Thrift A Candlestick To Make A Beautiful Vintage Lamp

Do you ever visit the aisles of your local thrift stores gazing at the stylish candlestick holders and think: I will never really use these but I want them? Or maybe you always grab them, only to put them in storage where they collect dust because you aren't an 1800's hero or heroine that wanders your halls by candlelight. Either way, if these perfectly good decor pieces are collecting dust, then there's an upcycle you have to try to breathe new life into antique candlesticks (and shed a little light in your favorite space). Rather than using traditional tapered candles, pull your holders into the modern century by creating a cordless lamp that will bring warm illumination into any room without a real flame! You only need to add a lampshade and a battery-operated bulb, and you will have made the most stylish and vintage accent for any surface.

There are so many ways to repurpose candlestick holders around the house, especially since they come in many shapes and sizes, so the first step is to decide what material you want to use. Most secondhand stores and antique shops will have everything from cut glass and crystal to sterling silver and brass. Brass is a great material that will match a variety of aesthetics, although any metal you use can be accented to fit your layout, so don't skip over the other options. Cut glass and crystal are also great for opening up a space and bringing through more natural light — just be careful when picking a lampshade so the cut glass doesn't clash with a pattern or style.

In many cases, small home decor makes a big difference throughout your home — this small decor idea is easy to make and beautiful. Scale is very important for this project — a lampshade that is too big could pull your candlestick holder over or make it seem unbalanced. Finding a shade that is large enough to cover the diameter around the top of the metal or glass candle holder will give you a clean finish. You also want to find a shade with a slip UNO fitter on the inside — it's a small metal circle where the bulb sits with bars that attach to the shade. This will be how you connect the shade to the top of the candlestick holder.

If you want, you can glue the lampshade to the top of your holder using superglue or a strong adhesive. This will keep it from tipping over at the slightest touch, especially if you plan to display it in a high-traffic room. Once your lampshade and candlestick holder are situated, you can then add your battery-operated light. Similar to finding the correct shape and size of your lampshade, you want to find a bulb that will fit nicely on the fitter of your shade. If you find a bulb with a screw bottom, remove this portion so you're only left with the bulb and a flat bottom surface. Then, simply place it inside your fixture. If you happen to find a lampshade you really like that doesn't have the right type of fitting, you could use double-sided tape to secure a puck light to the various hardware within your shade — this setup may be trickier to secure to the holder, though.

If you were having a tricky time finding an ideal light for your new lamp, you could also purchase twinkle lights with a battery pack, and wrap these around the interior of the shade. Or create a ball around the battery pack so that the twinkle lights simply rest on top of the candlestick holder. Make sure that you leave the switch for the battery pack accessible so you can turn the lights on whenever you please. This will create a very warm, soft effect — many twinkle lights come with adjustable lighting so you can get different effects depending on what mood you are in.

For a more subdued or muted light in a room where you want a moodier vibe, you could swap out the bulb or twinkle lights for a faux tea light candle. Keep in mind that this will require a shade made from a very thin material so the light will show through. This would work well with slimmer candlestick holders that may not be suitable for bigger battery-operated lights. You can either thrift your lampshades or check online for small enough options — just make sure to measure the width of the top of your thrifted candle holder for a good idea of what size you'll need.