Blah Beige Lampshades Get a “Cheap and Cheerful” Makeover — Using Something from the DIYer’s Closet
There are tons of ways to upgrade a plain-Jane lamp — or a secondhand lamp that could use a little TLC. Replace the globes, zhuzh up the base, or decoupage the shade with napkins, for example.
DIYer Sharon Mamwell (@renovating_cartrefle) thought the lamps on her nightstand were a little lackluster, so she decided to give them a leopard print makeover. Best yet, it cost £10, or about $13 USD.
“I’d seen a pair I really loved but couldn’t justify the price — and the fact nothing was wrong with the ones I already had — so I decided to try and give them an upgrade myself,” she says.
The DIYer turned to her own closet for the materials.
“I looked at buying a lamp making kit, but … I already had a pair that I could use in a similar way,” Sharon adds. “I had an old thin scarf that I knew would be perfect.”
Sharon says the thin-ness of her leopard print scarf was key because it was easy to pull taut around the lampshade. She also says if you’re going to try a similar project, you can’t use a very textured or busy-patterned lampshade. You need a blank, fairly smooth canvas to work with.
All it took was household items: scissors, tape, an iron, and a credit card.
“I started by ironing the scarf and measured out a template,” Sharon adds. “I used double-sided sticky tape to attach the fabric to the shade, pulling the fabric taut as I went.”
She cautions that you’ll want to find a fabric that’s easy to cut; if you use a fabric that’s too stretchy, it will fray when you stretch and cut it. “I then trimmed and tucked any excess fabric into the frame of the shade using an old credit card,” Sharon says.
Of the finished product, Sharon says, “The whole thing was cheap and cheerful, and I’m so happy with the outcome.” She especially loves the way the leopard print glows when the light is turned on. “They have so much more personality,” she adds.
Inspired? Submit your own project here.