I have been eager to update my home to a new interior design style for a while now. I love high-end style with a low-end price tag, so DIYing is our best bet for creating the look desired. This is the first of – I hope many to come – DIY posts for you to see how easy and inexpensive it is to do the same for your home!
The style I am going for in today’s DIY lamp dupe is a lamp that can be found at Pottery Barn. It is the Afta Table Lamp in black.
I love using black as an accent color in a room. It adds good contrast, depth, and interest to the room design.
I have a small living room, so light colors are best for large items like a sofa, area rug, and other furniture. But to bring a more sophisticated vibe to the room, I like to add black accents and darker wood tones to contrast everything nicely.
Black accent items you could add to a room could be:
- a lamp
- throw blanket
- throw pillow
- a large vase or vessel
- picture frames
- coffee table books
- candles
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Let’s get started with our DIY Pottery Barn lamp dupe. Starting with the supplies needed for this project.
Supplies
- Lamp in desired shape/silhouette
- Painters tape
- Baking soda
- Acrylic paint (I used 21140 Black for this project)
- A one-inch sponge brush
During my recent urge to update my home, I have been re-vamping old items I already own and thrifting for items to DIY to fit the current interior design aesthetic I’m going for.
The lamp I am using for this project was one I already owned, so it cost me nothing extra. But there are so many good lamp options at thrift stores for around $10 – $20.
When doing a DIY lamp project, just search for the general shape of the lamp you are trying to recreate. You can always change the color and texture.
Prep Your Piece
Before we get started painting, you will want to lay down some cardboard or drop cloth to protect your work surface from getting paint on it.
Place your lamp on top of the cardboard surface and remove the bulb and the lampshade.
Clean the lamp base using a damp towel with a drop of dawn dish soap, then wipe dry.
Next, using painters tape, tape off any areas that don’t need to be painted. For example, I taped the silver pieces of my lamp so I would only be painting the base of the lamp.
How To Add Texture To A Lamp
Little by little, mix together your desired paint colors (I used black) and baking soda in a disposable container or paper plate. You could even mix it on the cardboard layed out under your lamp.
Mix in enough baking soda for the consistency to be thicker than the paint. It will be close to a toothpaste consistency, maybe a tad bit thinner.
Next, smear the mixture on your lamp in any direction you please. This coat doesn’t have to be pretty. It will be covered up. Think of this as the primer layer. Let this dry.
Now, while holding your sponge brush flat to the surface of the lamp, pat the surface of it with the paint/baking soda mixture until you have reached your desired look. Cover the lamp surface with this method. I worked from bottom to top when patting on the paint.
Not textured enough? Add more baking soda to your mixture!
Let this layer dry completely. It will likely be a bit lighter than your desired paint color.
Go back in and do a final layer of paint only (no baking soda mixed in) to finish it off. I continued with the patting method to distribute the paint over the surface of the lamp.
Let your final layer dry, remove the painters tape, add your bulb and shade, and you now have a designer $430 Pottery Barn table lamp dupe for way less than retail price!
If you try this DIY, make sure to share it with me on Instagram! @unlimitedMamaIG
