I decided that my buffet needed new lamps. I really liked those glass ball lamps, but the more I looked at this wall and how things were progressing, the more convinced I became that I was missing an opportunity to bring in some color with those glass lamps.
So I started searching for new lamps, and found that the ones that really appealed to me were lamps that look like this…
via WayfairAnd then it dawned on me that I already had something that looked very similar to that! Let’s travel back a couple of years and remember these floor lamps that I bought for the front room when I was planning on using it as a living room.
Remember those? Well, I don’t think I told y’all, and I don’t really remember the details, but somehow one of the lamps got knocked over and part of the base broke. They’re made of resin, not wood, so the force of the fall just cracked it right open. But I didn’t throw the whole thing away. Those lamps went together in sections, so I just threw away the section that was broken and put the rest in my stash. Since I love turned wood and things that look like turned wood, I figured I may be able to use the pieces for some crafty project.
As it turns out, two of the sections went together perfectly to create a table lamp. I just screwed them together, and voila!
After putting the pieces together, I sprayed it with Rust-Oleum spray primer and then painted it with Rust-Oleum Meadow Green in a glossy finish.
Since I didn’t want to spend money on new lampshades, and since I have no immediate plans to use the glass ball lamps, I just used those lamp shades for my new lamps. (The shades that were original to the floor lamps were HUGE and wouldn’t work on table lamps.) Since the original silver color on the shades didn’t work in the room, I covered them in some scrap off-white linen that I had in my fabric stash, and then added some black trim that I found at Joann Fabric for 99 cents/yard.
Full disclosure: I actually haven’t rewired the lamp yet. So right now, it’s purely decorative. 😀 I have everything I need to wire it, but I just ran out of time. I was actually hoping to get the second lamp finished so that I could show you the pair of lamps on the buffet, but I wasn’t able to get the second lampshade finished in time last night. But at least you can see the direction I’m heading now.
Oh, and did you notice that I replaced the center mirror on the sunburst mirror that I made last weekend? If you’ll remember, I had originally used a plain beveled-edge mirror that I had in my stash just as a placeholder so that I could see if I even liked the sunburst mirror in the room and on that wall.
It turns out that I really do love that sunburst mirror, so when I headed to Hobby Lobby to check out their decorator fabrics, I stopped by the mirror aisle and found the perfect mirror with the perfect frame that was already the exact color of my sunburst. And it was on sale for 50% off! I think I paid $9 for it.
Now I love it even more! It definitely has a more finished look to it.
If you’re wondering the status of my draperies…well, I haven’t started on them yet. 🙂 I want to install all of the hardware and drapery rods, and then measure for the finished length of the panels. And I can’t make them until I know the finished length. BUT, I was still waiting for some of the hardware to arrive before I could install the rods. The rest of my order finally arrived yesterday, so now it looks like I’ve run out of excuses. It looks like I’ll be sewing this weekend. 🙂
Addicted 2 Decorating is where I share my DIY and decorating journey as I remodel and decorate the 1948 fixer upper that my husband, Matt, and I bought in 2013. Matt has M.S. and is unable to do physical work, so I do the majority of the work on the house by myself. You can learn more about me here.
I hope you’ll join me on my DIY and decorating journey! If you want to follow my projects and progress, you can subscribe below and have each new post delivered to your email inbox. That way you’ll never miss a thing!
62 Comments
Marianne in Mo.
April 14, 2016 at 9:12 amAmazed once again! The lamp is so awesome, and I love the glossy look and color of these.
The mirror looks so much better-good find! If I lived anywhere near you, I would volunteer to help you sew! Been dying to sew lately, but my sewing machine is packed away along with most of my things at my daughters house! We are TRYING to build a new house (going too slow!) and presently living in an apartment.
Happy sewing!
Jules
April 14, 2016 at 9:20 amThe glass ball lamps are pretty but they just disappear. I love the new green lamps!!! Awesome find on the mirror. Don’t you just love it when things work out that way.
