Do you have a lamp that provides light but no pizazz? Is it time to give that lamp a little pick me up? While perusing the fairly new online shelter magazine Nesting Newbies, we came across this quick and easy way to update a lamp by transforming a blah lampshade with fabric and ribbon.
Diane Phillips, a Martha Stewart like craft maven, created these easy to follow step-by-step instructions that ensure fantastic results. Full instructions for the lamp DIY can be found at Nesting Newbies: Drab to Fab (pages 118-121). In the meantime, here are a few tips to think about before you get started:
• Straight lamp shades work best, but all shapes (rectangular, oval and barrel) of shades will give great results.
• If the lamp shade you are recovering is heavily patterned, it's best to cover with a layer of muslin before covering with the new fabric. This will ensure that the old pattern won't show through when the lamp is on.
• Have fun with the textures and patterns of the fabric and ribbon. If an all over pattern for the shade is too much, look for a solid fabric and a patterned ribbon to finish off the project. (The fabric Diane used was by Thomas Paul.)
(Image credits: Diane Phillips / Nesting Newbies)
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Comments (15)
Love Love Love that birdie lampshade!
Like the lampshade but thinks it's a mismatch for the style of the lamp.
I like the original, classic, elegant, reminds me of something my grandmother would have had (which is a compliment).
It's Thomas Paul fabric
http://www.thomaspaul.com/fabrics.php
I can see this project rapidly becoming a Disaster with the wrong fabric choice. God is definitely in the details on this one...
I just bought some pillows from Marshalls in this fabric (brown)but had to return it because it didn't work, it was sad:( believe me I tried.
If it's a cheap lamp you can always spray paint it ;)
I'm always afraid that a project like this would eventually catch on fire.
An idea for shades: have your own artwork printed onto fabric, using the "giclee" process.
Question: what fabric would be suitable for the "giclee" process? Anybody know?
We love Diane Phillips lampshade DIY, too! Thanks for the post and sharing our online magazine with your readers.
so pretty.
No... unless I misunderstand you, codeislife, spoonflower is a printing service. But if you have faith in the textiles they're offering, then I don't see how it's a problem. This table compares spoonflower and 3 other similar services, although it is from nearly a year ago, so there may have been some changes in the meantime.
My issue with this project is that I tend to find that lampshades in general are too much of an obstruction to providing light. If you take a lampshade, put a neutral layer on to block out the design underneath, and then put another graphic layer on top, how much light is making its way out at that point? That said, I am currently looking for a lampshade for an ikea floorlamp; I wonder how easy it is to make one (fabric, most likely,) from scratch?
Reading the article, I'm mildly perturbed at the writing. I'm not a particular fan of the term "upcycling", but it seems more appropriate than "repurpose". How is this repurposing? The lampshade is still a lampshade! The purpose is the same! Wouldn't repurposing be, like, you took some old curtains and (made them into a dress) used the fabric to cover your lampshade?
Thanks, lepidoptery and codislife.
I didn't know that the textile technology was so advanced.
I plan to investigate further.
@codeislife: You asked a few interesting questions that others may be interested in, too. ;)
Question: where did the bird graphic come from?
Answer: We used Thomas Paul fabric #20874-35 in Tangerine. You can find it at: www.duralee.com.
Question: do you suppose hand-made-paper could be used as well (with a low wattage or cool-running CFL bulb)?
Answer: Diane Phillips added the new fabric on top of an existing shade so it is protected from the heat of the bulb so I would think that hand-made paper would be okay to use too.