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Hello! I'm Suzannah, a serious DIYer and mom of two little ones. Follow along with my DIY fixer upper house renovations, sewing and crafty projects, real food recipes, and de-stressing goals.
I believe you can love your home just the way it is, AND have the power to design and make big changes to make it better.
I'm also the author of DIY Wardrobe Makeovers!

White spray paint solutions: lamps

I am in a lamp phase right now.  I love lamps.  My eye goes right to them in magazine pictures, stores, design blogs... siiiiigh.  Unfortunately, on a tight budget, it's hard to get the fabulous lamp look (especially if you want things to match).  I'm still working on two pretty-much-matching lamps for either side of my bed, but through lots of Goodwill-ing, I acquired a funky 60's glass lamp base and a cute modern bubble lamp.
Inspired by this Serena and Lily lamp, Crate and Barrel, and other lovely places, I wanted all-white lampage.

So I took this:
And gave it quite a few very light coats of white spray paint.  I bought two white shades from IKEA (I wanted a drum shape but this was the closest I could find, and they were only $10 each), and put this cutie on the dresser next to the bed.
There are a few imperfections, and spray-painting something super smooth like glass is generally a dumb idea (there are cracked places already, but I tried to cover them up by scratching them off and painting over):
But oh, well.  In general I looooooove it!  I wish I had another just like it so we could have matching lamps, but I doubt that's gonna happen.  I will try to find another similarly shaped base, spray paint it, and give it the same shade (I mentioned I bought two).
While I was thinking about white lamps, I remembered a cute-shaped lamp I got at Goodwill Outlet ages ago:
I topped it with an Urban Oufitters (circa 2003) shade I had lying around, but it has little scratches and dents in the paint and the black is so not me right now.  So I spray-painted it!
I also tried it with this clearance IKEA shade:
Which shade do you like better on it?  It's not going to go in the bedroom (I don't think) either way.  I can't put the plain white shade on it because it takes a lamp harp and the bubbly base doesn't.  Unless I somehow rig or electrical-tape a lamp harp on! (Uh, this is not above me..).  So for now, no matchy-matchy lamps.  But I am so excited by what white spray paint can do to a tired household fixture!

12 comments

  1. I love the white lamp on your nightstand - so cute! And your other lamp looks so much cuter in white too! I like both shades, but I think I like the red/white one better.

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  2. i like the red and white one too. haven't left a comment in a while but i read each time you post. good job, sister!

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  3. Anonymous2/06/2010

    Wal-mart has some really really gorgeous lamps right now. I kid you not. I was "cutting through" the lamp aisle the other day from toothpaste to food, and stopped literally in my tracks.

    Yours are GORGEOUS though. Next time I'm at Wally World, I'm gonna need some white spraypaint. :)

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  4. Anonymous2/06/2010

    Wal-mart has some really really gorgeous lamps right now. I kid you not. I was "cutting through" the lamp aisle the other day from toothpaste to food, and stopped literally in my tracks.

    Yours are GORGEOUS though. Next time I'm at Wally World, I'm gonna need some white spraypaint. :)

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  5. They look good....your not alone with the lamps. I got a thing for them too.

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  6. Hey! I just got here through presserfoot and I just wanted to say hello, as I am new to the blog world too... and in Portland (Newberg actually)!! Stop by my blog if you get a chance - looking forward to your belts!

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  7. Anonymous2/06/2010

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    [url=http://www.ile-maurice.com/forum/members/wetter-vorhersage.html][b]schlechtes wetter[b][/url]

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  8. I would say the red and white, if I had to choose. However, if it was my lamp, I would remove the fabric on the larger shade (cause I love big shades) and re-cover it in what ever fabric matches the room I am accesorizing.
    May I also say that I agree with what your paint cans are doing for you. I will be running out to the store first thing in the morning!

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  9. Ooh, I love the red and white! Go with that one!

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  10. spray paint a lamp, such a great idea!

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  11. I love the red & white lamp shade! So cute. :)

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  12. Anonymous6/21/2010

    When you spray a lamp, you should also do a final clear coat of high gloss poly. this will protect your paint from chips & dings, and it will also give your lamp a wonderful glossy shine.

    ReplyDelete

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