Finally, I’m able to share with you a little DIY project that I made a few months ago. It’s a project showing you what a few adjustments to an object can do. And in this case, it’s about wicker planters turned into a lampshade.

Meaning of wicker?

There are so many types of wicker products. According to Wikipedia, Wicker is a technique for making products woven from any one of a variety of pliable plant materials. It’s a generic name for the materials used in such manufacture, and a term for the items so produced. The word wicker is believed to be of Scandinavian origin: Vika, which means to bend in Swedish, and vikker meaning willow.

Wicker is traditionally made from plant origin material, such as willow, rattan, cane, and bamboo, but now synthetic fibers are also used. Wicker is light and yet sturdy, making it suitable for items that are often moved, such as a porch and garden furniture. Rushwork and wickerwork are terms used in England.
And now to how and why this project came about.

The power of color

In our living room, we have the colors white, brown, grey and some colorful accents. Without color, it can be boring. But we are not too fond of too many colors The color we chose quite some years ago is blue. Not dark or light blue, but a fresh/clear blue.

Why do we still have the same color? No idea. I only know that we don’t exactly follow the rules according to interior magazines where they change livingroom colors every few years. And we are still not bored with this color, so why should we. Maybe it has to do with the power of color. It states that color affects your behavior, moods, and thoughts.
Every once in a while we come across a home accessory that has the right blue color. Then we see if it is something we like, for example, candles or pillows.

A second chance

An exception are these lampshades that you see in this article. We did not buy them that way, but they were created by upcycling. Long-time ago we bought two wicker style planters. Over time, they were standing in the storage room and were actually not used for a long time. Sometimes you get bored seeing an object every day, that’s how it goes. Not that it’s no longer functional, but it no longer offers that sparkle to the interior as before. So the two baskets were just collecting dust. Until I suddenly had an idea to paint them in our color blue. No sooner said than done.

However, this turned out to be step 1 in a developing small DIY project. The color was nice, but the function remained the same. Eventually, the upcycle fan in me and lamp enthusiast got a new idea. Why shouldn’t I upcycle them and give them a new function and second chance by hanging them upside down as a lampshade?

And so we get to step 2 in this project. Ultimately a very easy step. After all, only a hole had to be made at the bottom of the basket. This is done with a special attachment to drill bigger holes in for instance a tabletop. This was necessary to be able to attach the lamp fitting with the existing cord set to hang the lampshade.

And as it turned out, with the new function as a lampshade, you almost completely forget that it was originally a plant basket. Someone usually recognizes them as a basket only after telling them.

Create more value

And that’s why upcycling is so much fun. You just give an object that you want to throw away, that you no longer use or that you have saved from the bin, a new function, and design. A second life, as it were, usually with more value. The great thing about this project is that it is ultimately very easy to create. You must have some sort of container laying around somewhere, a basket or something else that is no longer used or needed. Who knows, this little DIY project might encourage you to create your own upcycle design lampshade.

The nice thing about these wicker lampshades is that when the lamp is switched on, the light plays through the holes and creates a sparkling effect.

Design by GilbertsDesign