The Weird Mistake You've Been Making With Your Thrifted Lamps

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If you need an affordable lamp, the thrift store is the perfect place to find one. There are typically a wide variety of designs and sizes available, so it's pretty easy to find a lamp that's the right fit for your space while browsing the store's aisles. However, thrift store lamp shopping actually isn't as simple as just grabbing your favorite lamp off the shelf. You need to be a bit more intentional to avoid one weird mistake you've been making with your thrift store lamps. Take a moment to evaluate the lamp harp to ensure it is the proper height for the lamp.

To help you figure out whether the lamp harp attached to a thrift store lamp is the correct height, take a look at the attached lamp shade. If it sits too high or too low, that's a sign that the harp is the incorrect size for the lamp. If the lamp does not have an attached shade, you might want to look around the store to find one to temporarily attach to the lamp to help you evaluate the harp height. If you discover that the harp is the wrong size, you don't have to skip out on that valuable vintage lamp you find at the thrift store. Consider replacing it with a properly sized lamp harp instead.

To calculate the correct length of harp for your lamp, you can subtract the fitter recess (the distance from the bottom of the lampshade to the ring where it's attached to the lamp at the center) from the overall height of the shade you intend to use. This will give you the correct height for your lamp harp. Keep in mind that you could also purchase an adjustable lamp harp and simply raise or lower it to properly accommodate your new thrifted lamp and its lampshade. The ALUCSET Adjustable Lamp Harp Kit is a great option if you prefer to go this route. 

A properly sized lamp shade is another key factor in ensuring your thrifted lamp is set up properly. A tip you can use to determine the proper lamp shade size is to ensure that the shade's bottom diameter is within 2 inches larger or smaller than the measured height of your lamp. Finally, don't forget to select the right size lamp for your space. After you've attached the right harp and shade to your thrifted lamp, it will look like an interior designer's pick rather than a low-cost second-hand find.