Lighting fixtures in the apartment mustprovide two types of lighting: bright and subdued. Chandeliers mounted on the ceiling usually cope with bright lighting. But what to do when you need to increase the access of light when working at a desk or reading a book before bed? A table lamp will help here. The advantage of such a device is that it does not illuminate the entire room, but only a certain area, without disturbing other family members.
Figure 1.Table lamp device diagram. Today, consumers are offered a wide variety of lamps, but they can also be made by yourself. In order to assemble a lamp with your own hands, you do not need to be a professional electrician. A strong desire and minimal skills will allow you to decorate your apartment with an original and functional interior item. The following methods can be used to make lighting fixtures.
The original table lamp from the bars
Handmade has always been appreciated by amateursexquisite. It is very popular now, which means that any item made by hand will take a worthy place in the interior of the apartment, for example, an original lamp made of wooden beams (Fig. 1). To make the device, you will need the following accessories:
- hacksaw;
- Screwdriver;
- drill;
- bolt with a wing nut;
- balloon of gilded paint;
- 3 wooden bars (1 long and 2 short);
- set for electricians (cord, lamp, cartridge, plug).
Figure 2. Sconce connection diagram.To make the lamp, first of all, you need to saw off 3 bars with a hacksaw. They can be of any length, but the following condition must be met: the first bar must be larger, and the other two - shorter and of the same length. Then, a hole is drilled at the ends of the short bars at an equal distance from the edge. Two similar holes must be made in the long bar: in the middle - for the bolt, and in the upper part - for the power cord. The distance of the first hole from the edge will determine the angle of the lamp. When the holes for the bolt are prepared, the short bars are pressed parallel to the long one, and the whole structure is fastened with a bolt with a wing nut. To give the device an attractive appearance, the cord and socket must be treated with spray paint. When the paint dries, the cord is threaded through the upper hole in the long bar, and the socket is mounted on it. A plug for the socket is attached to the other end of the cord. The lamp is ready. Its laconic but unusual design will successfully decorate your desktop. Return to contents</a>
Table lamps with homemade lampshades
If there is an old one lying around in the closet and no one knowsthe right table lamp, you can give it a second life by making a fashionable lampshade. Such items combine elegant chic and a touch of glamor, and they are extremely easy to make. In addition, you can achieve the desired degree of illumination. For example, a lamp made of thick fabric will give a soft and diffused light, due to which it can be used as a night sconce (Fig. 2). If threads are used for the lampshade, the lamp can be used to illuminate the work surface.
Lamp with shade diagram. To make a lamp with soft light, you will need:
- old lamp with lampshade;
- matte paint, suitable in color to the interior of the room;
- soft dense fabric (chintz, satin, etc.);
- stencil of paper in the form of a circle with a diameter of 10 cm;
- Glue gun.
First of all, you need to prepare the fabricstrips 10 cm wide, then cut them into equal squares. To cover the lampshade, you will need at least 200 squares. After that, you need to cut out circles from each square using a stencil. In order for the lamp to match the interior design as much as possible, the old lampshade can be painted. If you apply the dye in uneven strokes, the lamp will look more original. While the paint dries, you should make parts from rag circles to create the lampshade. Each part should be shaped like a bag or a badminton shuttlecock. To give the part this shape, you need to coat the center of the circle with glue using a glue gun, and then gather the sides of the circle in the center and squeeze them. When the paint dries, grease the base of the prepared parts with glue and apply to the lampshade. You can glue the rag circles either tightly or a little loosely. This is what determines the intensity of the lighting. To create additional decoration for the lamp, the edges of the flounces can be sprayed with gold or silver paint. Return to Contents</a>
Lamp with a shade of dense thread
To make a lampshade you will need threads, PVA glue and a balloon. You can create an unusual table lamp or floor lamp from thick threads. The following items and materials will be required for work:
- old lamp without lampshade;
- balloon;
- PVA glue;
- a saucer for glue;
- dense cotton thread of the desired color.
