Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Mustard Lamps

My first project for the family room, branching out with yellow.
So I've been looking for two table lamps that match.  I found these ugly brass lampes at the thrift store, one for $4.00 and one for $5.00.  I know they obviously don't match, but they are the exact same height, and have similar shapes.  I'd been looking for a while, and decided they were close enough. 

1. Primed
spray paint--white primer. 

2. Paint yellow
None of the spray paints were the right color.
So I  found a paint color I liked, but didn't want to buy a whole quart of latex paint for a few accent items, so I ended up just using acrylic craft paint and a sponge brush. 

The lamps ended up being brighter than I had wanted, so I added a brown glaze.
I put a drop of brown acrylic paint in a glossy glaze, and it just added a slight brown to take the bright yellow down a notch, trying to get in the mustard realm rather than banana.

Here's the difference.
The left lamp has the glaze. 


I got the 2 lamp shades at Ikea for $10 each.  
My first addition of yellow to my house and so far I like it.

12 comments:

  1. kpDecember 29, 2010 at 1:14 AM

    One thing I do when I'm painting a smaller project is to get the color I want in the sample size. I know both Olympic and Valspar have them. They're less than $3, you get a better color selection, and it's plenty of paint--I've used one to paint a small dresser.
    and I'm loving the yellow

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  2. AmieDecember 29, 2010 at 1:55 AM

    I think they look great! And if you hadn't pointed out that they were indeed 2 different lamps, I probably wouldn't have noticed. :)

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  3. ZegiDecember 29, 2010 at 6:19 AM

    Love the lamps. I didn't notice that they don't match until you pointed it out. Now that i see it i think it is perfect that they don't match. I saw your post about the floating watercolor in my reader but it isn't here. I just wanted to say I did vote that it looks a little weird but I wanted to clarify...i love the idea and i think you should do it...i just think maybe this particular frame is too large? i think it would be perfect if it was the size of the picture by itself.

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  4. Petit Design Co.December 29, 2010 at 8:00 AM

    love the lamps, the brown glaze is definitely an improvement.

    I think your floating frame is good but since you have so much bookshelf space it looks kinda lonely by itself. I would try adding 2-3 smaller frames in other spots of the bookshelf and see how you like it.

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  5. Larissa@Just Another Day in ParadiseDecember 29, 2010 at 8:58 AM

    LOVE the color. I really want to redo stuff in our house. Maybe I should make a list like you and just whittle away one thing at a time. You are so organized and motivated about it all.

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  6. KelliDecember 29, 2010 at 11:17 AM

    I love the color! I too want to branch out of my normal comfort zone colors for my living room. I think I am going to start by adding some colorful throw pillows. The pop of yellow from those lamps looks great!

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  7. chrisDecember 29, 2010 at 12:43 PM

    I like that the lamps are similar but different. Such a fun pop of color!

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  8. Valerie JoanDecember 29, 2010 at 3:41 PM

    Several bonuses.....
    - they look great
    - priced right
    - colour is perfect!
    - and they are one of a kind pair!

    I have done this before....took the paprika thread in my couch and trim and painted 2 odd but similar (also rounded) lamps, added new shades and tadaaaaaaaa only complements and questions as to where did we find the perfect colours! LOL

    Enjoy the fruits of your labour!
    Jane

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  9. heidikinsDecember 29, 2010 at 5:13 PM

    I love the yellow, LOVE the darker, glazed color, and I like it better that they aren't the exact same, actually.

    Also, re: the watercolor--I think if it was larger it would work in that place between the lamps. And I think it would work elsewhere in the bookcase at it's current size.

    xox

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  10. mom gDecember 29, 2010 at 7:51 PM

    at first, i didn't notice that the two stands have different designs. I don't have a thing for yellow, but what you did (mixing it with brown to tone down the banana or egg-yellow shades, with glaze on) makes me want to revive an old lamp shade in my mother's house. the only problem, it's bronze, but the stand is similar to one on the left. Thanks for the idea:-)Nice work...again.

    i read your blog regularly, i recently retired (after 25 years in the corporate world) and now a SAHM with my 4 boys - 3 sons, and loving husband:-)

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  11. ANKHDecember 29, 2010 at 7:53 PM

    I think that the subtle differences between the 2 lamps add a really nice quality that looks intentional...as tho you chose different shapes of the "same lamp" as part of the over all look you were reaching for. :)

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  12. Stephanie MurphyJanuary 1, 2011 at 9:06 PM

    I LOVE the yellow lamps, especially on the nicely colored sideboard. I look forward to more of your home improvements!

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