Remember these fuglies?
You know, the ones that were made in prison and that came to me from that dumpster dive out in the Marin Headlands?
Well, only one of them made it but I think she turned out not too bad....all things considered.
First I stripped with Citristrip, my go to stripper. (That sounds funny).
I got all that black plastic coating off the top and bottom and the varnish off the body. Then, I neutralized with Citristrip's After Wash so that the new paint job would adhere properly.
We had a cold spell in San Francisco and I had to wait for the minimum 50 degrees for spray paint.
I'm not sure why, but my first instincts were to fill the grain on these puppies and to paint them bright yellow.
I thought that this auto primer might do the trick but it didn't really.
So I filled the grain with some spackle I had, which made me realize that I should have limed these things! They would have looked great but it was too late for that by this point.
So I forged ahead with the yellow. During this phase, the veneer on one of them started to lift from the core (which is made from a cardboard tube!)and got all bumpy. Abigail Ahern, one of my design idols, really advises against pairs anyhow.
Here's that pretzel knot that you tie under the socket for safety.
For a shade, I swapped out an old one from downstairs which is pretty beaten up but will suffice for now.
This lamp turned out better than I had expected. I don't think you could exactly call it "pretty" but it will do its part in livening up the top floor suite. I've got some plans for some pillows for the sofa and I'd love to make a great duvet cover for the bed.
2 comments:
I sure think it's pretty. The yellow is great on that table.
Re: Little Green Notebook
NYC brownstones have a high outdoor staircase, known as a "stoop" from the old Dutch. The house is probably split horizontally, with Jen having the areaway or half basement/garden floor and the main, or parlour floor, with an internal staircase between. The main door on the parlour floor, would lead to the vestibule, a long hall and a grander staircase rising to the upper level (or two) When these homes became multiple dwelling, the long hall was often sealed at one end (and became a long closet for those living on the parlour floor) so the upper tenant could just walk upstairs to their flat. The staircase is always the the extreme left or right of the buildings interior, leaving the rest of the floor free for larger rooms.
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