Annie
April 14, 2016 at 9:23 amI love the pop of color the lamps bring to that area, and they enhance the colors in your paper. Good find on the mirror. I’m still in awe of your carpentry/designer skills/talents! Love Hobby Lobby 😊
Ashley
April 14, 2016 at 9:25 amWOW!! What a great use of something you already had, plus it looks FAB!! I love the punch of green and that mirror has turned out great!! I am always so inspired by your creativity! I am looking forward to the next post!!
Jane
April 14, 2016 at 9:26 amThose are just great, Kristie! This entire project is coming together nicely!
Sarah
April 14, 2016 at 9:30 amWhat adhesive do you use to cover your shades? I always have trouble with the fabric coming back off…
Zovesta
April 14, 2016 at 11:30 amMe too, or hot glue making it terribly lumpy. Hoping she answers! <3
Rebecca B
April 14, 2016 at 12:19 pmI have questions too on how you did this. It would be nice if you could post a tutorial on how you recover lampshades! Thanks Kristi.
Kristi
April 14, 2016 at 1:10 pmI generally use permanent fabric adhesive (the kind that comes on a roll like double-sided tape), but this time I used hot glue.
Barbara
April 14, 2016 at 9:33 amI know you probably get tired of me saying so….but girl, you are crazy talented! I want to come hang out with you…just one day…you know, so maybe some of your genius will transfer to me. If you ever need grunt work done, shoot me an email. I’ll come running!
Jamie
April 14, 2016 at 9:36 amThe lamps are a piece of artwork! I love the style and the color. For me, the plain shades on the inspiration picture of the lamps really made the design of the base stand out so I would have left the shades plain. On the mirror, of course this is now on my to do list:) I love your blog
Carla
April 14, 2016 at 9:36 amI like that lamp as a table better than a floor lamp and the color is great!!
Debbie
April 14, 2016 at 9:40 amPerfection!
Linda
April 14, 2016 at 9:44 amFabuloso! Just the pop of color needed right there. Looks fantastic.
Susan
April 14, 2016 at 9:45 amThe lamps are beautiful, and the gold-framed center mirror sets the sunburst off perfectly. Now I see why you wanted it. I’m envious of your ideas AND your energy.
Michele
April 14, 2016 at 9:45 amYou must have been just sick when that floor lamp broke, but what a fabulous save! In fact, I like it better in table lamp size, especially with the configuration you used. And the green color is lovely. Switching out the mirror to the one with the narrow border was exactly the right touch too! Genius at work is a beautiful thing.
Laurie
April 14, 2016 at 9:49 amThe new lamps complement the area so much better even though I liked the glass ones. The high-gloss finish makes them look like ceramic too. The room is going to be amazing when done. Do you redo your floor’s finish as each room is done or do you plan on doing them all at once?
Kristi
April 14, 2016 at 1:18 pmI’ve been thinking about how to do it. I ordered more Waterlox and it arrived yesterday, so now I just have to decide how to go about it. The problem is that each coat takes 24 hours to dry completely, and even then, it can take only light traffic. The dining room and entryway will be no problem, but figuring how/when to do the music room and hallway is a challenge. I’ll figure something out, though. 🙂
Val
April 14, 2016 at 9:50 amGreat! I like such project, when broken things are reused or unsuitable things are refurbuished to become suitable. The lamp looks amazing!
Kristi, can I ask you please, to explain in detail how you measure the distance between the curtain rod and the floor, when you right your next post. It is important to get the measurement right, and it is easy to get it wrong, especially if there is no other person to help.
Kristi
April 14, 2016 at 1:19 pmSure! I’ll cover that in my post about the draperies…hopefully next week.
Dale
April 14, 2016 at 9:54 amAs always, looking great! I love the accent of the black on your shades too!
Bev Jones
April 14, 2016 at 10:01 amI am GREEN with envy! Another mind blowing creation.
Tegan
April 14, 2016 at 10:02 amLamps are perfect! Mirror is perfect! Everything is coming together so perfectly!! <3
Karen
April 14, 2016 at 10:05 amThat lamp turned out really nice. I really like the green color of the base.
