apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Terrific! A new thread opens up just as I have a question... Does anyone know who does a decent job of rewiring lamps without costing a fortune? I have a few old pottery lamps I'm very fond of and would hate to see manhandled, so I don't want to just walk into any old place on the Bowery... but I also don't want to go into debt at Oriental Lamp Shade or some fancy place like that. Thanks!

Ha! I just googled "lamp repair, chelsea" and got a link back to Apartment Therapy, and I reference I actually made then. To quote Dame Edna, "Spooky!!"

www.apartmenttherapy.com/main/archives/002097.html

The company I was Googling for (and mentioned on that previous AT link) is Lightforms.

Lee'Studios used to do repairs as well, but they've gotten even snootier since they moved into new digs.

Thanks, Patrick (too)! Did you go to the Amsterdam Avenue location or to Chelsea? (My lamps are so old, they have these funny old fluted plugs.)

I just re-read your post and realized it already answered my question about the location.... (WHO needs a vacation???)

Actually, I've been to both locations, both with equal success.

Also, Lexington Hardware, a block and a half above Bloomingdale's on it's same side of the street does re-wiring of lamps; they have a little sign on their door. But I actually had them re-wire a simple light fixture and a Late Deco chandelier. I didn't think it was money; it ended up being around $20 per socket, so the work on the chandelier was about $100.

ooh how timely. I have a lighting related question as well. We have a spot in our apt for a chandelier and I just bought the random light from dwr.com. The wiring is there with red caps and yellow caps, can I do this myself or do I need a professional. The light itself seems to easily mount with tension in the hole that is already in my ceiling. dont want to risk severe electrical shock if there is a cheap handyman solution. Anyone?

Raquel. The Random Light is such beautiful fixture that I wouldn't risk going DIY and trying to install it yourself. I would hire a reputable electrician with good referrals from higher-end lighting showrooms or interior designers. These guys are a little more expensive (and sometimes more booked up weeks in advance), but worth it for these type of fixtures. They'll get it right the first time. (One guy I hired here in L.A. actually constructed brushed stainless housing that matched the 2 sconces I purchased to resolve wiring issues on that wall. He was expensive and it was over a 3-month process because he had a lot of residential and commercial jobs plus the custom-construction, but it was worth it.)

Honestly, rewiring an old table lamp is too easy! You buy the parts at the hardware store and the store guy can show you how to do it (if it's a *good* hardware store). My mother rewired all our lamps when I was a little kid, and they're all still going strong, more than 30 years later. And she learned how to do it from a book at the library. Why pay someone else money better spent elsewhere (like on outrageously high rent)?
Raquel, if you don't know that the caps are just random colors and that it's usually the wire colors that determine usage, and that you shut off the breaker at the electrical box before installing the fixture, you're far better off hiring someone to do the job for you. ;)

HELLO
I have a question, but I fear it's too late in the evening and this thread is OVER. But anyway
Any idea in NYC for Japanese fabric? I keep seeing summer purses made in what I'm looking for, which is a pop riff on kimono prints - traditional, but with much more vibrant and current color combinations. I found basic cotton prints (navy and white) at Pearl River, but as for the colors and flowers and fans mashed together in a witty way . . . NOT my area of expertise. Thoughts?
Thanks!

Guido, there is a decent selection of Japanese fabric at the City Quilter, which is on 25th between (I think) 6th and 7th -- just east of Buy Buy Baby and Whole Foods.

thank you alex

There are detailed instructions on how to rewire a lamp on marthastewart dot com. Probably also on HGTV and DIYNET websites too.

To support NOT going the DIY route, Lightforms charged me only about $30 per lamp...

thanks to those websites re: wall fixture socket wiring we're now sporting the hairstyle + wide eyes we never thougt possible...j.kidding!...thanks Justin + Co,
u've given me the green light w/ re-wiring an oversized 50's desk lamp.

(so if the lights start flickering way out West, we've been suitably forewarned)

Just had my grandmother's antique lamp re-wired by Roy, "The Lamp Surgeon." Very courteous and professional -- he used to own a retail shop on 12th and 6th for 20 years. Now, he makes house calls, which is very useful for someone like me who does not want to schlep a torchiere that is taller than she is around New York. He was superquick. Lightforms won't do antiques.
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