Brass sea urchins, sometimes referred to as starbursts, are standard in many Mid-Century Modern design & sculptural art pieces. From lamps to mirrors to simple home decor accents and mostly wall art, made famous by Curtis Jere (and Jerry Fels) a.k.a. C. Jere, these exciting designs are iconic of the 1960s decor.
For so long, they were hard to come by… scoring vintage versions on ebay and flea markets were few and far between. In an exclusive partnership with Jonathan Adler, the C. JerĂ© studio has reissued their most iconic mid-century designs. And while they’re exquisite, the Sea Urchins retail for $1500. I think now, knockoffs are available at many home decor shops & boutiques and even Target’s got a black/gold set of three available for $20, but since they were seemingly easy to make, I wanted to DIY my own for my home office sitting area. And considering the ease and affordability of these fabulous DIY sea urchins, I’m guessing there are other DIYs available on the line. But this is how I made mine… and I’m in love 🙂
photo via Jonathan Adler
* NOTE: If you’d rather, you can simply set them on flat surfaces and use them as decor accents instead of hanging them on the wall.
Here’s What You’ll Need…
* Foam balls: various sizes. And/or flat cylindrical foam rounds {a bit sturdier, but I liked the balls better}
* Bamboo skewers: various sizes
* Large knife
* Gold spray paint {or any color your like}
* NOT SHOWN: hammer and nails
* SHOWN BUT NOT USED: white spray paint and adhesives
Steps…
Decide which size balls you’d like to use and CAREFULLY slice off about a third off of the bottom so you have a flat back.
Using large skewers on your large balls, medium for medium, small for small, begin in the top center and work your way out and down to the edges.
The flat/cylindrical foam works well for either a wall mount OR a table accent/decor piece. It’s a bit heavier than the rest, and the skewers go in the top only and at an angle.
The balls sort of force an angle without too much thought, but a little bit more effort needs to go into this one to create the look.
Here’s what mine looked like… the tiniest ball, which I loved, didn’t make it through the next step without splitting down the middle. Thus, I ended up with 4 urchins instead of 5.
In an open and ventilated area, spray paint your urchins. You may need two coats, but don’t spray too close. You want to cover the foam ball but too much paint will weigh it down.
Let dry overnight… mostly so the spray paint smell goes away.
With a pair of scissors, carefully poke out a small hole in the back near the top of each of your urchins.
Hammer your nails in the wall at an angle to give your urchins a little leverage.
Carefully slide the nail into the hole on the back of each urchin to set in place.
And… Voila!
Also Seen: DIY Dior Inspired Pearl Necklace on the dress form // DIY Brass Bird Statues // New Yorker Cover Pug+Heel print // antique secretary desk {was my grandma’s & hand-painted by my grandpa in the 1960s} It used to hold my accessories in my old home office/dressing room, now it holds fabric! // vintage gold chair with pink pillow from Target // DIY Gold Snake Decor or Belt // vintage bust found on ebay
Have Fun!
* Find all my DIYs here