Sharon C
April 14, 2016 at 10:23 amThe new lamp and shade make-over look amazing Kristi and you’ve managed to turn a disaster of the floor lamp base being broken into a very stylish table lamp base. So creative. Love the new mirror/frame for your sunburst mirror, again it’s the little touches that you do that makes everything look simply stunning. The entryway is really coming together so beautifully.
Kristine Brown
April 14, 2016 at 10:29 amYour sunburst mirror is absolute perfection, and yes the new mirror from Hobby Lobby did finish it off perfectly!!! Wonderful job on that!
Annie
April 14, 2016 at 10:36 amThe lamp looks amazing…. just amazing….
janpartist
April 14, 2016 at 10:37 amThat lamp turned out great, and a pair is going to really complement what you have done in the entry. And, the mirror made a noticeable improvement! Great job!
Sue
April 14, 2016 at 10:59 amAgain, you’ve done an amazing job. Love those lamps and the finished mirror!
Zovesta
April 14, 2016 at 11:34 amOohh, how exciting!! Whenever I see a new post from you, I wait to read it after doing everything else because it’s such a treat. You never fail to impress! I have to agree, this looks much better as a table lamp.
Karen
April 14, 2016 at 11:42 amI love the lamps and the glossy finish, but I’m not crazy about that shade of green. I think you need something brighter… like a kelly green. Or coral.
Deborah
April 14, 2016 at 11:58 amOMG I LOVE the ‘new’ lamps!!!! And the framed circle just adds the perfect finishing touch to the mirror!
Laura H.
April 14, 2016 at 12:15 pmI never commented before when you had the clear lamps on the buffet but I didn’t like them placed there. They tended to disappear and didn’t add anything. These lamps you’ve made are perfect! I love the green as it adds the perfect pop of color that area needed. The frame around the mirror does finish it off just right! Great job!
Lisa E
April 14, 2016 at 1:14 pmDitto! Looks great!
Martha
April 14, 2016 at 12:24 pmKristi, that is such a coincidence! When I saw the glass lamps against your beautiful mural the first thing I thought was “green lamps would look great there” but I didn’t want to suggest it because you said you liked the look of the glass lamps with your acrylic curtain rods and I didn’t want to add another option to your plan for the room (since you weren’t even considering your mother’s opinion 😉 ) I was so happy to see what the green actually looks like – wonderful! Also, I love how you re-purpose all your stuff…
Sujata
April 14, 2016 at 12:41 pmHi Kristi,
I don’t have to tell you how beautifully the whole room is coming together. I think the lamp base can use a round or square pedestal (about 3/4 -1 inch high) in gold or even same green color. It looks fab just as it is but I think the pedestal will take it to the next level. (Just a thought)
Kristi
April 14, 2016 at 12:45 pmI love that idea. I was actually hoping to use a round acrylic base, but it needs to be about 8 inches in diameter, which is pretty big…and expensive! The local lamp supply place has them, but their round 8-inch acrylic bases with the holes drilled for the cord cost $80 each. Yikes! But I hadn’t considered a pedestal. That’s something I could actually make myself, and it certainly wouldn’t cost $80. 😀
Sujata
April 15, 2016 at 9:35 pmCan’t wait to see what you come up with.
Suzanne Steward
April 14, 2016 at 1:34 pmA finial would also finish off the lamps and mimic the photo above that inspired you!
Mary Anne Looby
April 14, 2016 at 2:11 pmHere I go again, Debbie Downer! My first instinct was that the lamps were wrong. however, someone mentioned a pedestal. I think if you make a square wood pedestal about an inch or two thick and at least an inch larger than the bottom of the lamp it might balance it more. The size of the shade is definitely too small for that lamp, as is the harp. I am sure you can find some size guide on google somewhere that would give you an idea for a better size. Because the lamps had been floor lamps they are much more bulky than a regular table lamp. Also, your mural is so delicate and feminine and your buffet is also very feminine and pretty in the black with the brass pulls, that I think those lamps really take away from the beauty. IMHO Baldwin Brass lamps with black shades would be perfect. The inside of the black shades is usually a muted gold. As for the mirror, the new round piece helps to tone it down, but I think it looks like what it is, and that it takes away from the mural. Maybe if you toned down the sunburst with some black or antiquing or something it would not be so distracting. I know you like to show off your handiwork, but I think the mirror would work better in the music room where there are no windows. The piece the foyer is the mural, I hate seeing it covered with anything.
