We have this brass chandelier in our dining room that came with the house. I don’t love it, but anything I really like is not exactly in the budget. A few years ago I bought some cheap Ikea lampshades for it, but there wasn’t any color selection, and they have yellowed and just look dingy.
I looked around for new shades, but for six plain black chandelier shades, that could be nearly $100. If I’m going to spend that much, I’ll put it toward a new fixture. Then I saw this tutorial for painting a lampshade. It’s taken me a couple months, but I finally gave it a try. What did I have to lose?
I used the same exterior semi-gloss paint & primer that I used on the front door. I started out with a little artist’s brush, but it took forever to paint a single shade, and it seemed a little streaky. I looked at the row of five more shades lined up on the table, and I switched to my trusty two-inch paintbrush. MUCH faster. It took two coats of paint, and I did use the small brush to paint the rolled hem.
My kids accuse me of painting everything black. They exaggerate, but black seems to give everything a little more weight, a little more style. The new black shades will give the brass chandelier a reprieve until we find a fixture we love at a price we’re willing to pay. It could be years…
This looks so much more sophisticated too.
Thanks! I think so, too. I should have noted that the black doesn’t diffuse the light throughout the room as well, but I really like how it directs the light down to the table at night. It feels really cozy.
looks fabulous.
Love it! Personally, I have a problem with brushed nickel spray paint. The family knows that if something in the house needs an update, it will likely end up with a coating of Krylon.
Mmmmm…Krylon…
What a difference! And I like that they have a sheen to them…
That’s what I like, too! Glad I used the semi-gloss paint.
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