Lamp Shade • Off-Loom Weaving

Today I was daydreaming and staring off only to notice my handmade table lamp perched on the end table in our sunroom. This is a project filled with history. It makes me wonder which of the things I create today will last in my home for thirty years and develop their own history as well.

Time for a little history......

A long time ago in the '70s, David and I were young and starting a family. We had invested in one of our very first art objects. It was a beautifully crafted ceramic lamp with a special shape and texture. We loved it, bought it and I designed a handcrafted lamp shade for it.

The shade is an example of free-form off-loom weaving. David built a shade frame out of wood and I strung the warp of the weaving onto the frame. Using a variety of natural colored yarns, I hand wove an earthen patterned shade onto the frame. It is a weaving technique that was common in the early days of the revival of American Contemporary Crafts. I haven't seen many examples recently.  

In the design I choose to leave some areas open allowing the warp strings to show through, and the light to escape.

In other areas, the weft is woven more closely together creating a patten similar to the stratification of the layers of the earth.

The textures are rich, the colors subtle.

But alias, my then very young daughter (about 2.5 years old) was mimicking mommy and helping with housework. She swung around to sweep, not noticing the other end of the broom, and knocked the ceramic lamp onto the floor. It was in a million pieces and I was disappointed - our first significant piece of artwork, gone! To my delight David handcrafted out of layers of birch plywood another lamp base, similar in shape to the one my shade had been created for.

For the better part of thirty years this lamp has been part of our home. Today, as I sat staring at it, I noticed the warp threads have started to rot away. It is only just holding its form and soon the shade will be history. I was inspired to post about this project today because of the memories. Memories make a house a home!

Think about the home and the memories you are building as you create.

©2012 Ashbee Design, Marji Roy

Branch Lighting

I think I am going to have to learn some DIY electrical skills.  I just love the combination of found branches with lighting. A fairly ordinary office area jumps to a whole new design level by incorporating this unique branch for the light. This one didn't even require electrical skills to create!

original • via

Here is a bathroom application that would require a knowledge of wiring.

via

And then some uses are absolutely sculptural. I wouldn't have room for this but it is so full of personality. by Artist Meghan Finkel available from Touchconcept.

original • via

Here is a great over the couch solution.  These make you look at branches differently, for sure!

original • via

Previous Posts of Interest • The Branch Series • 2012

• Branches • Reshaped! 
• Branches • In Bed!
• Branches • Stacks of Sticks
• Branch Whimsy
• Branches • Birch Centerpiece
• Branches • Sliced
• Branches is the Round • Wreathes, Etc.
• Branches Framed
• Putting Branches to Use • Shelf Supports
• Putting Branches to Use • Branch Hooks
• Red Dancing Sticks • DIY for the Winter Garden
• White Winter Branches
• Start With a Branch
• Collecting Branches and Twigs
• Winter Branches • A Source of Inspiration

©2012 Ashbee Design, Marji Roy

Swooping Handcrafted Lamp in Cherry

I am taking a break from all the ornament posts to share with you a beautiful new addition to our home.  David and I have been searching for contemporary lamps that please us for years and just haven't found anything. We were happier with our $29.99 lamps from Target. We finally replace one with the Beach Stone Lamp we made but hadn't found anything for the other. That is until we visited the Paradise City Arts Festival in Northampton, MA over Columbus Day. There we saw a lamp we liked.

 

Graceful, contemporary lines. The artist, Michael McCoy of Castlewerks was willing to make it a little larger and in cherry which was better for our location. We ordered it and it was delivered over the Thanksgiving weekend. Here are some photos of the new lamp in our home.

Beautiful!

Michael has an entire collection of contemporary lamps. Here are a few more.

Previous Posts of Interest:

• Stone Lamp
• Deceptively Simple Lamp
• Lamps I like

©2011 Ashbee Design, Marji Roy

Funky Lighting

Still no electricity at home as I write this. So I'll do another day of lighting design in hopes that it will please the powers that make electricity return!

Lighting design is an area where I can easily resort to whimsey. Here are some designs I have collected over the past months that demonstrate that principle.

via MyModernMet.com

The pull chain is even part of the design. I ponder the lack of a power cord though. It is designed by Yeongwoo Kim of South Korea but the language barrier kept me from exploring his/her(?) website.

I especially like how this next design embraces the cord.

via Dezeen

Designed by Giorgio Bonaguro of Milan, Italy.

The German design group llot llov combines my love of balls and wood into this lamp design. What I especially like is its flexibility. By using the ball chain you can arrange the lights in different ways to adjust its use.  

via Dezeen

I find it amusing that in the writeup they refer to the wooden balls as wooden pearls!

My last example is from Russian designer Maxim Maximov.  It is also adjustable.

via Design Milk

What an eclectic international collection!

Previous Posts of Interest:

• Clothes Pin Lamp
• Dreaming About Clouds
• Wild and Crazy Lamp
• Faucet Light?

©2011 Ashbee Design, Marji Roy

Orb Lights • Ideas for DIY Solutions

There is no doubt about it. I am blogging about orb lights because I have no electricity! We continue to be without power here in Connecticut however the cell tower nearby has come back online so we can again communicate with the world. Luckily we a have a generator that provides us with some services - like keeping the cellphone and computer charged!

I have a growing collection of links to orb lights handcrafted by DIYers. They have been catching my eye as I breeze through my files - sort of teasing me.  I do believe a collection of then would fill the space in the corner of our family room. Check out these various online ideas.

