I Made a Tiffany Lamp Today...

[human]

Okay, so it's not genuine Tiffany and I didn't solder all the glass together but I did do the final assembly. I'd had the lamp base for several years—grabbed it from my parents' basement when they were downsizing—and knew I'd find a use for it someday. Well, 'someday' came yesterday when I spotted a made-in-China Tiffany knockoff hanging light fixture in its original box at Goodwill. It was priced at $19.99 but because it was 'senior day,' I was able to take 10 percent off and get it for $18.

I had to make a slight modification to the lamp base. The plate at the top of the compartment that holds the wiring had a small screw fitting for some sort of hardware that must have held the original shade in place but that was long gone so I drilled the fitting out with a step bit to create a hole that would accommodate a standard size nipple to hold the new shade in place. Luckily, the shade came with pretty much all of its original hardware, said nipple was in the box, along with with the two nuts to secure it into place. The only thing I still need is a decorative finial to top it off. I have a finial adapter that's holding the shade in place at the moment but I don't have a harp-sized finial that looks right with it, so I've ordered a proper sized finial that will screw directly onto the end of the nipple.

I know some folks would say it's sacrilege to have altered an antique like that but it was essentially useless as it was so I feel no particular guilt for making it useful once again. I'm pretty pleased with the outcome although the neoclassical design of the base is less to my taste a more flowing art nouveau design would be but it does look good with the shade's pastel floral pattern and the proportions of the two pieces are exactly right for each other although the camera angle of the photo makes the shade look a little oversized. I apologize for the sideways photo. Sometimes this Web site will correct that and sometimes it won't. One day, I'd like to find a shade with a dragonfly design but hey, beggars can't be choosers and who knows, I may yet find what I want someday.

 

[gottahaveahoove]

I think

it looks very nice!

 

[kirbyklekter]

Wow looks good to me...

Didn't you recently show a pic of another lamp you have? I don't recall if it was a completed project or just a response to someone else's thread.This looks great. I'm sure a Tiffany expert would spot any change made to this lamp, but to this greenhorn collector it all looks proportional and original.

 

[human]

Thanks. It's really growing on me. I always have a great sense of satisfaction when something like this comes together. It's pretty much a I'd envisioned it when I first grabbed the base from Dad's "overstocked warehouse".

Speaking of Dad's stuff, there's a very similar, albeit larger lamp at Mom's apartment that dad had put together about 30 years ago, likewise mating a vintage lamp base to a new, mass-produced shade but he took the pieces of that one to a lamp shop to be assembled. I don't remember exactly what modifications had to be made to the lamp base. I'll have to remember to take a look at it next time I visit my mom. Although the two shades have the same colors and very similar patterns, the lamps are by no means a matched pair; however, they would complement each other nicely.

 

[human]

Yeah, last summer, I found a different shade that had more of a prairie/arts & crafts look to it that I considered using with the base I modified today for the floral shade but I couldn't figure out how to attach the two and the proportions were just way off. Then I found a sort of contemporary looking brass Stiffel lamp base to go with it that looked like a cross between a cocktail shaker and an artillery shell and it just worked with that shade in an unexpected way.

The base I used with the lamp I put together today just sat in a corner for the past six or eight months after I dug it out last summer and I gave it very little thought until I found the floral shade and knew in an instant they would work together and I just as quickly visualized how I would need to modify the base. As a bonus, all the parts I needed for the modification were in the box with the shade. Without the shade in place, you would instantly recognize the modification I made. The shiny, new metal would be the dead giveaway.

 

[human]

The Tiffany Room...

So thematic decor in my house is pretty much nonexistent—unless you want to count clutter as a theme. But I noticed a little while ago that something resembling a theme has emerged in my dining room where all my stained glass lighting has ended up, more because there was space than for any particular bit of planning on my part. I noticed this as I was walking into the dining room from the kitchen earlier and decided to document it with a photo. I've done my best to keep most of the clutter out of frame so please don't be too horrified by it or at least be thankful you don't live here.

The overhead fixture is one that was over my parents' breakfast table at the last two houses they lived in. It stayed covered up on the sideboard for about four years until I finally found an electrician to install it last summer. There had been an ceiling fan over the table, which had seen better days, and there was no switch for it, other than the pull chains so I had the electrician add a pull chain switch to this fixture. Not ideal, but it works. There was a pretty decorative pull on the ceiling fan, which I saved and put on the light fixture. If it's got to be there, it might as well make a little bit of a statement.

 

[kirbyklekter]

There is

a theme going on in there, but it's a good theme. I like the yellow on the walls, is that wallpaper? I'm so tired of seeing "contractor beige" everywhere, I've seen enough to last a life time.Hows the new heater doing this first winter since the install?

 

[human]

The walls in the dining room, living room and back hallway are painted a pale cream color. It's a nice look. The walls look more yellow in the photo because of the camera's settings.

The new furnace is working great but it's no more efficient than the 50-year-old Singer system it replaced. My gas and electric bills have consistently been higher this winter than last. Very disappointing. We'll have to see how the air conditioner does this summer.

 

[human]

The final piece...

...of the lamp arrived today. I just finished unboxing the finial and screwing it into place. The glass marble just tops it off quite nicely. I really like the look, other than the polished brass at the bottom. I've read where you can soak brass in vinegar to darken it. I may need to give that a try so it will match the rest of the lamp. That's a small enough piece to work with and I think it would be easy enough to immerse just the brass fitting.

 

[human]

One of my cats has taken an interest in my new Tiffany style lamp. I was afraid at first she was going to start playing with the pull chains, which could be dangerous since one of the light bulb sockets is a little loose and falls out of its base if I pull the chain too hard. She just likes to sit under it and luxuriate in the pool of light when it's turned on, which I do from a wall switch. Still, I am keeping an eye on her in case she decides to engage in any aggressive play with it. I'll try to get a photo next time she does it.

 

[kirbyklekter]

Cats and lamps

I had to eliminate table lamps for a while due to the cats chasing a fly or moth flying to the light source, namely the lamp shade. Replaced more than one incandescent light bulb as they popped from landing with cat and lamp to the floor! After we got through the "teen" years and the cats lost interest, I could gradually restore proper lighting to the room.

 

[human]

I'd be in trouble if I had to eliminate table lamps as they're the only illumination I have in the living room and bedrooms. To make matters more annoying, the wall switches in those rooms are connected to the wrong outlets to be useful. In the living room, it's the one my entertainment center and WiFi router plug into, and in my bedroom, it's the one my clock radio plugs into.

Fortunately on the feline front, Pinot seems to have lost interest in the new lamp. She basked in its glow for a few days but now it appears to be just another piece of the landscape to her. I just hope that continues.

 

[human]

Basking in the Lamplight...

I realize I had promised this a while back but Pinot, my cat hasn't been as interested in the lamp lately. But today, she decided to sit under it again while I was eating lunch and was unusually blase about having a camera pointed at her.