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YourHub.com \\ Vero Beach \\ Stories \\ Tips & Techniques \\ Home Repair

Rikkitale: Hey ! A New Lamp!

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Contributed by: Erika Babcock on 3/15/2006

by Erika M. Babcock

Recently, a friend leaving town left me two very pretty table lamps, in size and shape almost alike but with different colors and decorations -- one, gilded striped porcelain, the other plain, orange glazed ceramic. Their pear-shape' also was not quite identical –one was a little shorter than the other

I was just in need of two lamps for my sideboard -- and here I had two lovely, good lamps, but not identical enough to serve as a twin pair on my sideboard. What to do! What to do? I thought. I really wanted two identical sideboard lamps -and here were the lamps -- but not identical! One was a little shorter than the other....

I thought long and hard, and suddenly an idea struck me. I could not contact-paper them, their bases were too rounded and uneven. But I could slipcover them, as I just had covered my sofa.

Ah -- sometimes thinking really helps!

The more slender and shorter one got the first treatment. First I glued an inversed breakfast plate onto the bottom to make it 'grow' about an inch. Still not enough, I needed another inch in height. I remembered that not all lamp arch-wires are equal in length. I had one that was longer, and I screwed it in. Luck was with me -- it created the needed height.

Now I wadded some rags and bunched plastic bags together and glued them, evenly, onto the emaciated lamp base, holding all that fast with scotch tape, all around. Now both lamps were of the same, 'pot-bellied' shape.

The third stage was making two 'sack'-- type tubes of the same material, for both lamp bases. First, of course, you have to measure the (new)circumference. Then, using patterned material is probably best. A mono-colored cloth, or symmetrical shapes, might show the seams too much.

Top and bottom of the two 'sacks' were now gathered but not yet drawn so I could slip one over each lamp base, covering the area from bulb to bottom. Now I drew the horizontal gathering thread close on each lamp sack, and - voila! I had two identical twin lamps to beautify my sideboard.

No extra cost except a few rags!

The next day I tackled the rest.

Luckily I had two identical, pleated shades stashed away in my garage. If you are not that lucky, every department store has them, cheaply, or you could try a thrift store, a flea market, or even scan the yard sales.

But there was still something that looked - to me -not quite professional. The gathering part of the 'sack'-material could be seen too much.

After some more thinking, I got some cardboard and cut two one- and-a -half inch wide strips, forming them into a ring that would fit right under the bulb, covering the gathering. I had glued foil over them first, which faked a metal band. Now it looked really professional.

I did the same to cover the gathering strip at the bottom -- and now I was satisfied. It looks really good! (See the picture.)

It sounds harder than the actual doing it. You can do it too!
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