I love Pottery Barn, I just do. While I was perusing their catalog I came along a vintage style spotlight lamp. Coincidentally at the time I was also trying to stage some shelves and was having a heck of a time finding something to fill a tall thin space. LIGHT BULB… I needed that lamp! Actually, I didn’t need a lamp, I just wanted it because it looked awesome… One thing led to another… the rest is history.
Materials Used
- Old Tripod
- Metal Quart Size Paint Can
- Steel Wool
- Gray Spray Paint Primer
- Various Metallic Spray Paint
- 1/4″ Bolt w/washer and nut
Tools Suggested
- Drill
- 1/4″ Drill Bit
After a little bit of brainstorming I concluded that the Pottery Barn lamp was essentially a metal can mounted on a tripod… Lucky (unlucky?) for me, my kids had been playing with my tripod a few months ago. Needless to say, it needed to be replaced. The broken one would work perfectly for the lamp! All I needed now was a largemetal can. I had considered metal food cans, but I really didn’t want the metal ridges on it. Then it dawned on me, they sell empty paint cans at Depot! Perfection.
I began by scuffing up the paint can and the tripod as much as possible. Steel wool seemed to do the trick. The idea is to simply scuff up the surface enough that the spray paint can properly adhere.
Next I used the 1/4″ drill bit and drilled a hole through the paint can.
Then drill through the tripod. (Basically anywhere that is accessible and somewhat level surface).
After the holes are drilled, I used a 1/4″ bolt, a washer and a nut to connect the tripod to the paint can.
At this point I took a gray primer and sprayed the entire structure. I followed up by dusting the entire thing with several different metallic spray paints. I used a technique very similar to the one I used on this project.
For the place that I was going to put this, I did not need to have it be a functional lamp, BUT honestly if you are set on the idea of it being functional, it is doable! Ikea sells a cord light kit for $5.00 that could easily be adapted to fit your new lamp.
Ta-da! There you have it a Pottery Barn-esque spotlight for a fraction of the cost!
Hey, so I see your stuff fairly often, but I just noticed the drawing of the Washington, DC temple on the shelf in this post. I got married there and proceeded to move all over with my Army husband, but we are in the Woodbridge, VA stake at the moment, south of DC. Just curious if you’re local-ish to me!
Good eye! I actually live in Florida. I have just always loved that temple and decided to sketch it up. It’s a beautiful place, enjoy it, and thanks for reading!