The first is a basic hemp orb lamp. It is directly inspired by the West Elm Abaca Pendent Lamps from 2009. Here is the original inspiration...

And here is a handmade variation from Crafty Nest. I love the three sizes grouped together. There is a tutorial for this project is located at this link.

Another version of a similar type of orb lamp is the twine and ModPodge version from The Design Pages blog.

An entirely different effect is created by changing material.  Orlando Soria creates a contemporary industrial feel by using galvanized wire. 

via Apartment Therapy

But the one I like best is made from recycling bamboo shades. 

This example is shared on Crafty Nest with a complete tutorial as well. Not sure it would look could with a pigtail fluorescent bulb though!

A trio of these might look just right in the corner over the TV.  We have a unique "bench" that David and I designed and built that spans the corner of the room.  It has power inside and doors to hide all of the paraphernalia required to run the television. 

How do you think three orbs in a variety of sizes would look suspended in that space? The handcrafted Navajo rug could be moved slightly to the right but not too far. It hides the electrical panel. This was David's original workshop, not a family room at all. Of course the reality is time.  I absolutely must solve the mitten storage dilemma held over from last year first!

Previous Posts of Interest:

• Circle Sconces
• Corner Lightning • Inside and Out
• Glowing Orbs

©2011 Ashbee Design, Marji Roy

Origami Lights • Again

Fab.com got me to stop, look and delve deeper today with their post on the lights from the Argentinian design team of Nadia Corsaro and Marcelo Dabini. Using a flexible wood veneer they developed these stunning fixtures.

They are available in a variety of wood veneers but also in some leather finishes as well.

The shapes remind me of a shade I recently made out of paper......

but they did a better job on proportion.

Previous Posts of Interest:

• Stone Lamp • DIY
• Electrifying Origami
• Origami Influences
• Inspired by Origami
• Deceptively Simple Lamp

©2011 Ashbee Design, Marji Roy

Odds 'n Ends • Balloons!

Some decor just makes me smile.  Balloon decor fits into that category.  Light, airy and whimsical. I love these lights....

via Design Milk

It is the best example of a great way to deal with "the cord"! It being the string is such an integral part of the design that there is no need to find a creative way to disguise it.  It belongs there. From HaoShi Design.

Looking for a little more color?  Check out these hot glass balloons available in vibrant colors from Uncommon Goods.

They are available in five brilliant colors and are hand blown by Robert Kuster.

But the balloon style that many of us remember so well is from the animal balloon sculptor that was always at the fair, the circus or Quincy Market.  Check out this balloon style bookend from Chiasso.

It is always good to be able to include some fun in your decor. Nothing like causing smiles to create a home.

Previous Posts of Interest:

• Odds 'n Ends • Piggy Toes
• Odds 'n ends • Coffee Filters
• Scrabble Influences
• Making a Splash

©2011 Ashbee Design, Marji Roy

Stone Lamp - DIY

While traveling, I had seen a table lamp made from smooth ocean stones, I loved it. My husband, David and I decided we wanted a floor lamp and we would make it ourselves. This really wasn't too extreme an idea because my husband had given me a rotary percussion drill for an earlier birthday to create a stone sculpture. When you live in a DIY household you get and give weird gifts. Together we tackled the project. The finished lamp is a beautiful blend of nature and design. It attracts endless attention from visitors. And it will never be moved assembled. It weighs hundreds of pounds.

Here is how we did it. It started with us lining up my rock collection. I've been collecting beautiful stones for a long time. We even travelled to the Rhode Island shore to supplement the collection.  I wanted a gradation in size but with a variety of colors.

We started by finding a larger base rock in our woods. We added 4 adjustable bolts to the bottom so we would be able to level it once in location. You can see those look like tiny legs on this turtle like stack.

We then used large wood clamps to hold each rock in place and drilled a 3/4" hole through the rock. Water was being applied the entire time to keep the bit cool. We tried a variety of techniques to try and prevent the rocks for chipping on the bottom side but were never successful. In the end it didn't really matter because they stacked together better as is.

Here the lamp is 4 stones high. In the back ground you can see the stone sculpture we had created previously.  It was for this sculpture we purchased this impressive drill. It really needed a second project!

Drilling was a very, very slow process. We spread it out over two days and enlisted the help of daughter, Karen as well. We estimate it took about 10 hours of drilling time to complete the lamp. We also learned that it takes multiple bits and goes a lot faster with a new sharp bit!

Progress is clearly visible. We placed a 3/4" brass pipe in the center and slid the drilled rocks over it.  We constructed it so it comes apart which is absolutely necessary for moving. There is no glue, just the stack with the internal pipe.

We had a major design problem in that we didn't have a shade that was the correct proportions.  I did a lot of searching online and couldn't find the proper size/color combination anywhere. It really looked silly with the undersized shade.

Finally, it was clear that I'd need to make the shade. Unfortunately I took no pictures of the process. I did buy a smaller, plain shade as a base and created a kraft paper mock-up on top. I purchased a beautiful but relatively stiff rice paper with natural chips at Jerry's Art-o-rama.  From that I crafted a shade with a beautiful texture. I could make it exactly the size I wanted. I cut long triangles and used double stick tape to hold the edges together creating a scalloped shade.  The end result is visually soft and natural.

It is a perfect addition to our home of eclectic fine American crafts, homemade treasures and found things from nature.

Previous Posts of Interest:

• I Collect.....
• Stone Lighting
• From Sticks to Stones

This post has been featured on Completely Coastal

©2011 Ashbee Design, Marji Roy