One of the most important and overlooked aspects of interior design or when redecorating a room is the lighting. It’s often too harsh (bright overhead fixture) or uneven (lamps placed at random around the room) or not effective (a chair without a reading lamp).
There are three kinds of light to take into consideration when designing a space: ambient, task and accent.
- Ambient is general lighting and provides a uniform light.
- A task light provides illumination for a specific job such as reading or cooking.
- Accent lighting may highlight art work or create a mood with shadows or may simply be a unique lamp placed on an end table or next to the bed.
Lamps come in all shapes and sizes, but put your own Signature Style on it by creating your own custom shade.
When shopping at resale stores, look for lamps that work (test it out before you buy) and shades that aren't bent.
I found a like-new cast metal lamp with a (very) traditional pineapple base and various shades at Goodwill.
You've got to see the diamond in the rough when shopping resale and flea markets.
I wanted the project to be fast and easy, so I decided not to remove the paper or fabric covering. Instead I chose to cover the existing shade with items I found in the clothing department!
To give the lamp an updated look, I simply spray painted it in a soft ivory hue. The pineapple almost disappears.
Look for knit tops with button details.
I glued the hem of the sweater to the bottom of the shade, then cut the rest to fit. Since a barrel shade is only slightly narrower at the top than the bottom, there are very few gathers to work with. A little more glue and you have an original “Made in the Shade”. You can use a tacky glue or hot glue gun.
Cut to fit and glue in place. Knits don't unravel!
This lamp projects cost less than $7.00 with supplies from Goodwill and took me less than an hour. I have an original, one-of-a-kind creation that can ‘accent’ a variety of spaces.
The original shade color complements the red top. The button deal gives it personality.
The traditional pineapple has been updated with a new shade.
It takes on a whole new look when turned on.
What kind of mood lighting can you come up with?
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