Mary Anne Looby
April 14, 2016 at 2:15 pmsorry, should say piece’de resistance in the foyer is the mural.
Tamara
April 14, 2016 at 4:03 pmI agree! I couldn’t put my finger on it, but you are right, the size/scale is off with the lamps. And I agree that the lamp and the mirror are drawing attention away from the mural. Everything should be complimenting it, not jumping up and down for attention. It seems like the same thing is happening as with the dining room furniture/drapes, the elegance is being lost in place of that pop of color and there’s too much pop! I’m not crazy about the mirror either (although the new one is an improvement). I think it also comes down to scale (of the various sunburst lengths) . It looks like it’s pieced together with scrap wood and I’m guessing it’s the gold leaf that doing it. And it might just be the photo that is making it look that way, cameras do crazy things!
I do love your adventurous and creative spirit, Kristi! Keep going…if you love it, nothing we say matters. We only see a small vignette, opposed to you being able to take in the who,e room and what it adds to experience.
I learn so much from everything you do and from the people who take time to comment. So thanks to all!
Mary Anne Looby
April 14, 2016 at 4:11 pmThe mirror is made with scraps of wood. I believe it is wood shims or something llike that. Kristi said what it was when she showed how she made it. From a distance I am sure it looks like a sunburst mirror, but when I look at it I see a craft project. Sorry, we all have our own taste.
Char
April 15, 2016 at 10:00 amI wasn’t planning on commenting on this post because I didn’t want to come across as a Debbie Downer. But I must say I agree with Mary Ann. These projects are very impressive and creative but look (to me) completely wrong in the space. I had a similar buffet and searched craigslist for suitable lamps. I found some vintage Stiffel brass lamps. After a good cleaning and polishing and some beautiful new shades they look stunning. They make me smile every time I walk by. To me lamps and decorative mirrors are jewelry for a room. They should look “high end” not “home made”. Sorry.
Kristi
April 15, 2016 at 10:12 amI’m probably just going to go ahead and decorate my home how I like it. I hate brass lamps. I’ll never use them in m house. I have a vision for my dining room and entryway, and the only person who needs to like it in the end is me. Matt doesn’t care, and nobody else lives here. As it is, my entryway makes me smile every time I see it, even if others think it looks cheap and “home made.”
Joanne
April 16, 2016 at 12:03 amYou go, girl! 👍
Zovesta
April 17, 2016 at 1:51 amRight on, Kristi. I honestly spray paint brass lamps because I think they’re just unbelievably tacky. =x This room is already so “you”, creative, and gorgeous. So much more inspiring than anything you’d see in a magazine. And I got to be honest, it seems very bland and lazy to just buy things for your space rather than trying to make them because it would bring down, what? Snob appeal?
Keep it up. =)
Adele
April 15, 2016 at 1:17 pmReading these comments and suggestions about tall, thin brass lamps with black shades reinforces for me how we are so conditioned by magazines, catalogs, and even blogs to expect and admire the same things. I really love Kristi’s inspiration lamps, though they are not something I would have come to on my own, partly because they are unexpected. I admire her ability to create lamps and mirror that she loves and expresses her style.
Maggie Obst
April 14, 2016 at 5:01 pmA very in genius way,of making the lamp bases from what you already head put away. Love the shade, and the gold edge on the mirror completes the picture. Absolutely a beautifully happy entrance,would bring happiness when you enter your home. Perfect👏💞💞
MarySue
April 14, 2016 at 6:17 pmYour creativity is boundless! The lamp is perfect, and the new mirror transformed the starburst! It looks wonderful! I am loving seeing this room emerge!
