We just moved into a new place and after giving up all of my lamps in the cross country move (who has moving room for lampshades?) I have been on the hunt for months for a set of bedside lamps that were relaxed and gender-neutral.
Since all of our nightstands and bedframe are both white IKEA, I wanted to find some lamps with a little character. To be honest, it's been about 10 years since I've purchased lamps and the lamps I did have were a hodge-podge of clearance items purchased over the years. I was pretty surprised to find out that the type of lamp I was looking for ranged from $80-$200 or more!
Finally I came across my inspiration that led to this project - some beautiful Driftwood lamps. I loved the organic feel, but at $200 a piece there was no way a set of these was making their way into our place.
Gold Resin Driftwood Lamp from Horchow
Driftwood Lamp from Etsy Seller MarzaShop
I decided to take matters into my own hands and was able to make these beautiful driftwood lamps for only $28 each!
Supplies:
Pencil
Gardening Shears
Jab or Hack Saw
Let's get started...
Start by taking the lamp out of the box. Remove the sticker from the bottom of the lamp socket where the switch is.
Untie the willow bundle. DO NOT CUT THE TWINE. You will use this to tie the willow bundles back together around the lamp base.
Cut each willow branch to the bottom of the threading on the socket. Mark with your pencil and use either the gardening shears or saw to cut. Continue along the length of the branch. Some of the willow branches may be especially twisty which you might not want in your lamp, you can snip or cut off these sections you don't wish to use.
Measure and cut to the bottom of the threading on the lamp socket.
Once you have cut the willow branches to size, screw on the lamp base and begin gathering the branches in a bundle around the lamp column. It is really helpful to have another person there to help you hold the branches in shape as you are assembling them around the lamp column, although if you are doing it alone you can also use string or yarn to hold the pieces together as you work. Place some of the thinner pieces from the top of the willow branch in front of the light switch and trim to size.
Once you have gathered the willow branches in a bundle and you're satisfied, have your helper tie the twine from the willow branch bundles around the lamp column in two places (or if completing alone, tie with the twine and then snip and remove the string/yarn). Fill in any empty spots with trimmings as desired.
Now just put on the lamp shade and VOLIA! Your very own DIY Driftwood lamp for only $28!