The operating algorithm is extremely simple.First of all, you need to inflate the balloon and tie the hole tightly so that the balloon does not deflate. Then pour a small amount of glue into the saucer. The threads can be cut into pieces or use a single thread, unwinding it from the spool. The main task is to tightly wrap the balloon with threads, leaving space at the bottom in order to then pull out the unnecessary balloon. The threads are dipped in glue, then carefully wrapped around the balloon. The turns should fit tightly against each other. You can completely cover the balloon with thread or leave gaps. For strength, the already threaded balloon can be additionally coated with a layer of glue. Then the product is left to dry completely: this usually takes at least 8-10 hours. When the glue has dried, you should deflate the balloon and pull it out of the resulting structure. A very light and elegant lampshade is put on the base of the lamp. If desired, the lampshade can be decorated with paper butterflies, beads, glass beads or braid. Return to contents</a>
Unusual lamp from old films
A lamp made from photographic films will fit perfectly intoretro style interior. You can create an even more unusual lamp using old photographic films. Such a lighting fixture will fit well into both a retro style design and a modern style room interior. To work, you will need to prepare:
- the basis for the lamp;
- good bending wire for making the frame;
- a sheet of thick matte paper;
- glossy glue for decorative works;
- old photo or film;
- centimeter;
- scissors;
- brush for glue.
The work must begin with manufacturingframe for the lampshade. You can use any parallelepiped-shaped object, such as a cardboard box, as a stencil. Then the end parts of the frame should be pasted over with thick paper. After that, you need to measure the height of the frame and cut the strips of film into pieces that match it. Then the frame is well coated with decoupage glue. The strips of film are applied to the paper and held for some time to "set". The film can be glued both vertically and horizontally. In the second case, it is possible to see the images. In addition, you can be creative with the design and place the films either on each side at different angles or diagonally. Then you need to give the product time to dry. You need to be especially careful to ensure that all the corners and ends of the film are glued. After the glue has dried, the frame is coated with adhesive again (this time on top of the film). When everything is completely dry, the lampshade must be put on the base. The lamp is ready, it will perfectly decorate the interior of the apartment. Return to the table of contents</a>
Lamp with a stand of a vase
There are often situations when lamps withceramic stand, fall on the floor and break. It's a shame to throw away the lamp. But it's not necessary, because if you want, you can give it a second life by using a ceramic vase as a stand.
Scheme of a decorative lamp from a vase. To create a lamp with your own hands, you will need to prepare the following accessories:
- a ceramic vase with a stable base and a narrow neck;
- electric drill;
- glue "Moment".
Work should begin with drilling.holes in the bottom of the vase. Then you need to remove the cartridge and thread the cord through the hole and the neck of the vase. The vase should be selected so that the neck diameter is slightly smaller than the diameter of the cartridge. The cartridge mounted on the cord should fit tightly in the neck, without falling inside. To secure the cartridge, the edge of the neck is smeared with glue. When the glue dries, you can screw the light bulb into the cartridge. Then put the lampshade on the base, and the lamp can be used. If necessary, the design of the lampshade can be adjusted to match the design of the vase: decorate with a ribbon to match the color of the stand, glue glass beads or sew on lace. Return to contents</a>
Table lamp made of wood and pebbles
A very unusual lamp can be made with your own hands from available natural materials - pieces of wood and pebbles. To create a masterpiece, you need to prepare:
- pin for table lamps with a diameter of 10 mm;
- wire with socket;
- 2 nuts with a diameter of 10 mm;
- 3 stones of round or oval shape (sea pebbles, marble, etc.);
- 5 pieces of wood (fragments of snags, knots, etc.);
- branch of cane;
- drill;
- a knife for metal;
- drills for concrete and wood.
First, you need to prepare the material -Wash it thoroughly and dry it. Then, from the pieces of wood, you should choose the largest and most stable one: it will serve as a stand for the device. A hole is drilled in the base to install the pin. The pin, in turn, is cut with a metal knife to the desired size. It is desirable that its height is 5-6 cm more than the height of the stones and pieces of wood laid on top of each other. Then the pin is installed in the hole drilled in the wooden stand. Since the lamp is made of stones, a hole must be made in each of them with a concrete drill of a size corresponding to the diameter of the pin. Such holes should be made in the pieces of wood as well. Then all the prepared material is strung on the pin. A reed branch is put on the remaining piece of the pin on top, masking the thread. Then the socket is attached to the pin, while the electric cord should remain outside. Lastly, the light bulb is screwed in and the lampshade is put on. To secure the cord along the base, you can use a small spring or a piece of thin wire. Such a lighting fixture will look perfect in a country house or in a room decorated in an ethnic or rustic style. In addition to the above, there are many other ways to make lamps. These elegant or, conversely, laconic products can become a real decoration of the apartment design. If desired, you can create a whole set, decorating both the night lamp, and the sconce, and the chandelier with the same lampshades. There is nothing complicated in this work, the main thing is to do everything carefully and approach the process creatively.</ ul>
