swapping your bedside lamp with a hanging pendant light is a bright way to update your bedroom plus free up surface space. However, the price of some chandeliers and hanging fixtures can max out your budget. Skip the lighting aisle at the hardware store and instead make your own affordable pendant with our modern paper lampshade. This project involves folding paper into a gorgeous geometric shape that sits over a pendant cord kit. Plus, you can choose the paper you want, so the colors and patterns are endless. Follow our instructions below to learn how to make your own origami-inspired paper lampshade. Related: Creative Ways to Reinvent a Lampshade What You'll Need Equipment / Tools 0 Cutting mat 0 Craft knife 0 Ruler 0 Gold Metallic Marker 0 Hole Punch Materials 2 19 x 25-inch paper, 160 GSM 0 Craft glue 0 String or yarn 0 Pendant light kit 0 LED 25-40W light bulb Instructions Cut Paper On a cutting mat, cut two sheets of paper down to 12 x 25 inches each. We used 160 GSM paper so it would hold its shape. Glue the sheets of paper together, overlapping a half inch. Make Guidelines Create the folding guidelines next. Use the ruler to mark vertical lines along the long side of the paper every 2-1/2-inches with the gold marker. You will have 20 sections altogether.Next, draw diagonal folding lines with your marker and a ruler by following the printable template. Once finished, you should have an X intersecting every other vertical line. Score and Fold Score all the gold lines very gently, using the backside of the craft knife blade and ruler to keep straight. The score lines will help create a clean fold in the paper to keep the lines crisp.Next, fold the vertical lines back and forth, accordion style. Then fold the diagonal lines along all the score marks. Shape Pendant Bring the shade into shape by working all the folds and score lines. The small triangle folds go down to create valleys. The center point where they meet comes up as a mountain peak. The full vertical line drops down as a valley as well. This will take time—work slowly and gently so as not to tear your paper. Attach Light and Finish Using the hole punch, make a hole at the same spot of each small triangle valley on one end of the shade. Pull string or yarn through the holes, gather around the base of the light cord, and tie. Glue the two ends of the lampshade together to finally enclose the lamp.