Lu Ann Gilliland
April 14, 2016 at 7:24 pmPerfect! You sure are handy and creative!
Arlene
April 14, 2016 at 7:49 pmThe lamp makeover is genius – I do love the lamp. However, I never really understood the concept of placing two lamps so close together on one piece of furniture. You see this all the time, and it’s never been explained to me in a way I “get”. I assume they are purely going to be decorative, and that you don’t turn them both on at the same time – all the light then being in one spot in the room. Plus they take up so much room on the buffet, which could be styled with other interesting items that aren’t that tall, competing with the mural. I’m not trying to be negative, it’s just that here I am seeing this two lamp business yet again, and totally not understanding it at all. It feels like too much all clumped together on that side of the room, the mirror, the buffet and 2 lamps, all statement pieces. Maybe I need enlightened.
Kimberly
April 14, 2016 at 8:36 pmGenius save on the lamps! I agree with what someone said upthread, the glossy green finish makes them look like ceramic! Love the shape and color, and also what you’ve done with the shades. I liked the glass ball lamps, but these green ones are even better.
And my goodness, do I love that sunburst mirror, I didn’t think it was possible for it to look even better, but the framed mirror in the middle does add a finishing touch! It actually looks like a mirror I’ve seen in Ballard’s or another home dec catalog. I don’t understand why certain people say “craft project,” on the contrary, it doesn’t look like that at all. I think the finish is beautiful, and very typical of hand-gilded pieces.
That area of your home is coming together beautifully. As always, I’m in awe of your talent, vision, and energy!
Nicki
April 14, 2016 at 10:15 pmOne of the things I love about your projects is watching them develop and how you explain your thought processes behind your decisions. I NEVER would have thought to pare the floor lamps down to table-top size…brilliant and it just feels right when I look at it.
It has been so funny with the different projects you have been working on for this room…you have changed each one that I felt was a bit off or where something just wasn’t right. You give me more courage to be bold and attempt projects without the pressure of getting it right on the first try. I have the desire to be good at decorating but I find it difficult to pull everything together and I get so much inspiration from your blog!!
Keep on trucking! Can’t wait to see what you’ll come up with next 🙂
Donna
April 14, 2016 at 10:32 pmThe glossy green is gorgeous. I had been hoping to see some tall, slender brass lamps with black shades, but I think these will be perfect if you put a base on the lamps. I hope I don’t sound critical – everything I have seen that you have done so far has turned out beautifully, so I apologize if it comes across that way.
JudyMae
April 14, 2016 at 11:14 pmOh boy, the green lamps add just the right touch and look great with the mural. The shiny finish is just right, too, in my opinion.
Tammy ( Pa.)
April 15, 2016 at 5:54 amVery nice Kristi. See it pays to save stuff..!!!
kristin
April 15, 2016 at 9:27 amHappy sewing this weekend. I look forward to seeing another gorgeous piece of the puzzle come together. I love watching your rooms evolve as you try different options until it’s just perfect.
We’ll be moving to our forever house this summer and it gives me confidence to try, try, try colors, textures, styles until I’m satisfied. Thank you for being such an inspiring, and realistic designer.
Roxanne Veinotte
April 17, 2016 at 11:39 amI like it! Too bad the mirror covers some of the “wallpaper”. But that’s what happens when you hang stuff on the wall, right? LOL
Marty Neely
April 18, 2016 at 3:30 pmWe love following your progress! It’s so fun to see what you are up to. 🙂
I’m attaching a link to our embroidery business website in case you decide to go for the embroidery option for your dining chairs. We’d love to help you create your perfect room!
http://fandmpromotions.com
F & M Promotions
Betsy
April 19, 2016 at 10:58 pmClever girl. Making a table lamps from a floor lamps. Thumbs up!
Gail D.
April 24, 2016 at 4:56 pmI’ve got this thing about silver being cool and gold being warm, so I wouldn’t use gold in your dining room–it would have to be silver! Am I nuts?