If you have, or have found a lamp with a gorgeous base, but a rotting or just plain bad-taste shade, you can re-cover the shade quite easily. We know that those of you reading this blog are antique nuts  (it takes one to know one!), and if, like us, you are a perfectionist when it comes to your antiques and furniture, this easy technique should come in handy! You can also match or coordinate your lamp shade with your other upholstery – curtains, tablecloths, cushions, etc with this guide.

You’ll need a fabric pencil, paper backed fusible webbing (iron-on backing) and fabric, all available from material or craft shops. You’ll need an iron (if you do ironing as frequently as me, you may need to buy one!), as well as scissors or a utility knife, and the lamp shade.

To start with, check out your lamp shade to find the easiest way to remove the old fabric without damaging the wire or bending anything. Carefully cut the old fabric off – if you’re lucky enough to remove it intact in one piece, you’ll be able to use it as a template to cut out your new fabric. Cut off all the leftover scraps of fabric for a professional look, and use a bit of turpentine on a cotton ball to remove any lumps of glue.

Put your fabric on the floor or a large table print side down. If you can easily take the shade off the lamp, do it – otherwise this can be a two-person job. You need to pop the lampshade on its side on top of the material and roll it along, tracing its edges with the fabric pencil as you go. (You can see, if the base is still attached, you’ll need an arm or hand for the fabric pencil, an arm for the shade and an arm for the base…). Add an inch (2.5 centimetres) to your outline, that you can fold around the shade and stick the iron-on backing to. Also, if you have a square lamp shade, add some small extra v’s of fabric at the corners so that the wire doesn’t stress the material at that point.

Then use the iron-on backing to stick the fabric inside the shade to the outside. The easiest way to do this is to fasten the sides or edges first, then do the top and bottom of the shade. Again, ten times easier if you have managed to remove the base from the shade! Trim away any excess (hopefully you have some – better safe than sorry!), plug her in and away you go.

Photo credits: Lamp Shades by Jane Schott

The materials that we here at Architectural Classics get all gooey inside over are the brasses, coppers, and great quality woods made centuries ago. They are from a time where it took twice as many people, much more specialized knowledge, mistake-honed skill and absolutely no machines to make anything! Today, the skill in making the same sort of furnishings for home is in being able to manipulate technology to do amazing and imaginative things – rather than manipulating your own hands to do so. The skill is now in the design rather than the manufacture – so I wonder if Architectural Classics, circa 2207, will be selling and excited over these weird and wonderful modern lamps at Ikea! Ah, the future…

Photo courtesy of mpmbm

All sorts of architectural salvage pieces can look great in your home – and depending on how you use them, many things can look great in any home, whether your décor is modern to dedicated antiquarian. The key things to remember are that you are not limited by a piece’s original use – you are only limited by your imagination – and just remember to check with the laws of physics records before you start! Here we’ll present for you a condensed version of the parliamentary session on laws of physics for architectural salvage: in ordinary terms, we’re going to do “Replacing Bits of Your House 101”!

It’s much easier to get your inspiration from a great, unique piece, than it is to think up a concept and then actually find something that matches the picture in your head. Browse through architectural salvage websites, especially – you can get a much better idea of what is out there, for zero kilometers traveled! Think outside the box when it comes to placement – why does a fence need to stay outside, for example? Use it as a divided between the kitchen and loungeroom, to keep kids out from under your feet when you’re cooking. And do doorknobs really have to stay on doors? They can be used as coat hooks in the entry, towel holders in the bathroom, and can keep your clothes off the floor in the bedroom.

If you have the tools and the inclination, you can also modify existing things into other things – for example, parts of wardrobes or intricately carved wood can become mirror frames or serving platters. You may have seen our blog post on the Seattle bar where the counter is made of 22 doors … lateral thinking at its best! (more…)