Monday, September 19, 2011

Revamp the Lamp {DIY - Floor Lamp}

Chelsea Floor Lamp Base
{Pottery Barn Chelsea Lamp}

I love this lamp.  It's got classic lines, which means that it will most likely be able to transition as my decorating transitions.  And the color is great, too.  It'll look brown if I pair it with light tans and if I choose to go a route that's decidedly more black, this lamp will work with that color scheme, too.  Overall, it's a great lamp.  I love Pottery Barn.

I do not, however, love the $199 it would take to buy this lamp.

This spring, when the littles and I were spending copious amounts of spare time at my parents house, I came across a heinous lamp.  It was brass and a bit dingy and looked like it was circa 1987 (a good year for many, I'm sure, just not for lamps.).  So, I decided to revamp the lamp.  I bought some spray paint (cheapest way to make something old new again.) and a new lamp shade and then proceeded to move twice, throw my back out and generally forget that I had big plans for this lamp.  And so it sat, ugly, brassy, and unloved in my parent's garage for another 3 months.

That is, until a couple of weekends ago, when my Mom and I decided to pull out the Project Of The Summer and finish it off.  I should have taken a before picture, but I was too excited to get out my spray paint and go to town on this lamp.  This is is as close to a before picture as I got.


Heinous brass, right?  It was.  Nothing a couple of coats of Rubbed Bronze spray paint couldn't fix, though!  I probably would have sprayed the crap out of it as is, but my mom suggested taking the thing apart  and spraying each part individually.  Why didn't I get her perfectionist tendencies?  I can't even tell you how many times growing up I heard: "Neatness and accuracy count."  I don't really have the patience for that, but I went ahead and did it her way and, once again, I am really glad that I did.  We decided to recruit my dad to help with the spraying.  We convinced ourselves that he has steadier hands, but really, he was available, he helped us take the lap apart and it just seemed logical to let him do the spraying while we supervised.


He does great work.  I might promote him to Staple Gun Operator for our next DIY project.


I'm on the hunt now for some table lamps that I can spray with this Rubbed Bronze.  And maybe even a metal mirror to hang by the front door or some towel holders for the bathroom. I am in love with this color.  And here, my friends, is the finished project.  Sorry for the disheveled shelves behind my lamp, my son likes to pull cookbooks off the shelves and look at the pictures.


My DIY-Chelsea Floor Lamp:

Lamp base = free (thanks, Mom!)
Lamp shade = $14 (the wals-mart)
Spray paint = $7  (the wals-mart)

My total cost, $21.

See you next time, friends!

1 comment:

  1. I love this! And I love the Clara quote (I miss her wisdom. Say hi to your wonderful mom for me :) And I like your pic much more - the disheveled books shelves match much better with real than with perfect :)

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