Collections: Are You a Lamp Tramp?

During our recent House Tour: Alex's Granny Chic, Alex confessed that he's a lamp tramp. He has a hard time passing up lamps and is always looking for new styles. The term was new to us and it stuck (not surprisingly). Do you consider yourself a lamp tramp? Take our survey and see more closeups of Alex's fabulous lamps.

Do you consider your lamps a collection? All photos here are of Alex's apartment. See more of Alex's home in House Tour: Alex's Granny Chic.

(Images: Rachael Grad)

Comments (20)

I'm more of a chandelier chick. And does anybody know where I can learn how to turn a small scrounged chandelier into a plug-in light?

oMG, yes, esp table lamps! There are so many styles and looks that I like and they are so pretty! My mom was like, you have to stop buying lamps, you have nowhere to put them! I've had to sell a couple.

I must admit, YES!

There I said it and I feel better.

I've gotten to the point where I rotate them in and out of storage seasonally.

yes- i even have a lmap closet and I rotate the collection. it's a mess.

I've had to sell a few. Once you know what a huge difference good lighting makes, it's hard to walk away from great lamps and overhead fixtures. Maybe I'll rotate them seasonally as stt64 does.

And then you have to become a lamp SHADE tramp, as well. Speaking from experience, of course.

I do love the lamps but I am much more of a pillow whore...I can stop myself when it comes to pillows...running out of places to put them!

I want to be a lamp tramp but don't know where to get good shades! Please help?

YES. its an expensive habit. i recommend the book "1000 lights" for anyone looking to indulge.

Lamps are very tempting! In thrift stores I have to tell myself not to linger in the lamp section. I was lucky to get one of the nicest lamps I've ever seen for free. It came with the 1950s motel my aunt bought. That doesn't stop me from drooling over other people's lamps.

I Voted Yes just because my husband has been making fun of all the lamps in our home.... explain to me how 18 lamps in 3 rooms makes a Tramp? I have room for at least 3 more...

I am obsessed with lamps. I buy vintage and make them out of found objects too. I am also a little nutty about the safety of the old ones. I have had more rewired than I can count.

Oh my god. I am such a lamp ho! I am completely obsessed with them and have Way Way too many. More than I can ever use.

I hadn't realised it but I counted my living room lamps and- including an Eiffel Tower lamp and a bunch of plastic tulip lamps -I have 10.

Oh, yes, I'm a sucker for a pretty shade and a beautiful base.
(Like Sally305, I also freak about the safety of the older lamps)

Sally305 Yes! My best finds have been from thrift shops in the Texas Hill Country before MCM became hot. None more than $3.00

Favorite made was a Patron Tequila bottle with a sassy little natural wicker shade. So far it's been kitchen accent, bar (of course) and entry table. A one of a kind night light.

Okay, I know this means that I am the oldest, most uptight person on the entire Internet but it disturbs me that we are having a public discourse about lamp enthusiasm in terms of 'tramps', 'hos' and the like. Really? In a world rife with misogyny, do we have to have a conversation whose humor is somehow predicated on using denigrating terms for women? I don't get it.

Dear god, NO. I've found that I really hate lamps - in fact, make that most lighting fixtures. There are so few that I actually like, I'm not sure what to light my home with.