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Emily A. Clark

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My $1 Brass Lamp + A Spray Painted Shade

September 16, 2013 37 Comments

I  posted this mid-fluffing picture of my office on Instagram last week and had some questions about the lamp.

 

rearranging-office

(My plan is to bring the orange rug back for Fall and add a few blue accents.  Oh, and I also “organized” my bookcases.  Hence, the pile of junk in the corner. . . )

 

So, my big, beautiful brass lamp.  It was a find.

I paid a whopping $1 for it at a yard sale.

brass lamp

 

People around here must be reading something I’m not that says to get rid of all your brass lamp bases immediately.  This may or may not be one of five brass lamps I’ve bought over the last few months, with the most expensive one costing me a whole $5.  All have come from Goodwill, yard sales, or ummm…. I might have made my husband get out of the car at the dump and get one on the verge of being put into the ground.  (Lamp rescue!)  I’m accumulating a nice little collection of shade-less lamps in our garage.

 

Finding the right shade is always the tricky part.  But, I remembered I had those huge ones from the lamps in our last dining room.  (I originally found them at Pottery Barn Outlet.)

drum-shade

 

 

Luckily, they are more of a paper than a fabric shade and took about two minutes to spray paint.  It’s Valspar’s Gloss Indigo Cloth–the same deep blue I used on my son’s metal bed.

 

painting-lamp-shade

 

 

Not bad for a dollar and some leftover spray paint.

brass-lamp (2)

 

 

Looking for another easy way to dress up a lamp shade?  I posted about covering shades with fabric here.


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Filed Under: DIY, lighting, our home

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Elisa of Fancy Free Me says

    September 16, 2013 at 12:36 pm

    Love the lamp. And your bookcases are adorable, love the dark back!

    Reply
  2. Melissa Taylor says

    September 16, 2013 at 12:54 pm

    I LOVE your colors… royal blue with orange and a touch of zebra.

    Reply
  3. pam {simple details} says

    September 16, 2013 at 1:10 pm

    Perfect dose of color to give it a stylish new look! I share the addiction, I happened to notice eight lamps in my guest room the other day! :)

    Reply
  4. Lisa @ Shine Your Light says

    September 16, 2013 at 1:28 pm

    What a great lamp base – I love the shape of it! And it looks soooooo good with the blue!

    Reply
  5. marty (A Stroll Thru Life) says

    September 16, 2013 at 1:31 pm

    Great shape on the lamp. I love it. Hugs, Marty

    Reply
  6. Patty Day @Pattys Epiphanies says

    September 16, 2013 at 2:09 pm

    That blue shade is awesome! Love it with the brass. You just can’t beat spray paint!!!

    Reply
  7. Vel Criste says

    September 16, 2013 at 2:13 pm

    I too have scored recently a $3 brass lamp at the thrift but still need to find the right shade. Your blue looks awesome, but thinking of doing black on mine. :-)

    Reply
  8. Nancy {at} powellbrower at home says

    September 16, 2013 at 2:33 pm

    looks fantastic! I love the shape of that lamp. Have a great week Emily!
    xo Nancy

    Reply
  9. Chatfield Court says

    September 16, 2013 at 3:18 pm

    Wow great find! I like the texture of the shade with the shiny brass. I have had no luck at Goodwill or yard sales lately.

    Have a great week.
    Kristi

    Reply
  10. [email protected] says

    September 16, 2013 at 3:44 pm

    Such a steal :) I have that lamp and got mine at gw for $5 and thought that was great! xo Kristin

    Reply
  11. Simply Modern Home says

    September 16, 2013 at 3:58 pm

    That is the deal of the century! Gorgeous!!

    Reply
  12. [email protected] Nest says

    September 16, 2013 at 4:03 pm

    Great looking lamp…love the shape. I always have such a hard time finding the right shades too…yours looks great!

    Reply
  13. [email protected] says

    September 16, 2013 at 4:30 pm

    The brass lamp has such an amazing shape and I’m not a brass girl! lol :)

    Reply
  14. Gwen, The Makerista says

    September 16, 2013 at 4:54 pm

    I was just digging through my shade supply last night to find one to fit a new thrift find! I love how quickly you can repurpose shades. This is just beautiful!

    Reply
  15. momma-lana says

    September 16, 2013 at 5:11 pm

    Brass is coming back big this fall! Hang onto your brass everyone! Fortunately we have been happily out of style at our house because everything in our house is brass and now we are back in style without any effort on our part!

    Reply
  16. theanatomyofdesign.com says

    September 16, 2013 at 6:16 pm

    gorgeous! really love the dark color against the shiny brass.

