Switch On a New Look

For Dark Days, Ideas to Brighten Tired Old Lamps

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By Jura Koncius

Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, November 1, 2007

When the days get shorter, the line of customers buying lamps gets longer, store owners say. Turning back the clock, which happens this Sunday, prompts everyone to reconsider whether there's enough light at home.

But in the spirit of reuse and renew, we staged a lamp rescue. Sometimes just updating the shade can revive a tired fixture. A bit more effort can transform its whole personality.

We scoured local thrift shops and bought four needy lamps, all under $15, then recruited three local designers to kick up their style quotients. The designers grabbed their spray paint and hot glue guns and ran with the challenge.

We took our fourth lamp to Gaylord's Lamps and Shades, a 54-year-old lamp emporium in Chevy Chase, where the staff is trained to educate customers about finials, bases, bulbs and the all-important subject of shades. (The store has 20,000 of them in stock.)

"You could go out and buy a new lamp for $125, but if you redo it yourself, the lamp you remake will be completely your own," designer Joseph Ireland said. "And you'll never see another one like it anywhere."