Fauxbulous Marble Lamp Makeover Part 2: The Lamp Gets a Shade

 The Find

From a previous post you might recall that earlier this year I found a table lamp (without a shade and with a large crack) and decided to repair it and revamp it with a fabulous faux finish (fauxbulous) inspired by marble and alabaster table lamps.

But of course, the refinished lamp needed a shade, and maybe another level of marble inspiration.....

The Makeover

I tried some different shades that I had in the house, along with random fabrics already in my possession.  Here are some examples of the fabric options I considered.

Dark fabric lampshade

Dark floral fabric option

Fish fabric fun

The coral pattern fabric had some of the same colors used in other parts of my living room. Seafood green is always a strong contender.

Seafood green and beige coral pattern fabric

The Liberty of London 'Hera' pattern was looking really really promising (because blue and white, obvi!)....

Lamp with Hera fabric option

...but I couldn't get the idea of a marbled-paper lampshade out of my mind (probably because I've been reading a lot of House & Garden UK).  So off to the fancy paper store I went. The in-store selection of decorative papers was wide, but there weren't any of the marbled pattern papers of the type that I *****really***** wanted - the kind where there is recognizable repeat pattern over the entire sheet but with subtle variation that comes from being handmade. In the end I settled for this lovely blue and white random marbled paper.  For less than $7 I was willing to take a chance.

Hand-made Marbled paper

I used double-sided tape around the top and bottom and at the vertical seam and pressed the paper to the outside of an existing shade.  I cut the paper a little taller than necessary in order to have over-hang on the bottom.  I then cut the excess off carefully with the razor blade (example photo below), this resulted in a neater edge.  (I should have done this on the top too instead of trying to cut the paper in a straight line before applying it. Live and learn!)

Careful cutting of paper with razor blade

Conclusion

I completed the marble on marble lamp experiment to general satisfaction.  I'm not 100% sold on the combination of that marbled paper with that faux-marble-finish base - but I like each component separately.  The cylindrical lampshade is plain white underneath, so I can always revert to that or remove the blue marbled paper and apply something new if the mood strikes.  Flexibility is the key to happiness!

Marbled paper on a marbled lamp on a granite counter

Happy freestyling, don't be afraid to take some maximalist-style risks once in a while!

Fauxbulous Marble Makeover Part 1: Lamp Repair & Painting

 The Find

I found this discarded table lamp in the autumn (along with some others around the same time, maybe lamp season is a thing here too?).  I immediately liked the classical square column, sort of obelisk-y, shape because classical forms speak to my soul, never mind the giant crack across the body....

Brown column table lamp laying on blue towel

Close-up of the crack around the column

The Repair

Cracks can be filled! And filling the crack is what I set out to do, using some Goodfilla brand wood filler (not sponsored, just what I used) in a few layers to try to get the fill material as deep as possible.  I should also mention that I cleaned the entire piece and removed the electrical components.

Lamp body and wood filler

Close-up of the repair using wood filler

I fully acknowledge that the **right** way to fill this type of crack is to over-fill and then sand back.  However, I hate sanding, so I try to avoid it, thus I tried to fill to the surface level and then hoped that the paint and pattern brewing in my mind would fool the eye enough.

Repaired crack in the original lamp body

The Makeover

My inspiration came from alabaster and marble lamps, but of course I didn't want to pay hundreds of dollars, time for an experiment with fauxbulous finishing!  There are many online tutorials and videos about faux finishing, but the key concept is layering layering layering and some special sauce in the form of scumble.

Step 1 was, of course, primer.  I used Zinsser Bulls Eye Zero Primer For All Surfaces.  I've had this can for a few years and it comes in very handy.  I applied the primer with a brush.

primer

The first coat of primer highlighted the repair more than it obscured it.

Repaired area after first layer of primer

After a second coat of primer the base was looking more even, but I wasn't going for a full flat white primed based because the faux marble look is all about layers.

Repaired and primed

As my base color I used a paint sample I has on hand, Behr Etched Glass, probably mixed with something else that I can't remember right now.  I didn't want a stark stark white because in a natural material I would expect off-white and shades of gray to reflect varying mineral content.

Paint sample lid, Etched Glass

Below is a photo of the various paints I mixed together to achieve the different layers.  There are no set ratios, I just did it by eye. They included the sample of Etched Glass, a free half-used paint in the color 'Canvas' (a pale beige), and some Benjamin Moore Wrought Iron (an almost black but not true black).

Paints and glue

Let's talk about scumble. Scumble is the sort of background cloudy layer that will form the base of the more distinct veining that will be layered on later.  To achieve my scumble I used a mix of the paints to get a pale grey, maybe a pale grey-brown?   I dabbed it on with a piece of cut up sponge (shown with the yellow arrow in the photo below) and then dabbed the excess off with a rag (shown with the blue arrow in the photo).  It isn't complicated but you do need to work quickly so that the scumble layer stays faint.

Scumble on with the sponge, scumble off with the rag

Here is a different side with a fainter scumble.

Lamp with scumble layer of faux finish

After the faintest scumble, do another layer with a slightly darker color and less application overall.  If anything looks to straight-line just wipe it off quickly and start over.

