Good floor lighting is essential for any reading that you do when seated in a chair or sofa. Such lighting tends to be very expensive, though. For floor lamps, then, taking the DIY route is often a good idea.
You get what you need at very little outlay. Here are 10 DIY floor lamps ideas that can get you thinking.
1. A copper-shaded lamp
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Many thrift stores sell old, discarded floor lamps. With a little refurbishing, you can get them looking as good as new. To make a copper shade, you need to get a length of high-gloss metallic paper and a sheet of cardboard and glue the two together neatly with painter’s tape. You can spray paint the entire lamp with copper-colored metallic paint for a uniform finish overall.
2. A reclaimed wooden floor lantern
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When you use reclaimed wood, you don’t need to bother with fit and finish. Roughly knocking a length of wood to a base is all you need to make a pedestal. Rather than use a modern lamp to affix to it, an old lantern should complete the picture to good effect.
3. A fleamarket tripod
An old broken down photographer’s tripod from a fleamarket may be of no use to a photographer. It can be perfect for anyone designing a cheap floor lamp, though. A tripod can form the base of a floor lamp. For the lamp part, you can use a lamp kit of the kind that’s available at most hardware stores.
4. A book lamp
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It would be an unusual sight to have a huge stack of books holding up your floor lamp. The sight would likely impress any guest.
The idea is to get a couple of dozen old, impressively thick volumes, drill through them, place them on a rigid length of plastic or metal pipe and place a lamp kit on top. Drilling through books isn’t as hard as it may sound. You only need to get a drill with a large bit.
5. The Lego lamp
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You can jam together a couple of hundred leftover Lego pieces to achieve the height that you need in your floor pedestal. The results can be so attractive, you’ll probably have friends asking you where you got your lamp.
6. The hockey stick floor lamp
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If you’re a sports fan, a hockey stick or even a baseball bat nailed to a wooden base can be a fun, sporty way to get your lampshade off the ground.
7. The branch lampshade
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With only a little searching in a wooded area, you should find a long branch to use as a lamp pedestal. Nailed to a short wooden platform, it should prove to be a beautiful, rustic creation.
8. The plumbing lamp
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If you simply bought a length of steel pipe from a home improvement store and placed a lamp on it, the results wouldn’t be too impressive. It would be a much better idea to get plenty of bends in your pipe and spray it all in copper-colored metallic paint. You would have results that you could be proud of.
9. The musical lamp
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A music sheet holder on a tripod is another attractive way to hold your lamp off the floor. You simply need to spend money on the lampshade itself and a little wiring.
10. The ski pole lamp
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If you love skiing, having a couple of ski poles holding up your lamp should be the way to go even if you aren’t trying to save money. With four ski poles splayed out and tied at the top and a lampshade resting at the crest you’ll feel like you’re on a ski vacation year-round.