Iridescent Accent Table Lamp

Like most people, I don't have rooms for every activity; sometimes they have to serve a different function. If the room has to change, I want the furnishings to be able to change as well. As for lamps, they should have a base, a support, a light source and a shade, usually. I prefer not to buy new and instead reuse or revitalize. This lamp can change. It changes colour based on lighting or even if it is on or off, but parts can also be changed. For example, for a festive decoration Santa could hold the shade or the shade could be in the shape of an opened gift box.

Since the lamp is modular, any of the four parts can be changed but this instructable is about how I made this lamp. In addition to form and function, I considered how it would be maintained if necessary. Another important point often overlooked is cleaning. It will have to be cleaned; it should be easy to do.

This instructable assumes basic DIY abilities including how to mix up plaster and make a mold for it and how to connect simple electrical wiring. The only tools required are those normal household tools, so they are not always specifically mentioned or shown. On with the instructable then!

The base is made from plaster (or white cement). PVA glue can be added to increase strength. The base is made in a mold made from household plastic containers. Making the base is the first step and requires the most time.

The support is an upholstery spring cut in half. The base will have a hole drilled into it so that the support is fixed to the base.

The light source is a LED downlighter fixture; that is one piece that includes everything from the wire to the LEDs are enclosed within the fixture. The wires only have to be connected to a switch which is connected to a cable that plugs into an electrical socket. This fixture will be housed in the base, so make sure the base has room for it AND there should be a small canal cut into the base so the electrical cord can pass thru.

The shade for this lamp is an iridescent bathmat from a thrift shop. It could be used as it was and just rolled up, but some trimming made it less obviously a bathmat and helped with the form within the support. It was also almost as heavy as the base, so to avoid that it would tip over, cutting some material away helped with that as well. Since the intention is that all parts are modular, the shade is only resting within the support; it is not permanently fixed to the support or base.

I had an idea of the form that I wanted to make based on the curves of the upholstery spring and bathmat as well as the circles in the bathmat design.

For the outside form of the base, I used two ventilation tube adapters that look like stepped circles. One alone was not quite high enough to house the LED fixture and the plastic grid that allows for air circulation. Place the first one wide part up on your surface. Gloves and a mask are advisable when working with plaster or cement. Check the working time of the plaster or cement chosen and the mixing instructions. For added strength for sculptures and forms, some ordinary PVA glue can be added in place of ~10% of the water. Plaster and some cement types only have a ten minute (or less) working time so it is important to mix only the quantity that can be used within that time limit. Since the items used to make the base mold were glossy plastics and disposable, I did not bother with a mold release.

For the inside of the mold, one small plastic container (I used ordinary disposable food containers) was place mouth side down, within the ventilation adapter. A piece of the plastic grid was place on top of that and the mixed plaster was poured in around the plastic container up to the height of the top of the plastic grid. Since the grid will connect top and bottom of the base, some squares should remain open and therefore it is not necessary to put plaster in all squares; those above the plastic container can be left empty, the easier option, or they can be dug out later but that is harder and messier. Put another plastic container on top of the plastic grid, mouth up. The area of this container has to house the LED fixture, so the size is important. Pour plaster around this container.

For the base, the height of the plastic grid and the LED fixture were more than the height of one ventilation adapter alone. To avoid possible spillage with two adapters at different angles and heights, I waited until the first adapter, with the two containers and the grid, had hardened somewhat, and cut the larger three rings from the second ventilation adapter (wide part up) and put it on top of the first, taping them together and then added plaster to the level needed. To make the piece more visually appealing, I put this second adapter at an angle to the first and left the entire piece to dry before removing.

The support holds the shade above the base. Since the lamp is modular, the only connection from the support to the base is a discreet hole in the base, drilled after it has dried. The location of the hole depends on the size and location of the wire where the spring was cut. Cutting the upholstery spring in half keeps the centre of gravity of the lamp low so that it doesn't tip over.

Since the LED fixture is all enclosed, the only wiring necessary was to connect the wires from the fixture to the switch shown above. The wires are threaded thru a little clasp which is then bent over on top (with a screwdriver etc). The wires from the electrical cord are put thru in the same way from the other side of the switch. The cover for the switch is simply put back on top and tabs keep it secure.

The shade for the lamp was a plastic bathmat. It could have been rolled up within the support and used as it was, but its weight was almost the same as that of the base. Additionally, because of the curvature of the mat, it didn't sit well on top of the base, so cutting out two sections as shown, and the outer rim helped keep it in one place on top of the base within the support and made it look less obviously like a bathmat at the same time by having more curves.

Because of the iridescence of the bathmat, it appears to change colour depending on the viewing angle and the lighting, even if the lamp itself is not turned on! The lamp appears totally different during the day than it does at night. Rearranging the shade within the support also changes the colours seen. Adding a mirror behind it makes even more variations visible. Since the lamp is modular, the shade can be removed and replaced with seasonal decorations too. Just don't completely cover the opening on the base that lets heat escape. An LED fixture shouldn't produce much heat but better to be safe.