Before & After: $15 IKEA Hack Turns These Floor Lamps From Drab to Fab
Amit had been using these two IKEA floor lamps for TEN YEARS — ever since senior year of college. From dorm room, to first apartment, to the first home, which Amit moved into about a year ago. But while they functioned great, they were drab — boring office gray with a plain white plastic shade that disappeared against the new house’s gray walls. After renovating and buying new, mid-century modern furniture, Amit realized a makeover was needed to keep these ultra-functional lamps lighting up for years to come.
From Amit:
I decided to see if I could transform these lamps into something similar to the lamps I’ve been coveting for so long. After sanding the lamps, and removing all the removable pieces, I painted it with two coats of flat black spray enamel. I then taped around all the details areas I thought should be highlighted with brass. I sprayed these parts, as well as the removable parts, with metallic gold paint. After letting everything dry, it was time to reassemble the lamp.
Once I put the lamp back together, it actually looked surprisingly great. However, the white plastic shade didn’t seem to work with the rest of the lamp. I was determined to finish this project in one day and without having to buy anything else. I rummaged around and found a sample of black fabric a curtain vendor had left during the renovation. I wrapped it around the shade, used packing tape to hold it tightly in place, and cut around the top and bottom.
I’m really not at all crafty, and the projects I take on have a 50/50 chance of success or abject failure. I actually thought this project would fit into the latter category, but surprisingly the lamps turned out almost exactly as I had envisioned and fit really well with my other furniture. The project took two to three hours of actual work time spread out over an extremely hot day, with a couple hours between coats of paint. I had to purchase primer and paint which cost around $15 altogether.
Thank you Amit!
Re-edited from a post originally published 9.21.14-nt