Who doesn't like a cool upcycling project? Reusing old things not only benefits your budget, but also the environment. You can use almost anything - empty bottles made of glass or plastic,Clothing like scarvesand jeans, unused garden tools… the list is really long. For example, if you have some old lampshades at home, you can make lots of cool things out of them. Read on to discover the most beautiful ideas for upcycling a lampshade!
What can you make from an old lampshade?
Before you throw away the old lampshades you inherited (or other treasures), first ask yourself: Can I make something else out of them? With a little creative thinking and a little sensitivity, the old items can be usedtransform into practical and beautiful things. In our article you will find ideas on how to redesign lamps and lampshades as well as cool projects on how to upcycle the old lampshade. Get inspired!
Make your own plant stand
Many lampshades have a slightly conical shape, which makes them ideal for making stands for various things. For example, you can use it to make beautiful plant stands and beautifully display your flowers and houseplants in the house and on the terrace. Now we'll show you how it works!
Step-by-step instructions
First, collect your lampshades and detach them from the lamps if necessary. For this upcycling you need lampshades with a wire frame. You also need scissors, spray paint and suitable pots. The planters should fit into the smaller opening of the wire frame. If there are no suitable pots available, you can also add a plate and simply place the plants on it. A simple idea and tips on how to implement it can be found below.
To make the plant stands, first cut the fabric and remove the inner metal attachment. This should come off easily with a few twists and tugs, but you can also use wire cutters. Then spray the wire racks any color you like and allow to dry thoroughly. Then place the pots in the plant stands and you're done.
Stand with wooden top
Lampshades come in many different sizes and shapes. If you want to make a plant stand yourself but your pots don't fit in it, simply glue a wooden plate in place and position the pot on it.
For example, you can upcycle old cutting boards to make these plant stands. Simply mark the exact spot where you want to attach the wire frame and glue it to the wooden board. You can also use these stands to display other decorative items.
Upcycling idea for small lampshades: make your own hanging baskets
Hanging baskets are a great addition to the outdoor area as they successfully showcase your flowers and plants. In this way, you can create a vertical herb garden or add beautiful touches of color with flowering potted plants outdoors. There are many variations of hanging baskets, with the most popular models made of macrame or braid. If you turn the frame of a lampshade around and hang it up using a metal chain, you can also create pretty hanging baskets.
To make this lampshade upcycling yourself, you need lampshades with a wire frame, a long metal chain, jewelry wire, spray paint in the desired color and potted plants that fit into the wire frames.
You first remove the fabric from the lampshades and bend the inner part to make room for the pots. Then spray the frames and the metal chain in the desired color and let them dry thoroughly. Now all that's left is to hang up the traffic lights. To do this, use jewelry wire to connect the chain to the frames of the lampshades. Finally, hang the upcycled hanging baskets from the ceiling and fill them with beautiful potted plants.
Upcycling lamps: Succulent pots made from wall lights
When upcycling lamps, you don't have to limit yourself to wire lampshades. The glass shades of wall lights, for example, can be used to create pretty pots for succulents and other small plants. In the example above, the shades have been attached to a wooden base and designed to hang on the wall. When it comes to design, you can also let your creativity run wild.
Flower arrangement in an old lampshade
Lampshades can also serve purely decorative purposes. If you remove the fabric, it is a wire frame that can be decorated as desired. For example, it looks very nice when it is wrapped with greenery and arranged with a pretty vase with flowers in the middle.
Lampshade upcycling: DIY toy basket
Lampshades with a cylindrical shape are perfect for making various storage baskets. A great example is this colorful toy basket made from a cylinder fabric umbrella and some fabric. To make a basket like this, first remove all the frames and internal parts so that only the cylinder remains and then sew a piece of fabric closed at one end. If the lampshade you have available does not have a nice design, you can cover it with fabric of your choice. That's it!
Cool upcycling: cat tent made from a lampshade
Cats love hiding places. And your four-legged friend will surely fall in love with this tent made from an old lampshade. You don't need much for this project either: a large conical fabric lampshade, scissors, decorative tape, and some markers. First you cut an opening in the fabric and stick the adhesive tape to the interfaces and the top part of the umbrella. Then continue to decorate the cat tent as you wish and your new cat hiding place is ready. You can find more cool ideas on how to make your own cat toys for your pet from different materialsin this post.
Upcycling lamp: repurpose a desk lamp
There are also many interesting upcycling ideas for unused floor and desk lamps. With models like this, which allow the shade to rotate 360 degrees, you don't have to do almost anything to convert the lamp into a planter, for example. All you have to do is remove the light and sockets from the lamp interior, turn the lampshade up and place a suitable potted plant inside.
Lampshade upcycling: How to redesign lampshades
Of course, you can also make a new lampshade out of an old lampshade. Whether covered with leftover wallpaper, wrapped with rope or simply repainted, here you will find a few ideas on how to upcycle the old lampshade and give it new life.
Make modern wire lampshades yourself
Minimalism is popular right now. Simple designs without many unnecessary elements also make up modern lamps. You are certainly familiar with the black metal pendant lights that have an industrial look and are being used in more and more homes. Despite their simple design, these models usually cost over 50 euros. However, if you have some old lampshades with wire frames available, you can redesign them and make stylish pendant lights yourself.
Lampshade upcycled with sweater
If you don't like the lampshade as it is, you can redesign it with an original upcycling project. Our first idea would be to use a sweater that no longer fits.
To do this cool upcycling yourself, first pull the sweater over the lampshade. Then trim off the excess material, leaving about 2cm of the edge at the top and bottom. Use a hot glue gun to glue the sweater around the edges. You will surely love the end result. This lampshade looks really great and adds a cozy touch to the interior.
Spice up the old bedside lamp
There are actually numerous ways to beautify a plain or worn lampshade. If you want to create a romantic design, you can try this fabric rose decoration idea. For the roses you can use tissue paper, fabric,colored crepe paperor whatever you want to use. This example uses white fabric that has been cut into circles of different sizes. To make the roses, you can sew or glue the circles together. When you have enough of it, stick it on the lampshade and the beautiful upcycling is done.
Cool upcycling for the floor lamp
This idea is ideal for all real upcycling fans. A vintage floor lamp was decorated with world maps and jeans to create a unique piece of jewelry. To recreate this lamp, first use some world maps to create the lampshade. You can stick the cards directly onto the old umbrella or use them to make a completely new umbrella yourself. To cover the stand, you will need thin strips of denim that you can cut out of an old pair of jeans. Then simply glue the strips around the stand and the original upcycling project is complete!
