The Whimsical Vintage Lamp Revival [before & after]

Nothing makes me more excited than finding old, outdated things that were at one time beautiful & new.  I always feel this need to bring things back to life by giving them a fresh, modern twist…making them new again.  This was exactly the case when I picked up these dingy old brass plated lamps that started out looking something like this, only much worse (sorry, I lost a memory card FULL of “before” pictures, it was a sad day =()

Since the metal was in poor condition, I decided to paint the lamps.  I had picked up some great handmade seahorse lamp shades that I knew I wanted to use on the lamps, so I wanted to paint the lamps a color that would go perfectly with the shades. First, I cleaned the lamps and scraped off any ruff spots; its very important that all pieces are cleaned well before you paint so that you new finish adheres properly! Next, I used a mixture of Americana Paints to get the perfect metal finish color for the lamps.  I chose to mix “honey brown” with “glorious gold” metallic paint to give the lamp a deep bronze finish.

I used a small paint brush to get into tight spots.  After the first coat dried, I added one more light coat for extra coverage…I LOVE working with the Deco Art paints because they adhere to so many surfaces and have GREAT coverage.  The metallics are so much fun =)  You should be able to get these paints at your local arts & crafts supply store.

Once both coats were dry, I finished the lamps by misting them with clear gloss lacquer.  I did this to give the lamps a sealed look and for added protection.  Here’s how they turned out!

Here’s a close up of the finish…

Arn’t those seahorse shades great!?

These fabulous lamps are now available for sale at Picklee on Spring!