How to Make Vintage Floor Lamps
Vintage floor lamps are used for two reasons: to reinforce a particular design scheme and to visually pull the eye of the viewer up and encourage the viewer to inspect the room at a different angle or level. There are modern manufacturers of vintage floor lamps that create new designs inspired by original lamp styles. Creating a personal, one-of-a-kind vintage floor lamp requires the do-it-yourself designer to collect found parts like bases, lamp columns and shades to re-assemble into a new, vintage style floor lamp. Does this Spark an idea?
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Things You'll Need
- Lamp base
- Lamp column
- Floor lamp kit
- Lamp shade
- Reference books
- Light bulb
Instructions
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1
Decide which vintage era to base the lamp on and become familiar with the different decorative nuances of that era. Art Deco, Mid-Century and Arts and Crafts are a few of the vintage eras to choose from. In our example, the lamp will need a base, a column and a shade.
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Search vintage, antique and architectural junk stores, resale shops, and estate and yard sales for the appropriate lamp base, column and shade. Although a lamp base may not be in ideal condition when found, keep in mind that simply cleaning and repainting a base and column is fairly easy to accomplish. For example, a pyramid stepped base (very Art Deco) and column found in rusty but solid condition can be sanded, painted with a rust-proof finish, and painted black to create a brand-new look.
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3
Purchase a lamp kit designed for a floor lamp. Lamp kits include the socket, cord and plug along with a harp (the wire attachment that holds the lamp shade in place.) The lamp cord and plug will be dropped into the column and pulled out through the bottom of the lamp base. The socket will sit inside the top of the lamp column. Check the length of the kit's lamp cord to make sure it is long enough for the lamp column and base.
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4
Locate a pre-made lamp shade if one was not found while searching for the base and column. While shade size is a personal choice, there is one visual rule that must be kept in mind: the bottom diameter of the shade needs to be at least as large in size as the base of the lamp. Typically this bottom diameter looks best when it is at least two inches larger than the base but not any more than six inches larger. Using the example of the pyramid lamp base, a square shade that mimics the shape of the base complements the lamp perfectly. Because the base is a 12-inch square, a 16-inch square shade is the most complementary size.
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5
Assemble the lamp using the parts that have been collected, including the base, column, lamp kit and shade. Place the base on a flat, even surface, place the lamp column into the corresponding opening on the base and tighten it into the base as required.
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6
Read the directions for assembling the lamp kit and the harp. Sometimes the harp must be assembled and held in place at the top of the lamp column before the socket and cord are placed into the lamp column, thus securing the harp in place. Some lamp kits may allow the harp to be placed over the socket and be secured by twisting it into place. In any event, the cord will need to be placed into the column and pulled out of the bottom of the base, which will allow the lamp socket to rest inside the top of the lamp column.
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Place an appropriate light bulb into the lamp socket and attach the lamp shade to the harp. Unscrew the harp's top cap, place the shade over the harp and align the shade's opening with the opening at the top of the harp. Replace the top cap and twist it into place to secure the shade.
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Plug the lamp into a wall socket and turn the switch on the socket to the on position.
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Tips & Warnings
Finding the base and column attached together is ideal but not always easy to locate. Columns can be made by a blacksmith but will cost more if that route is taken.
Resources
- Photo Credit Lamp image by nermin lipa from Fotolia.com
