3.25.2011

{renovate} colorful living room lamps

Chris and I LOVE antiquing. Chris actually has a way better eye than I do, but I'm learning :). But we have so much fun spending a Saturday afternoon poking through newly found stores. Before Christmas, on a trip to the coast, we stopped by a huge antique mall. And this begins the story of our new living room lamps.

Tucked into a far corner of the antique mall Chris found these two identical lamps ... for $5 each. He new I was looking for curvy identical lamps for the living room, but he actually had to talk me into try these. I was having an uncreative day and couldn't see past all the green and brass. But in the end, $10 for two lamps is crazy cheap and not a huge loss if I hated them. We brought them home where they hung out for a couple months in our basement because ... I couldn't decide on a color. Shocking, I know. I suffer from color paralysis more often than I like to admit. I went to Home Depot to look one day last month, and decided to go a little crazy.

And by crazy, I mean turquoise crazy. Not gonna lie, I was a little bit freaking out at this point. The color is just SO BRIGHT!

But, I felt a little better after I'd taken the tape off. I actually really like the brass accents and they help tone down the turquoise a little. That's when the back and forth began. Do I like the turquoise? Is it too crazy?! You, my friends, were so helpful and encouraging about bold colors that I decided to stick it out! I found shades at Target this weekend that I love and fit perfectly. Score!

I LOVE this little brass detail at the top of the lamp.

And you know what? Once the shade was on and the lamps were *complete* I really love them!

They add such a crazy burst of color to the room, but I think the room can handle it :).

And, more importantly, I think I can handle it! Here's to getting over my fear of bright colors :). (And now, to deal with that pesky wrong height/wrong color side table!)

As a reminder, here's what the living room looked like last month. I can see now how little the pale lamp was doing for the room. So blah!

And here's the room now, injected with a dose of energy from my new crazy fun lamps!

So tell me, what crazy color have you painted something lately?

Happy friday friends! Thanks for stopping by and making my week so much brighter with your sweet comments :).

16 comments:

  1. Love them! Sometimes we all need a little punch of color! They make your livingroom go from good to great!

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  2. I really like them! I think it makes the pillows and the round mirror on the left side really pop and stand out :)

    Great find! Happy Friday!

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  3. I love them!! And I love that you left some of the brass, gives them some depth and uniqueness!

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  4. these lamps are fab. the color is so fresh, like the way it looks with your pillows. your living room looks really relaxing and calm. we picked up a rocking chair last weekend that we are going to paint turquoise.

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  5. Wow what a great transformation! They turned out so cute.

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  6. Great color choice! They bring the room to life. The fact that they are a pair makes the room look pulled together.

    How handy to have a hubby with a good eye.

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  7. I FLIPPING LOVE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ohmygosh! awesome girl!

    xoXOxo
    Jenn @ Peas & Crayons

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  8. I love it with the brass accents too, it looks great!

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  9. WOW - these look awesome in your living room. Great job!!!

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  10. Just found your blog, and I love these! I went colorful in our lamps, too, via lampshades, but it was a tough switch after having all white.

    I think they're perfect in your room. Great pops of color, and they add some nice weight and balance to things.

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  11. how cool is it that Chris loves antiquing as much as you do?! what a wonderful lamp story with such a terrific price tag!! Jenn, the color you chose for them looks gorgeous against the brass - they look professionally done.

    looks like spring is officially renovation season, you two are all over tool time and renos like nobodies business!

    and i was super stoked to read your comment about hubs hot rod, Sean would roll over side ways...he is nuts for those machines! also, you should definitely do that Portland blogger meet-up; ours was such a great time. highly recommend it lades! ♥

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  12. Absolutely love them! The turquoise looks great {I am a little biased though!}, and the brass accents are AMAZING! Great job!

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  13. The lamp absolutely looks great. I like the color it does adds a little color to your living room. :D
    Love it..

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  14. What brand of paint did you use? What's the name of it? They look great!

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Your comments make my day! Thanks for stopping by and sharing! :)