make this monday :: DIY lamp makeover

One of the easiest (and cheapest) ways to breathe new life into an outdated accessory or piece of furniture is spray paint. For around $4 a can you can choose from a surprisingly wide array of colors and finishes. I've been on a spray painting binge recently and am having fun hunting down worn items to make them look new and modern again.


Case in point - this lamp. That brass! That honey oak wood grain! This lamp came our way during a recent yard sale we were hosting. My husband's family brought over some stuff to sell, including this lamp. Poor thing is so ugly, no one bought it at the yard sale. Then, it went out to the curb with our leftovers and a free sign attached. All the other stuff went - not this lamp. I couldn't see the sense in throwing away a perfectly functioning, albeit hideous lamp. It was time for a makeover!

I was inspired by this little beauty...

:: image courtesy of all*you ::

I went and bought myself some primer, glossy yellow and chrome spray paint and went to town. Sanding, tacking, priming, painting and drying complete, plus some wrangling to take off the lamp harp - this is what it looked like afterward. Oh, and I did outfit it with a snazzy new lamp shade from Target. There was no saving that other pleated jobby. Quite an improvement, eh?


It now happily resides in our guest room, replacing a lamp that was tiny in comparison to the size of the room. I'm not usually a yellow person, but the cheery vibe this gives off makes me happy. I love the textured sand dune-like lampshade.


I won't lie, the inspiration lamp is far cuter by design, but I think my little DIY makeover gave a whole new life to this exhausted lamp. I'm not 100% sold on how the metallic turned out, but I think it would look funny if it were yellow all the way down. What do you think? I could really use some fresh eyes. What do you want to run off and spray paint now? I'd love to hear your ideas.