apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I'm sure this has been asked before, but I'm gonna ask again: I have that typical 70s ugly drop glass lampshade thing going on in my apartment, in all the rooms (the sort that is secured by a screw/cover going through the center). It has two or three bulbs in a circular formation inside. Is there ANY sort of shade that is made to fit over a fixture like this? I've tried making things, and they never turn out right, and it seems like there must be something that is reasonably cheap that I can do to cover this (?) or replace it (?) without removing the entire fixture. Ideally, I'd love to just have one bulp coming down, so I could use one of those paper lampshades, or something comparable from ikea, but there are THREE there...ugh...please help. Thanks! Emily

There are adapters that screw into a bulb socket and convert it into a receptacle. (Search for socket adapter or plug body) They cost less than a buck. If you got three of these to replace the bulbs in your fixture and then added plug-in cord lights ala IKEA, you could use three smaller paper shades hanging at different heights.
There would still be some basic wiring, as you'd have to shorten the cord part of the cord light to get it short enough but really, this is very, very simple. I typically make them using hunks of extension cord and then add my own plug and socket. All the parts you need to make your own, custom length cord lights are available at the hardware store, and if you ask nice, they'll probably show you how to wire them.

Frankly I think it would be an easier and more elegant to just switch the fixture. I've done it in every apartment I ever rented, and just swapped them back out when I vacated.

Oooh. a. thank you...I may attempt the cutting and piecing, or I may try to find another lamp cover. I have not ever been successful in finding a reasonably cheap one that I thought was cool...typically I hate hate hate overhead light, so I want something that'll diffuse it; b. I love your blog and will now read it and read it; c. I make dog beds, too, but they are ugly and square; and c. I have a greyhound-ish dog named Moose. Thanks for your input!

Where's patrick (the other one)?

If anyone has a copy of the March '07 issue of Dwell around, could you check something for me? I was flipping through it at the bookstore and saw a desk that had little drawers and flip top compartments in various colors on the top of it. Any chance someone could tell me who the maker was and relay the link?

everyone who pays market rate in nyc pays for the GR's to live in the West Village.

I"M TIRED OF PAYING RENT FOR THE GR's!!!

I want to switch the fixtures to single socket so I can use hanging fixtures. Unfortunately, I have four fixtures. Three in direct line of each other and my ceiling is 9'7". But I'm sure the super would loan me a ladder.

I've seen Stephen's post about GR's on a couple of threads here. Does anyone know what this is all about in general and what GRs are in particular?

does thomas paul have a deal with urban outfitters? they have some pillows and tables with designs very similar to the bird motifs he had.

jonathan,

go read the post about the oprah show, before it's pulled.

http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/ny/news/at-is-on-oprah-now-018277

long, but necessary.

You're paying your rent and they're paying theirs. It's as simple as that and to try to make it something else, it's just useless and dumb.

I stopped reading that thread before your post. Referring me -- or anyont -- to it doesn't exactly answer the question.

Thanks Design Dabbler! That's it.

GR= Gillingham Ryan, the founder's (Maxwell's) last name. The rest is self-explanatory on that thread.

Thanks, Anon, but I have, alas, caught up with this. A hyphen would have helped.

Hmmm, I kind of feel dirty now after posting in that other thread....

Anyway, I have a floor lamp with a paper shade and I think I'm going to make a new shade made out of wool felt and I was wondering if I should treat the felt with some sort of retardant. The lamp uses 3 60 watt bulbs.

hello everyone! i know ART MONTH was in january, but i have a question - ifound this
painting on esnips, and i loved the feeling of crisp cold air it gave me, and also of the
huge sky. has anyone ever bought off the internet? im wondering what the difference is btween a real
painting, and one youA see glowing on your computer screen.
http://www.esnips.com/doc/fdba6a5f-db59-454b-8250-ec7b783859dd/WINTER-TRAIN

thanks for any advice you can give!

yolan

stephen,

Just want to thank you and everyone else living in ny for paying my rebnt as well. I may not have a tiny place in the west village, but my large two bedroom in queens will do for now, especially after I finsih my new kitchen. Been living there 365, except for those weekends in VT, the two weeks in Europe, and some great weekends in Pa, and I can't even count how many nights I spent out at the beach house in West Hampton.

stephen,
why don't you start your own blog so you can rant about this 24/7?

What stephen does not seem to realize is that millions of people who watched Oprah probably found it astounding that someone could live in a 260 sq-ft space for a month, let alone most of the time.

Most of us do not live in the West Village. My KITCHEN is 300 sq ft.

Rent-stabilized or not, most people want more room than the Gillingham Ryans.

Having been a "low-income" person in an urban area without rent control, take a page from my book and find a bigger space with a couple of housemates.