Anyone know how to make a decorative light panel for fluorescent fixture?

Question

I found some really cool panels that go on the fluorescent light fixtures common in offices.

Here's what they look like:
http://www.usaskypanels.com/greekpanels/products.html

Does anyone know where I could find out how to make these for myself? I'd love to design my own, but I want to do it as inexpensively as possible while still having it look good.

Answer 1

I have 6 square shaped light panels which I too was looking to enhance the lighting and making it more attractive in the kitchen. For fall I took orange silk fall leaves and green palm fronds and layed them ontop of each panel. So when the light is on they show through.

Answer 2

I am not sure I would go with a panel such as what is advertised on that sight. Although they are attractive, they deffinetly pose a hazard. Here is a decreative solution my niece came up with for here fluorescent light. She took a piece of trellis and cut it to size. She painted it to match her decor and then using a craft cement, she attatched silk ivy leaves randomly on it. To attatch it to the light fixture, she used industrial strengh velcro so that it could be easily removed to change out the light. This idea allows plenty of light to come thru without over heating the fixture. Hope this idea helps! By the way... the whole thing took about an hour to create and cost her about $10.00 total.

Answer 3

Bad idea !!!!!!!

Do not, (as advised elsewhere), put anything
flammable inside any light fixture.

Be advised that the fixture is designed to operate
as a system in which those panels are designed
to TRANSMIT light.
If you "decorate" them you do two things:

* You drastically decrease the amount of light
in the room.

* You increase the amount of heat build up in
the fixture.

Neither of these is good, and one will shorten
the life of the fixture and could be dangerous
in extreme cases.

Answer 4

how bout some contact paper?