Scumble variation on different sides

The veining is the last part, done with either the edge of a feather or a small paintbrush held very loosely in the hand.  Follow the general direction of the scumble, usually a diagonal, but keep a very fluid line.  Remember, you're mimicking geological uplifting and folding of layers of sedimentary rock, it's not going to be precise.  After finishing with the paints I decided to shellac the surface to protect the paint job, but this step is optional.

Below is a closeup of the bottom part of the lamp body after its repair and faux marble finish. Does the pattern distract enough from the repair?

Detail of fauxbulous finish on the lamp base

Conclusion Part 1

After all that fauxbulous painting it was time for a lie down.... with the other electrical components before being reassembled.

Lamp body with new faux marble finish and electrical components

Happy freestyling, why not give faux finishing a try? You might get some fauxbulous results!

Beehivey Ribbed Planter Makeover

The Freestyle Find

Those who (successfully) garden indoors eventually face the dilemma of plants that outgrow their pots.  At first the solution is obvious, just get a bigger pot, and for pots below the 6-7-inch diameter range this usually isn't too expensive.  The Swedish superstore has a wide variety, and I'm an owner of various sizes of PAPAJA and MUSKOT-series plant pots.  However, larger and larger ceramics also get heavier and heavier (especially when filled with associated plant material) so at some point it makes weight-sense to switch to some type of plastic outer pot. The problem I have is that lots of plastic pots are ugly and so very plastic-looking and more expensive than the $0 I want to spend on plastic.  Lucky for me I came across this planter that was free, large, and interestingly-shaped-but-ugly-color and thus was crying out for a makeover.  I washed it in the tub and after it dried I got to work painting, and oops I forgot to take a full-size 'before' picture.

Pea green plastic planter close-up view

The Makeover

I knew right away that the makeover for this plastic cachepot would be simple and quick, transform the stained pea-green exterior with some matte white paint so that the planter would blend in with my existing collection.  This process started with some primer (this gallon of primer just keeps on giving, I've been using it for 5 years now).....

In-progress, applying primer to plastic

....and the process continued with some **free** paint+primer in the form of a quarter-full can that I received from a neighbor, the color was Behr Ultra Pure White 2050 in Interior Eggshell Enamel. I'm wasn't sure what sort of sheen 'eggshell enamel' would have, because eggshell sounds 'not-shiny' and enamel sounds 'shiny'.  All coatings were applied with a low quality chip brush.

Paint can in front of the painted planter

Conclusion

The final result of the multiple coats was a lovely matte white color that shows off the cool ribbed texture while serving as a backdrop for a tall dark green Sansevieria plant (aka Snake Plant).  This might not be the last plastic cachepot that gets this paint treatment.

A closer view of the painted planter.

Below is a full-length view of the Sansevieria in its new home.  The contrast of the bulbous beehive-shape planter with the strong vertical lines of the plant is just what I was hoping for.

Sansevieria plant in a new home.

Happy freestyling, if the item is free why not paint it?  Give it a go.

Fiddle splat chair back wooden chair makeover

 The FIND - A wooden chair with a fiddle splat back

I received this well-used chair from a neighbor. It had multiple chips in the veneer along the splat and signs of wear along the wooden frame, but overall was still solid and I liked the decorative details. The flat center of the chair back (inside the oval frame) is called the splat. Splats can take many forms and display decorative motifs.  In general, this splat shape seems to be known as 'fiddle', but there may be a more specific name somewhere in the depths of the interwebs that I haven't yet found.

Chair as received, signs of wear indeed

The damaged bits and the dark color scheme just weren't working anymore, time for a makeover.

The Makeover

I had to fill the chips in the splat veneer using woodfiller, on both the front and back of the chair. Don't forget about the back of the chair, it gets lots of use and can be banged against a wall too.

Detail of chipped veneer on chair back.

Chair back after applying wood filler

After the wood filler had dried it was sanded smooth. 

The next phase was priming and painting, which involved trying to pick just the right shade of blue (custom mixed from the paints I had on hand).

Chair frame after being repaired and primed.

The first paint color was too grey...

First coat of paint, too grey.

The second paint color was too baby blue... 

Second chair paint color, too blue.

The third paint color was just right, but we're not there yet! First I had to add new foam to the chair base and recover the seat.

Using the old seat to measure new foam.

I was able to add some piping to the front of the chair cushion, another fun detail.

Detail of fabric piping along the chair edge.

The Results

And after all that wondering about color, here it is with just the right shade of blue-grey.

Conclusion

I loved the way this chair turned out. Modernized in a light and bright but not too loud color, sort of a Gustavian / cottagecore mashup style.  Happy freestyling, don't overlook a solid wooden chair even if there is some surface damage - wood filler and paint make excellent friends.

Conclusion - An Extra Comparison For Fun

Whilst traipsing through the endless world of fancy design blogs I came across the "Oleander Cane Back Chair" pictured below on the website The Expert.Com -- the color-similarity with my chair project was noted.  What was also very noticeable was the price difference!  My chair project did not cost $2,000, but if someone wanted to buy a fixed up freestyle find for that much I wouldn't be upset.  I would buy some fancier paint, and maybe even a paint sprayer.....

source: The Expert