Lamps are some of the easiest decor items to save money on with a bit of creativity. Sometimes just paint can transform an old lamp into something you love. Then there are those magical transformations that become personal style statements, all for very little money.
A Pottery Barn look that I like is a very large wine bottle that you wire up with an inexpensive lamp kit. Drill a hole in the bottom for the wire with a ceramic drill bit. You can fill the bottle with just about anything: coffee beans, pebbles, marbles, whatever you like that will fit through the neck of the bottle. I wish I could fit a bunch of wine corks through to look really cool!
If you have an old lamp or can find a lamp at a thrift shop, you can have at it! Paint, paper, brass rings, fabric, all sorts of things can change a boring lamp into something very chic and fun or drop dead gorgeous.
Click the title of this post to link to Pinterest. You can click on any of the photos of the lamps for tutorials/directions. Whether you want a conversation piece or a work of art, you can find inspiration here!
I think I like the lamp base they spray painted with a mirror finish, but it doesn’t quite fit my decor. (I’m trying to think what else I could use that spray paint for!) I kind of like the upside down bird cage as a chandelier! Which ones do you like?
Click on labels below this post for other DIY lamps featured at Square Pennies.
UPDATE: I think I know what to use that mirror finish spray paint on now. I’d like to use it on some kind of fake gourds, nuts, and pumpkins for Fall decor. It could make some nice Christmas tree ornaments; possibly it would work for giving a new finish to older ornaments that have lost paint. Hmmm . . . then there’s New Year’s Eve, Valentine’s Day & Fourth of July decor. I think I need want a can of this!
Maggie@SquarePennies says
Tiffany using a lamp from a thrift shop, Good Will, etc. is a great way to experiment. You don’t have to worry about messing up a good lamp. I’m a little leary of the spray paint too because you have to spray in very thin coats, letting each coat dry before adding another. Otherwise you get drips, which doesn’t look very good. Fall is a good time to spray paint outside on a warm day. You need to put paper under the lamp base so you don’t get paint all over. Be sure to turn the spray can upside down after each time you put on a coat of paint. Then spray away from everything until no more paint comes out. That keeps the nozzle clear so it will work the next time. Good luck! And if you get drips you can just glue something over the messed up part for a new look! I like to use sea shells for that!
Tiffany J. says
I think this is the only thing that I would be allowed to do. Getting a lamp from a thrift shop and going at it doesnt sound to bad. I don’t know if I am ready for the spray paint though.
Maggie@SquarePennies says
I think so too! Go for it!
Miss T @ Prairie Eco-Thrifter says
Very cool. I love photography and capturing moments by photos and showing them off. This would be a very creative way to do so. Thanks.