Convert a Regular IKEA APPLARO Lamp Into a Pretty Lamp.

My roommate bought a couple of IKEA APPLARO lamps and I thought putting some of my leftover art paper on top of it would make it look better. And it sure does look better. The project took about 2.5-3 hours. You can use any thin paper that will not block light and paint and stain the wood to whatever you like. Customize!

Tools of this trade:
Scissor
Ruler with smooth sides - skinnier the better
Cutting mat
X-Acto knife
Dust gun
Spray Adhesive
Dust gun
Tweezers (not shown)
Flashlight - To check the progress of the project by shining the light to see how the paper is laying on the edges. Faster and cooler than screwing the bulb enclosure.

IKEA APPLARO lamp
Pretty paper from art store.

A regular IKEA APPLARO lamp. Blah. Clean it up and make sure there's no sticker residue. Some little bits of wood splinters may stick out too so remove it as well.

Lay out and cut a big chunk of paper over the lamp.

Start folding it into the lamp, one side at a time.

After folding, trim with X-Acto knife. I fold then trim a side, fold then trim another side. When trimming, add a little more paper, about 1-3 cm. (Yeah that's right, I'm american and I said CENTIMETERS). You'll see why.

This is what happens when you trim on the fold line. It may come a little short. This was my first attempt but was promptly corrected afterwards. Also, be careful of using spray adhesive. In my haste it sprayed a big clump and had to remove the excess from the paper.

Used a ruler to smooth the paper on. Can also use a bone folder which a tool used in the paper arts. There's also a Teflon folder for the veggie people out there. Noticed that the white plastic has some give. Could press down with finger and slip the ruler. This is where it's useful to have that extra bit of paper.

Instead of laying it flat on the table. I changed my position and it became easier to insert the paper this way.

Be careful with the ruler. It slipped and caused a small rip. Thanks to structure of the paper, managed to repair it. Can you find it?

Sometimes it's not possible to slip the ruler in. So use XActo knife as another way. The reason I didn't do this in the first place is because I don't want to risk damaging the wood or the plastic. Use tweezers to remove excess paper.

Due to the new techniques, created a nice edge and the paper looks like it is part of the lamp and not just placed there. Repeat on all sides of lamp and enjoy.