Introduction: How to Make a Wall Lamp (sconce)
I wanted to design and make wall lamps (sconces) that could work in my rental apartment and that were easy to customize to fit any look I wanted. The result are these inexpensive wall lamps made in 2 parts, the base and the shade. I love the fact that you can make a custom lamp shade to work with any decor and that you can easily change it if your tastes change over time. I've designed a lamp shade you can make with poster board and cover with fabric, wallpaper or panel material and I've also designed one made with wood edging. Regardless of the shade, I recommend only using LED light bulbs with these lamps.
Because the wall sconces are made with a plug-in light kit with a switch, you can install them on a wall or on a wall panel without having to deal with electrical wiring – perfect for renters!
Here are the materials you'll need and I've attached pics of the tools and supplies needed to build the lamps:
Base (for 1 wall sconce)
12” x 12” aluminum sheet $7.50
Candelabra light kit (clip-on socket & switch) $6.00
Panel lamp shade
8” wood embroidery hoop $1.50
Poster board & ribbon $2.00
Panel material (IKEA ANNO SANELA) N/A
Long prong silver brads (1 bag = 30 brads) $2.00
Plastic corner guard (2 ft) $1.00
Wood lamp shade
8” wood embroidery hoop $1.50
Iron-on pre-glued birch wood edging (3/4”) $6.50
Long prong brads (1 bag = 30 brads) $2.00
Plastic corner guard (2 ft) $1.00
Step 1: Making the Base: Step 1
Step 2: Making the Base: Step 2
Step 3: Making the Base: Step 3
Step 4: Making the Base: Step 4
Here's a link to a video of this entire process for making the base: http://youtu.be/PLZB8IgSBUw
Step 5: How to Make the Panel Lamp Shade
These wall sconces are very light and you can install them directly on a wall using 3M command strips or you can install them on a wall panel to hide the cord and the switch (with this option, you can use a wireless wall mounted switch and plug-In receiver.
Step 6: How to Make the Wood Shade
These wall sconces are very light and you can install them directly on a wall using 3M command strips or you can install them on a wall panel to hide the cord and the switch (with this option, you can use a wireless wall mounted switch and plug-In receiver).