Table lamp shopping can be quite the shock if you haven’t had to purchase a new one in a while. Even at the “big box” stores, most decent sized table lamps start at $30-$35. Then you need to buy the shade to go with it. When all is said and done, you’re easily looking at upwards of $50. Maybe this is not a big deal to most people, but for the family on a budget, when you need several lamps to go around a room, it all adds up really quickly.
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Where to Find an Affordable Table Lamp
Thrift stores! Now, granted, most thrift store table lamps need a little updating and some TLC before they become something you’d be happy to display in your home. A new shade (or four, in my case) and a little paint and voila! What was an ugly, dated table lamp is now something you’d be happy to display in your home.
I found this table lamp while out thrifting with some girlfriends and I loved the shape. The price tag said only $6.99 and I knew it needed to come home with me. While someone obviously had placed bulbs in it with wattage that was way too high, I knew if proper lightbulbs were installed, there would be no further damage. And those details! All the heart eyes….
Table Lamp Update Take 1 –
AKA the Giant Mistake
In typical fashion, I painted the lamp a funky color (hot pink, in this case) – thinking I was going to love it…
and then realized I didn’t love it at all. *sigh* I’m a neutral color girl at heart and I just couldn’t do the pink. I tried. I really did! π
Apparently I’m a slow learner, because I did the exact same thing (just a different color) with my Drop Cloth covered chair. Perhaps I should just stick to what I know I love.
Table Lamp finds Redemption
Side note – painting an object that has lots of curves, nooks and crannies CAN be done with a regular paint brush or a cheap chip brush, but a round brush works best to easily get into all those small spaces. These brushes look amazing (and they’re on my wishlist for “one of these days”) – but if a brush like this is currently out of your budget, then a big old fat stencil brush works wonders! That’s what I used for this lamp and it was perfect. Another win for “necessity is the mother of invention”! π
If you read in my side table makeover post, you’ll know that I used a product called Chalk Mix from Diva of DIY – and it worked great. Well, I still had a little chalky paint and powder left over, so I mixed that with some other leftover white chalk-type paint from my Faux Fur Footstool project. Three cheers for using what you have!
If you’ve done any painting at all, you’ll know that red (or bright pink) is a really hard color to cover. Even so, it only took two coats of paint and my lamp was done. And this time, I loved the result.
As you can see, this chalk mix has quite a bit of texture to it. While I don’t mind some texture (as seen below) I did give my table lamp a light sanding to knock down most of the tiny texture particles. This is totally optional. Here’s a close up to show you what I mean.
I’d love to know…have you used a chalk type mix before? What has been your experience?
This lamp is part of a $100 Room Makeover Challenge with some of my blogging BFFs. Stay tuned next week for the big reveal! We are fondly referring to it as our “Champagne Taste on a Kool Aid Budget” Makeover Edition. Anyone can makeover a room with thousands of dollars in their budget…but come back to see what this great group can do with only One Hundred Dollars!
Be sure to Pin for later-
Oh I totally love the white and black, but must admit that the pink is a great color, too. You have such an eye for matching the right color to a piece. It’s just beautiful. Great job, as always. Susie from Chelsea Project
Thank you, Susie! π
Kuddos to you sweet friend for testing out the hot pink paint on your lovely lamp. I love color and I don’t think I could be that daring. What? No, I must be lying because you should see what color my guest bath is, at the moment LOL
You are so right, lamps can be outrageously expensive. That lamp has some beautiful lines but it looks so much better and updated in white! I can’t wait to see it in your full room, in all it’s glory π
Lol! I’m so excited to see you guest bath, Toni! The color you chose is gorgeous! <3 And thanks for the sweet words about my lamp. I'm so glad you liked it! π
Oh my goodness! What a great makeover! I absolutely adore the finished product! As others mentioned I don’t know that I would have seen the possibility of the original turning out like it did! ???
Well thank you, Pat! I’m so happy to hear that you like how it turned out! Thanks for your kind words – they mean a lot to me. π Have a great day!
I really like this. To be honest I would not have seen it in the original! π nice eye! I do wonder what it would look like if the shades were dipped in gold on the bottom… ?
I’m so glad you like it! π
And Ooooo….I actually really love your idea of the gold-dipped shades!!! Thank you! You may see an update on them soon! Thanks, Helaine! <3
Hi Sarah,
That looks so cute! I love how you are able to see the potential in items that I’d probably never look twice at.
A true visionary. Your finished lamp looks gorgeous.
Thank you so much, Julie! I’m so glad you like how it turned out. π
Oh I love this lamp. What details. You made a beautiful choice in choosing the black and white. It’s a classic look.
Thank you for your kind words, Debra! I’m so happy you like it! π Have a great day!
I love how this turned out. Tbe black shades are such a classic look. This looks like a $100 lamp!β€οΈ
Yay!! Thank you Lisa! I’m so happy that you like how it turned out! π <3