Make a Floor Lamp From Salad Bowl

The special feature: the lampshade is made of metal, the base of hardwood – a mix of materials that combines natural beauty with modern design and lets the living room shine in the most beautiful light. It becomes an upcycling project when you can use your old salad bowl and a piece of scrap wood, for example.

Drill an opening for the lamp cable in the middle of the bowl with the 8 mm metal drill.

Tip: Place a piece of wood under the bowl when drilling so that the drill hole does not fray.

Now hold the lamp holder centrally on the bottom of the bowl. Mark the required drill holes (e.g. with a nail) and drill them with the 4 mm metal drill.

Use the 6 mm metal drill bit to drill in the edge of the bowl where it will later be attached to the base. With this you determine the angle at which the light opening is mounted – so it’s best to try a few positions.

The solid wooden base, on which the bowl is to be positioned as a lampshade, is best sawn to size at the hardware store. Depending on the wood and the desired style, sand the block thoroughly and then apply wood glaze and let it dry.

Sand the metal bowl a little inside and out. The surfaces should be clean and dry before the paint is sprayed on. Generously cover the area. Then start with the golden inside. If the color is not opaque enough, paint it a second time.

Once the paint has dried on the inside, spray the outside with black paint. To make sure that no black paint gets inside, it is best to place the bowl upside down on the floor.

As soon as everything is dry, thread the textile cable through the middle of the bowl and mount the lamp holder: Place this over the pre-drilled holes and insert threaded screws through the holes. Secure this from the outside with nuts.

Attention: The power cable should already have a switch and a plug and be connected to the socket. If you buy everything in pieces, an electrician should do the assembly or at least check everything afterwards before you put the light into operation.

Now screw the screen and base together. Hardwood is usually hard, so pre-drill the hole in the wood. Finally screw in the light bulb and connect the plug. Now you should see the light!