As a sustainably inclined designer, I always have my eyes peeled for discarded treasures. Most of which manifest on the corners of a driveway or storefront. However, there can be times when said treasures make their way closer to you. Even on your direct path. If your leg gets tangled in wire while you’re walking then it’s obvious the lamp wants to come home with you…

Living in an apartment building with pseudo likeminded people, it happens often enough that an article might be left precariously in the common areas so that it may be saved by a neighbor. This is a step that I always appreciate as it lends more of a chance for the article’s survival than simply leaving it on the corner at the mercy of passers by. It also removes that stigma of “garbage picking” that most people would rather not associate with. But at this point in our human evolution and climate crisis, I really could not be bothered with the projections placed upon me by other people. I’m sure half of the design students that I graduated with would have some sort of thick opinion towards me pulling things out of the trash, but that’s their karma. Their consumerist conditioning leads them to immediately source something from a catalogue that will pacify their client’s need for something pristine and untouched. Most likely to replace something that was perfectly functional that only required some honest TLC.

This was probably the case with a certain lamp that I crossed paths with the other day in the lobby of my apartment building. Coiled up in its own wire, this lamp was pleading to me for a second chance. I had to submit…

I don’t spend much time standing around contemplating whether or not it’s salvageable, because in my mind everything has the potential for improvement. That’s what the design process teaches us.

In this case the lamp had a sort-of shade support made of metal which would’ve held some sort of glass or metal shade. Assumedly lost or broken in this case as there was no evidence of it near or around the lamp. I removed the support and put it with other random lamp parts as I had no immediate inspiration for it. Then I plugged it in to make sure that the wire and switch were functional and that there was no potential damage that could developpe into a future problem.

I found the contrast between the chrome finished foot and the caramel colored wooden column highly distracting and dated. I chose to unify the two pieces by applying silver leaf to the wood, also adding a reflective element to it as well. The lamp immediately became much more charming.

With the shade missing-in-action and the metal support on the back burner, I was met with an exposed bulb situation… and lord knows that I love a good ‘specialty bulb’.

When faced with an exposed bulb situation, it’s always better to try and select something that would compliment the lamp or even incorporate the bulb into its design. We too often tend to rely on Eddy to be the answer to all of our exposed bulb scenarios. But this simply isn’t the truth, just a simple trend that should be challenged more often than not.

In this case I chose a 40 watt candelabra based chrome crown reflector bulb that I had lying around in a box full of random lightbulbs, because I can’t let anything go… The bulb’s finish gave a nod to the chrome of the foot and the whole thing was now harmonious.

I may someday revisit the metal support and see if there may be a way to create a type of shade that would rest upon it but for the moment I prefer the simplicity and charm of the chrome reflector bulb in its tandem with the rest of the lamp.

The best part is that none of the structure needed to be changed and the lamp didn’t even have to be rewired… the work was completely superficial. A simple change of finish and I already felt exponentially greater about it.

There’s only one sore feeling that lingers when I’m done upcycling a lamp and it’s that I could have had this same wonderful and fulfilling experience with all the lamps that I chose to walk past and leave behind… #regrets