Thrifted Lamp DIY
BEFORE
AFTER
I Love Lamp
Hopefully the Anchorman reference has gotten you off to a fun start! If you haven’t read my Weekend Excursions post, click here and read it. I tell a little of the backstory of finding this lamp. My sister was visiting me and we went treasure hunting and that’s how I found this lamp. It had the shape I really wanted for the space. I wanted a lamp with a large base so it would have a presence by my front door. When I found this lamp, my intention was to paint it with a glossy creamy white and do a black or navy shade. I put the lamp in place and it set for a few months while I gathered supplies. The supplies took a little time to gather but I knew I needed a new felt lamp base, a harp, a shade and a finial. As soon as I set the lamp in place, I knew I wanted to leave the lamp as is. It’s a shiny brass and it adds some warmth to the space. Once I made that decision, the rest came together pretty easily.
Eureka! I spotted this beauty as soon as I walked in the room.
The hardest part of giving this $5 thrift store lamp new life was first, figuring out what size harp and shade to buy and then finding the right shade. This is a large lamp so it needs a large shade. This is not a size that can be found at Target. I checked TJ Maxx and was planning to go to HomeGoods in Hendersonville, Tennessee. But, I had to consider my work schedule and when I could work a trip into an already hectic weekend schedule. The other thing to consider is that HomeGoods is hit or miss. The chances of me finding the right size lampshade on this particular trip was probably less than 50%. So, I decided to order the shade from Ballard Designs. It was definitely more expensive. I could probably find one at HomeGoods for around $30 but the one I liked from Ballard Designs was $69. Yes, I spent $69 on a $5 lamp. Sounds a little nutty but that lamp shade is beautiful and it was so worth it! I had to weigh out the time, gas and probably a meal out to make that trip and also the risk that I may not find the shade. So, I ordered it and just waited patiently for it to arrive. I also decided a pretty finial would really zhuzh it up.
This is a simple DIY. It just took the vision of knowing that this lamp could be more and have new life. I find that when I’m shopping for lamps, they are either very specific to a style, a room color, too skinny, too short or just way, WAY too expensive. And, I want my lamps to stand the test of time so if I decide to change my room color or textiles, the lamps are classic and I can move them from room to room. I love a healthy mix of new and old. I have a few new, modern lamps in my house, but I love the shape of this lamp and the warmth and coziness it brings to the space.
I found a plug in to test it out.
And, it works!!!
Once I had my supplies gathered, the rest of it was a breeze. I started with the felt lamp base. I just pulled off the old one. It was coming loose and was brittle and kind of dry rotting. I purchased an 8” green felt lamp base from Amazon. The felt pad is sticky on one side. I laid it on my table with the paper side up, set the lamp on it and traced around it with a pen. Then I just cut it to the correct size with scissors, peeled off the paper and stuck that bad boy on – easy peasy. It’s fairly forgiving so if it’s not lined up perfectly the first time, pull it off and try again.
The next step was deciding if I needed to replace the harp holder or not. I wanted to replace it because it was included with the harp and the one on there is a little tarnished. It was really stuck on there and since the lamp is operational, I decided not to worry about replacing it. However, this lamp didn’t have a harp so I had to replace the harp.
Pro tip: There is a formula for deciding your lamp shade size. Your shade should be approximately two-thirds the height of your lamp base and twice as wide.
The next step is putting the shade on the harp. It looks so good together – I love the shade! I had a slight problem though. Once I tried putting the finial on, a lot of the screw was visible and the lampshade was wonky. So, I used two metal washers – one underneath the shade and one over the shade and then screwed the finial on. I have a nice snug fit and it looks really great!
The next time you are in the market for a new lamp, consider shopping at a consignment or thrift store. You just need a little imagination and a few supplies to take a thrift store lamp from lonely on a shelf to FABULOUS in your house! I’ve included some links below to the supplies I used for my lamp’s makeover. Sadly the bamboo finials are no longer available, but here’s a link to a discount code graciously given to me by Ballard Designs for my followers. Happy thrifting!!!