    Reply
  17. mwimp says

    September 16, 2013 at 6:35 pm

    gorg!!

    Reply
  18. Jill Seidner | Interior Design says

    September 16, 2013 at 7:12 pm

    Love this! Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  19. LilyBiscuit says

    September 16, 2013 at 7:26 pm

    You are officially my interior design role model!

    Reply
  20. Jeanna Sanchez says

    September 16, 2013 at 7:28 pm

    Hi Emily,
    I have the very same lamp! Actually I have two one is slightly different from the other, but I LOVE them. I got mine from thrift stores, mine being a little more expensive than your at a whopping $2.00! I am a lamp hoarder, rescuer too, looks great on your desk!

    Reply
    • Jeanna Sanchez says

      September 16, 2013 at 11:09 pm

      IF YOU WANNA SEE MY LAMPS YOU CAN HERE!
      http://jslatelydesign.blogspot.com/2013/09/diy-framed-gold-bird-art-and-brass.html

      Reply
  21. Kathy Baugher says

    September 16, 2013 at 8:01 pm

    Turned out gorgeous. I just spray painted some brass owls from a salvage yard with some left over paint.

    Reply
  22. Linda {Calling it Home} says

    September 16, 2013 at 8:43 pm

    Perfecto! They are reading the same thing here. I keep running into brass lamps. If that is your idea of messy on the bookshelves, you can’t come over :)

    Reply
  23. Laura Doubek-Kraft says

    September 16, 2013 at 9:08 pm

    I love brass, and the painted shade is wonderful!

    Reply
  24. Tricia | 724SouthHouse says

    September 16, 2013 at 10:56 pm

    That blue is perfect. You never fail! (I found a 4 dollar brass lamp at Goodwill last week… I thought that was cheap!)

    Reply
  25. Fits and Kisses says

    September 16, 2013 at 11:30 pm

    I have NEVER thought of this….What a great idea! I’ve been living with white lampshades in my bedroom…but this opens up a whole new world for me!!
    THanks for sharing. Great idea.

    Reply
  26. Kimberly Lemmon says

    September 17, 2013 at 1:02 am

    That is one gorgeous lamp and shade makeover. Never would have thought of using blue but I love it!!

    Reply
  27. Courtney {a thoughtful place} says

    September 17, 2013 at 4:46 am

    I need to come hang out with you with you while you shop yard sales and goodwill. Why can’t I ever find these things. Lovely lovely lamp, my friend.

    Reply
  28. Mrs. DeVore says

    September 17, 2013 at 3:26 pm

    I have that same lamp shade, good to know they are so easy to paint!

    Reply
  29. LC says

    September 17, 2013 at 3:58 pm

    I love the armoire! We have one that is a similar size that I don’t particularly care for. How do you know when it’s something that requires sanding before priming and painting? I want to try to restore it but am afraid I will ruin it in the process, haha.

    Reply
  30. colonygal says

    September 18, 2013 at 4:10 am

    Emily, you are so inventive! I am always inspired by your posts. Thank you. I do have to say that Brass seems to be making a come-back, and I have also taken a “shine” to it in recent months, actually close on to a year. But I think it is just for the genuine kind of brass, not the high gloss 80s effect … So, you have to know how to work it, and you certainly do!

    Reply
  31. SHERRY HART says

    September 19, 2013 at 12:53 pm

    Spray painting a lampshade? Really……who knew! Gotta give that a try! LOVE that brass lamp and I have seen them for 50.00 and more at flea markets. You scored.

    Reply
  32. EDYTA & CO. INTERIOR DESIGN says

    September 23, 2013 at 6:57 pm

    Love this lamp base!!

    Reply
  33. Robzwife says

    September 23, 2013 at 7:27 pm

    I would love to see a post on finding the right shades for lamps. I always have that issue with second hand lamps.

    Reply
  34. Gabriela Eisenhart says

    January 24, 2014 at 11:42 am

    I am a huge fan of brass lamps and love the idea of spray painting the shades. This was an AMAZING find! Great work.

    Reply
  35. Cindy says

    July 30, 2016 at 9:19 am

    I got the exact same lamp on Craigslist years ago, and have been searching for the correct size shade ever since. Could you please provide the dimensions of your shade? Thanks! Love how it turned out!

    Reply

Trackbacks

  1. GETTIN' THRIFTY - The Spiffy Company says:
    March 20, 2014 at 9:08 am

    […] this century and adds a nice rugged feeling to a space (see how Emily updated her $1 brass lamp here!) I’m telling you… brass is back, […]

    Reply

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