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.
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| Dark fabric lampshade |
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| Dark floral fabric option |
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| 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.
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| Seafood green and beige coral pattern fabric |
The Liberty of London 'Hera' pattern was looking really really promising (because blue and white, obvi!)....
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| 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.
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| 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!)
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| 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!
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| 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!
