lamp love.

remember this pottery-barn-inspired lamp? here it is in it's current location as i attempt to re-do the living room a bit:
well, it seems that pottery barn hit a home run on this one and i'm not the only one totally inspired by their handiwork! check out all these other incarnations of the pb brentwood table lamp:

shabby chic cottage via living with lindsay
[plus a beautiful lampshade!]

perfectly imperfect

sweet somethings designs
[with great hints on how to create the paint finish]

lamps are really proving to be great diy material... a nice new one is so incredibly expensive, but old ugly ones are cheap and easy to find. and there are so many awesome ways to make the cheap old ugly one look like you spent a bundle on it, have fabulous taste, and must have used a professional decorator in your home [ok, i don't know about that last part, but i can hope, right?]

don't think you're all that crafty? you might surprise yourself. check out websites like pottery barn, ballard designs, or west elm for inspiration and go big! or you can start small, maybe by just spray painting the brassy hardware parts of an old lamp which can look really unique and even glamorous! it's amazing what even just a glue gun and some cheap twine or rope can do!

when the original supplies have come from a yard sale, goodwill, or even [ahem] the trash, the investment is small and the opportunity to create a totally one of a kind home accessory is wide open! why not go for it?