What’s better than great lighting? Snagging great lighting on the cheap! I was on the hunt for a pair of bedside table lamps for our master bedroom and 1 lamp for the guest bedroom. After browsing countless stores and getting discouraged by their $79-$200+ price tags, I decided to hit up the thrift stores and go the ‘rescue and revamp route.’
I picked these lamps up from Richmond’s own Diversity Thrift and Love of Jesus Thrift Store for $10 bucks each! Now that’s a price I can live with!
But because these lamps didn’t come with a shade, I googled “discount lamp shades” and found a few sources. After comparison-shopping (of course), I ordered 3 large white drum shades from Destination Lighting at $24.95 a pop. And to sweeten the deal, they offered free shipping. Sold!
I slapped a couple of fresh coats of paint in a fun turquoise and yellow (and not to worry, no fumes were inhaled by this preggo… I’m a mask-wearin’ mama) and these lamps went from fugly to fabulous in a matter of minutes:
Cost breakdown:
Vintage table lamp: $10
Large drum shade: $24.95
Harp: $3.98
Valspar Glossy Spray Paint in Mediterranean and Bumblebee: $3.44/ea
Total: $42.37
Owning a lamp that’s completely customized, cheap, and chic: Priceless.
Now that’s what I call a bright idea.
Hi, I saw your post on D&R and shared your lamp project on my blog, I hope you don’t mind but I loved them!
OH! the wonders of thrifting. SERIOUSLY. I’ve found the most amazing decorative goodies at thrift stores. Some need revamping, some don’t. But every piece is a) on the cheap, and b) utterly original. LOVE!
Monica,
Awesome! Thanks so much!
Hi,
do you need to do something to the lamp before you spray the paint on? I’ve been wanting to do this for a long time, but have never worked with spray paint, and I was afraid it wouldn’t stick on metal/brass.
– Thea
I was wondering the same thing…what did you do to the lamps before painting them? I have two old metal lamps that I am planning to redo. They have been painted at least twice and are chipping, so I’m guessing I’ll need to sand off anything loose. But did you prime the metal before putting on your beautiful paint?
Other than a quick dusting with a damp cloth, I didn’t do much of any preparation for the lamps before I sprayed them. The spray paint adhered beautifully to the brass! Good luck!
Hi! I just came over from Design*Sponge. I love how quick and easy these lamp makeovers were, they look great!
oonafeystl.blogspot.com
HI!
Do you think that the paint would work as well on a ceramic lamp?!
Great project…. LOVE the finished product
Megan,
I’m not sure… my guess is yes, but just to be on the safe side, read the label – it should state all surfaces it’ll adhere to. Good luck!
What a transformation! I am also looking for lamps for my bedroom and living room – thanks for the great inspiration! Yellow lamps here I come!
gorgeous gorgeous gorgeous!!!!!!!!! I LOVE all three, and especially for the price! That is totally unbeatable! Way to go! And, thanks for sharing the lamp shade link- going right now to check it out for all my lamp shade needs!
Beautiful! I live in the good ol' RVA and frequent Diversity and Love of Jesus 🙂 Love how bright and cheerful you made these lamps. You've inspired me to go back to my perfect-lamp hunting lol.
LOVE LOVE LOVE the colors!! The blue and yellow are gorgeous! I also love the shape of these. I hope I can find some like this at a thrift store because I am dying to make these! Great job!
Hi! I seriously just saw your lamps through pinterest…I just finished a couple of lamps that look very similar. Thanks for the info on shades, we were struggling with that. Will be sure to check out the rest of your blog!
I came across this post and wanted to do a similar project so I found some brass lamps that look almost identical to yours and I ordered what I believe is the same shades but they seem really big. Were the dimensions for your lamp shades 15 x 16 or the other way around?
Lindy,
I think these were the exact ones I bought:
http://www.destinationlighting.com/storeitem.jhtml?iid=220795
Hope it helps! Good luck!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE these! I saw your post when I googled Vintage Lamps. I just visited my local Goodwill and purchased a lamp for $10 and plan to paint it yellow also!! Thanks for the inspiration.