Vintage Lamp Makeover

by Jill F

My Grandma had 3 lamps in her living room. All my life, as a child, teen, and young adult I thought these lamps were hideous. They looked like someone used a toothbrush to flip some gold paint all over them to glam them up a bit, and the effort was a total fail. The odd shape, the poor paint job, and the shades that were so old and dusty with age just were not appealing.

vintage lamp makeover, home decor, lighting, repurposing upcycling

After my Grandma died and we were going through her house, sorting through things and deciding what should be done with all of it, I eyed those lamps one more time. And somehow I just couldn't put them in the goodwill pile.

I had a feeling I could give them a makeover that would make them cute and fun even if they weren't a style that went with my own decor.

My parents, siblings, and husband were not convinced they could be 'cute and fun'. But I have somehow developed this thing about vintage stuff. It's hard to just get rid of it! And somehow I just thought I could make them look good.

I liked the shape of the shades but the coverings were so dirty and gross and were not cleanable. The gold pieces fell off if you touched them and they were just yuck. I tried taking the covers off and using the shades but the paper/fabric was part of the construction that held the wire pieces together and once that was removed the shades fell apart and were not salvageable.

Come see how I changed them up - the after is on the blog!

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2 of 6 comments

Joyce on Aug 25, 2015
Love the lamps redone! Still look vintage but clean and simple.

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Justfixit on Feb 25, 2016
You did a beautiful job. They look like new designer lamps.

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