apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

Yawn. Yeah, these lamps are great. Great idea. But the end result is soooo boring and uninspired.

Oh my.
To really make the whole vignette in your corner look fresh and current (and not like my mothers house in 1970) buy a different area rug, something more colorful with a bold contemporary pattern, get rid of the books on there end, and a colorful glass item instead of whit swan. It would make for a more cohesive look.

I'm inspired. I like it.

Agreed. I would have loved to see a glossy plum or aqua or some other fun color. Matte white? Really?!

i think the end result looks great. would have also been fun in a bright fun color - but the white is nice and timeless.

I love this! Anne is my hero!

Wow, nice job spotting these lamps. I have painted a fair number of vintage pieces, but I don't think I could have seen past the original paint to the great form.
That being said, I would love to see the lamp with a black, brown, or patterned shade. The beige blends in with the wall too much for my taste (tho I admit it is pretty and peaceful).
Nice!

I'm inspired and like it too. But failing to spray paint the lamp shade the same matte white on the outside and Tiffany blue on the inside (or lining it with silver leaf) was a missed opportunity. Ohmigawd! I'm becoming Martha Stewart... Arrrrrrgh!

I like it! And I like her little nook there, too. This does give me ideas for lamps of my own, although I'd go with something a little more exciting than white. A blue, like the color of the little specks in the pillow, would have been great.

Nice work and big improvement. One question, won't that dark trim be visible when the light is on?

That looks great. A painting would look great hung on the wall behind the lamp.

I disagree with arroyo. With so much in-your-face design, it's easy to forget that the simplicity of a white finish and linen fabric can really make an object stand out.

But then again, I guess it is just too difficult for some people to realize this.

One small point. Linen is linen, a cloth made from the flax plant, so there is no such thing as 100% cotton linen. Perhaps we are talking about a cotton-linen blend?

Can I just say how much I love spray paint! It's such a simple tool and just look at how great the outcome can be! Well done!

Beautifully done! The white accentuates the lamps' graceful lines and interesting detailing while the linen shades neutralize the kitsch element. Now, you have two very elegant and important-looking pieces. I'm inspired. Thanks!

I agree with some of the comments, but I like the rug - it actually is a good contrast to the 70's stuff. I also like the simplicity of the white lamp and linen shade. I think they would stand out more against a colored wall though. Maybe it's a rental and you can't paint but an eggplant or navy color would look great on the wall.

Oftentimes, vintage lamps are sold without shades or the existing shades are too far gone to redo like this.

I've found that Fenchel makes great lampshades in all sorts of custom shapes and sizes in a wide variety of materials for very reasonable prices:

http://www.fenchelshades.com/

That lamp looks a whole lot better, and I think makes a really good point about looking past the color to the shape of it. You don't like white? Think about black! Or consider some kind of silver with red underneath or something. Think about how the shape of thing resonates with something else that you like that's a different color and try THAT color.

I think I might have tried that hammered metal paint in bronze or copper -- and since the hammered metal look is not smooth, you could almost certainly get away with one coat of primer and one or two of the color. (All that sanding is admirable but boring!)

Also, I think making the shade shorter would improve the overall proportions. (A drum shade about half as high as these would look more current. Depending on the structure of the existing shades, they CAN sometimes be cut down.)

Thanks everyone for your feedback! It's terrific to see so many different perspectives on this project. I went with a matte white finish as the surfaces of the lamps were quite banged up, and actually did try a gloss at first but found it accentuated the scratches and dings. The matte helped them recede a lot more, and allowed the sexy curves of the lamps to shine through.

I chose the linen as I had it leftover from another project and was trying to keep my costs as low as possible. The great thing about spray adhesive is that it's not 100% permanent, so maybe I'll try a different treatment on the shade when I tire of the light linen! I agree that it would look really cool with a graphic print, or just with black.

The house is indeed a rental---I'd kill to be able to paint the walls! But for now I'm happy happy they're beige and not institutional yellow like my last apartment!

And a note about that rug: it's quite old, a few hundred years at least. It was passed from my grandmother to my mother to me, and I included it in this photo to make them smile. And to quiet their inquiries of 'Do you still use that rug?' :)

The lamp looks a million times better. It helps that it's such a great shape to begin with. I think I would have purchased/made a darker shade to pair it with, but shades can easily be switched out.

That's a lot of work to get a white lamp with a beige shade.

Loving the matte white. Loving it.

I have a similar shaped lamp that I did in a green faux marbre finish. Endless coats with sandings between. I was pleased with the way it turned out, and each coat didn't take all that long. A fun project.

Your lamps remind me of Hollywood Art Deco, with the flat white paint. I think they are simply elegant. Color is a personal thing---to each his own.

Good job. I love your rug.

I like it. Great eye!

I look at thrifts, but I never see good lamps in pairs! Wah!

I did something similar

http://www.blogazar.com/2008/06/diy-oversized-bedside-lamp.html

I would be concerned about flat white spray paint. I'm sure it looks great at first, but can you dust it effectively, does it show fingerprints or smudges? Or do you cover the flat white spray paint with some type of clear flat spray finish?

"The house is indeed a rental---I'd kill to be able to paint the walls! But for now I'm happy happy they're beige and not institutional yellow like my last apartment!"

I'm with you, Anne! There's nothing I hate more than what I call "pee yellow" walls!

I like, but color would have been better.

Actually, looking at the juxtaposition of the retro pieces and the updated look at the lamp took my breath away. I love, love, love, the linen with the white. I wish I had the vision for something like this. And the rug? It pulls it all together. It is a keeper for more reasons than that it is an heirloom.