DIY Kelly Wearstler Lamp

Ariel
by Ariel
3 Materials
$15
30 Minutes
Medium

I discovered Kelly Wearstler last year during a DIY challenge and couldn’t shake this Linden Lamp from the back of my mind. I’ve been thinking about that lamp for too long, so I decided to re-purpose a set of lamps that I’ve got kicking around from a previous craft and DIY it. Here is the finished lamp:

Materials for a DIY Kelly Wearstler Lamp

  • Lamp + lampshade
  • Americana Chalky Finish Paint in White
  • Paint Brushes
  • Air Dy Clay in white
  • Americana Acrylic Paint in Brilliant Red
  • Hot glue gun

Step 1: Clean the lamp you’re going to paint. I gave mine a good wipe with a wet washcloth, and then dried it off. It was in our garage before, so I wanted to make sure I wasn’t painting over dust and dirt.

Step 2: Painting over a gloss is super tricky. You can use the Zinser primers, but for this I tried the Americana Chalky Finish paint because it stuck so well to the plastic chargers I painted in the fall //  here //. It may take a few coats, but you’ll eventually get it all.

Step 3: While the lamp is drying roll the little balls out of the clay. I planned approximately how many I needed and made sure to roll-out some extra while I was at it. It will take a full 24 hrs to dry, so you’ll have to set these and come back to it tomorrow.

Step 4: This next part is pretty easy, you just hot glue the clay balls (once they’re dry) to the lamp in the pattern you’ve chosen. I decided to faithfully recreate the Linden Lamp, so I went for straight vertical rows.

Step 5: As you can see, the bottom coat of white is kind of sloppy, but that’s because I just wanted to get some coverage. The real fun comes when you apply your top coat of colour. I wanted to match the red of the lampshade I had, so I tried out a variety of shades my collection and settled on brilliant red.

Step 6: Wait for the last coat of paint to dry, add the lampshade, and voila! You now have a DIY Kelly Wearstler Lamp that you can enjoy in a variety of settings and styles.

Resources for this project:
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Ariel
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Frequently asked questions
Have a question about this project?
  1 question
  • Vee Vee on Aug 14, 2019

    I have a large cylindrical shaped lamp, I would like to do something with. I wonder if the glue gun attachment will hold-up over time? Also, wouldn't a good spray paint be easier? Pros and cons, anybody?

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