Yeah, I made it. This is the fifth project in my little repurposed lamp series.
Okay, can you guess what I made the last remaining parts of my lamp into?
I made a ………
…….. wait for it……..
A LAMP!!!
How is that for a repurpose?  I made a lamp from a lamp 😀
Well I didn’t have much choice did I?! The only remaining parts after the previous four projects were the electrical bits. And they are not suitable for much else anyway.
This lamp design had been on my radar some time now. I had seen something like this in one of our Dutch home decor magazines once. I couldn’t retrace it, but the memory stuck in my head.
Related Reading: 35 Upcycled Lamp Ideas
It is a simple project really, so with nothing more than my memory, I came up with this.
You can do this too:
You will need a plank support, an electrical cable, a socket and a lamp. Not shown here, but repurposed also, is the little on-and-off switch. I reused that switch and the socket from the old lamp. The electrical cable is one of those fabric cables from an iron. You can buy them in old kinds of modern colors these days, but I liked plain old black & white.
Just look at this image and it is clear what to do.
- Drill three holes in the plank support. Make sure they are wide enough for the cable (and a bit extra room because of the paint).
- Paint the plank support.
- Thread the cable through the support
- Attach the socket and install the on-off-switch
- Add a bulb.
Ready!
Attaching the electrical stuff is not hard. I did it all by myself, so so can you. Just remember that same color wires go together and cut away the green/yellow one, since you don’t need it.
I didn’t give detailed construction details for this because those electrical bits are not internationally universal, so the inside of our sockets and light switches probably looks different from yours anyway.
But I have faith that you will figure it out, like I did.
I like how this little light turned out.
And that is the end of this series, because there is absolutely nothing left from that ugly little lamp I started with.
How did I do? Making five projects from one old lamp?!
- Lamp stand turned Candle Stick
- Lampshade turned topiary
- Lampshade part becomes floating tea light holder
- Lampshade part as wreath base
- Electrical parts from lamp become new lamp
I guess it is time to hit the thrift store again…..
Marianne Songbird is the founder of Songbird, where she hopes to inspire everyone to create a home they love, one DIY project at a time. She shares anything from craft ideas to home decor inspiration and from DIY projects to decorating hacks. Originally from the Netherlands Marianne and her husband Lex are currently renovating a 250-year-old farmhouse in Germany.
Athena at Minerva's Garden says
What a cool socket light! I love how it turned out. So clever how you came up with so many neat projects from one old lamp–ingenius 🙂
Angela @ Cottage Magpie says
What a clever, stylish project! ~Angela~
Donna says
Brilliant! All five projects. This was a very clever series. I really enjoyed watching you recycle that little lamp into all of these new things.
Stacy Risenmay says
I love it!
Susan says
LOL Did the same thing a couple years back… A whole 5 part series on a Side of the Road Lamp …
http://www.homeroad.net/2011/12/what-can-be-done-with-lamp.html
Enjoyed yours too 🙂 Happy New Year!
Susan xo