I love it but would not put it with that wallpaper. It looks too small for the bedside anyway. Maybe you can use it somewhere else in the room?

Thx cindyloo123 - on etsy it says it measures 14" to the top of the socket so I guess with a shade on it, it would be several inches taller than that. I don't want huge table lamps for my nightstands. I guess you are right that it would not be right with that wallpaper - where oh where could I put this lamp...it is just SOOO pretty! :)

Or what about these??????? I saw these on etsy as well...way more expensive at $215.00 for the pair of lamps, but they did catch my eye. Antique French lamps..

{{!gwi}}

The second set looks much more consistent with the style of the paper. But, they look like they will take a hefty shade. Do you have room on your tables for these?

I once bought a pair of lamps without shades. I ended up reselling them, because I couldn't find shades I thought were just right.

I never stop searching for the perfect lamps, sigh.

Do you use your lamps to read in bed? If so, since you have lamps that you are happy with, maybe you want to measure from the top of the table to the top of the socket and see what that height is.

You don't want to end up like me, and have to put your lamps on top of stacks of books in order to give you reading light!

LOL good point! I did measure to the top of the swing lamps, but I think I want shorter lamps if they are going to sit directly on top of nightstand. I do read in bed and use laptop in bed A LOT. In fact I am in bed now typing this.

Can I ask where you got your swing lamps? I love them!

I like the second set better than the first one and you can use an oval or rectangular shade so that they fit on your nightstand. However, I'm not sure that I would like the white. Will your bedding have white in it or do you have a lot of white millwork in the room?

The one mistake that I see most often in bedrooms is lamps that are too short or too small in scale. As Cindyloo123 mentioned, when you are sitting in bed, the bottom of the shade should be just above your shoulder to create the perfect reading light.

No to both lamps, sorry.

Why don't you just get antique brass metal paint and refinish the existing lamps, keep the shades and add a ribbon or bead trim that picks up the blue in the room, or get new shades? They are very pretty, elegant in shape, and if you read and use the laptop in bed, they are the right solution.

les917 - it is funny that you mention painting them - I was asking hubby last week about that but we had never heard of painting metal like that.

To answer anele's question, I purchased these lamps from Pottery Barn many years ago - at the time it seemed swing arm lamps were the big thing in the PB catalog. The metal parts of the lamps are pewter and the shades are from PB as well...silk shades. I really love the shades and want to keep them. And it is advantageous to have the wall mounted lamps because it frees up space on the tops of the nightstands.

Fun2BHere - My bedding is going to be a creamy color (not stark white, but more of an ivory-like creamy white). The bedding will also have some gingery colors in it. I have not purchased the bedding yet, but I have swatches of the fabrics. All the trimwork in the room is BM Linen White. And I also have off-white 2" faux wood blinds on the windows. The curtains will also be the same creamy/ivory colors.

The reason why the silver tones of the pewter don't work anymore, is because the toile pattern in the wallpaper is gold - there is actually some metallic sparkle to it if you get up real close to it. Also, in this new house, we purchased antique brass door handles for all the doors in the house. (In the last house we used brushed nickel.) So silver tones OUT...antique brassy tones IN... I don't want lamps that are bright and brassy in color...I prefer an antiqued/distressed brass look, or I thought creamy off-white lamp bases would work as well. Because I have so much dark stained furniture, I didn't want dark lamp bases.

I don't know anything about painting metal - are there tricks to this? Will it look like brass when I am done painting it, or will it look weird? HELP!!!! :)

Go to the home store and check out the metal paints. They have all kinds of colors and finishes. Krylon is a brand that I have used that works well, but lots of people here probably can make other suggestions.

I did a couple of swing arm lamps this last fall that were bright brass (from the 80's) and painted them in ORB. They turned out very well. Patience, the right room temp, and thin coats are key.

Or, if you have a body shop nearby, see if they will spray them for you.

Thanks les917!!! We are going to Lowe's tomorrow to see what kinds of metal paints they have. Thanks so much for nudging me in the right direction.

I used Krylon to change out my brass lamps to orb and they came out great. The trick to spray painting is to always keep your spray paint moving slowly across the piece or you can use short sweeping motions. Directions are on the can but never hold it in one spot or you'll get drip marks. Don't get up close to it either. I put mine in a cardboard box that was standing upright and sprayed one side lightly, let it dry, turned it around and did the same. Gave them two coats. Just today I got compliments on them.

Be sure to stuff newspaper or something like that in the sockets, so you don't get paint in there, and also wrap the cord up and cover that with paper as well.

I've used Rust-oleum 'hammered finish' several times, mostly in dark bronze.

Works best for me if I use several medium coats, keeping the can moving all the time.

I like the 2nd ones and I have used the Krylon recently on both metal and ceramic lamps. 1st attempt was awful. Patience on the 2nd attempt and a coat of Krylon primer yielded fantastc results on both a metal and ceramic lamp.

Well I did it! Actually I should say hubby did it! We went to Lowe's and bought Rust-Oleum spray paint in antique bronze finish. Hubby sprayed the lamps with a light coat and then an hour later re-coated them. So far, the color looks great but they are drying overnight in the garage right now. We are worried about the paint easily chipping off though....should we be spraying on a finishing coat of something clear to seal it all in?

I would read the can to be sure, but I don't think you need a sealer.

What you DO need is cure time. I would not try to hang the lamps or use them for several days.

ooooops - we just hung up the lamps tonight..they seem okay, but will be careful handling them.

{{!gwi}}
{{!gwi}}

Wow! They turned out just beautiful. I love them!