This home based business idea is all about turning odds-and-ends and unusual items into lamps and light sculptures.
Think of all the seemingly useless things that you see at yard sales, or that people have stored away in old boxes in their attic or basement.
Someone might have a hard time throwing these things out because they have sentimental value to them.
It might be that old football helmet they wore in high school, an empty champagne bottle from their wedding reception, or perhaps an old dairy crock that came from Grandpa’s farm.
You can turn these sentimental and/or just plain junk items into a one-of-a-kind lamp.
Wiring lamps is a relatively easy skill to learn.
How To Build A Lamp
from the How Stuff Works website is a good tutorial to get you started. And the needed wiring supplies are as close as your local hardware store.
You can also find all kinds of resources just by doing a quick internet search, and Amazon has some great lamp making books too.
In addition to electrical knowledge, as the owner of a custom lamp business you will need a lot of creativity and problem solving skills.
Your creations shouldn’t end with the wires and sockets. You can increase your lamp’s appeal by carrying the theme to the lampshades.
A lamp made out of an antique milk bottle would look even cuter sporting a lampshade with cutouts of cows lining the edge. And a lamp with a base made of a fishing basket should have hand-tied flies dangling from the bottom of its lampshade.
Making custom lampshades could also be a big part of your business. I explore the how to and resources for making lampshades more extensively in Business Idea #69 –
Custom Lampshades.
An Eco-Friendly Business
Recycling items that may not be useful anymore in their original state, but can be re-imagined into a new creation that will serve a useful purpose and also provide aesthetic appeal is a very green idea.
Anything of sentimental, whimsical or novel value would lend itself to becoming a lamp. I have seen pictures of lamps made from old books, a kitchen mixer, figurines, and all kinds of crockery such as cookie jars and old dairy crocks.
Another great area to explore would be kids toys. Old toys, cars, trucks, dolls, building blocks, teddy bears and more would make great vintage themed lamps for kids rooms.
Marketing This Business Idea
This business idea probably wouldn’t lend itself to more traditional forms of advertising.
You would be better off displaying your lamp creations at craft fairs and flea markets.
Take some sample lamps that would be universally popular: sports equipment, gardening trowels, ballet slippers, and various antiques to a local craft show to get started.
This way you can sell the lamps you create, and also show people that almost anything can be turned into a lamp. This will help you build part of your business creating custom lamps from private commissions.
The best way to do this would be to use it as a portfolio to display your work and skills to potential private commission clients, or as a showcase for your unique lamps and perhaps other interesting home décor items.
Shannon Lamp Service
is a great example of this. Shannon Lamp Service is a family owned business that has been serving customers in Lexington, KY since 1956.
They were gracious enough to allow me to use some images of their lamps on this site, specifically the gas meter lamp above and the Reader's Digest book lamp to the right.
You must check out their website, you will love the creativity, and should get some inspiration as to the unique ideas possible for making custom and novelty lamps.
They even created a lamp that for the Dreamworks movie "Dreamer.
Shannon Lamp Service also sells lamps parts and shades so you may find some of the supplies you need there.
In addition to selling unique lamps to individuals, try to develop customers that will buy several lamps at once. Local companies might be interested in ordering your lamps as gifts for their best customers, or to carry in their gift shops.
Any empty product container that is stamped with the company name (point out the advertising value to your prospective customers) lends itself to this market.
Wine bottles, snack food tins, and cigar humidors are only a few of the containers that can become attractive lamps with an advertising bonus.
You will need to clean and spiff up the items perhaps with paint touch-ups. You will also need to protect paper items from damage by coating the container with a clear varnish.
Antique shops can be another profitable market. Things like wooden spools, hunting decoys and old crocks make great lamps with an antique charm. People who like a more primitive décor would love to find lamps like this.
You could also target period decor with your lamp making. If you notice in the Amazon listings above there are a few books about mission style and arts and crafts period lamp making.
People who own these types of homes and love this decor would be looking for these types of lamps.
If you can find enough items like this for your lamps, you could also approach antique shops as customers.
You would probably want to work out a commission type of sale in this case. The shop owner would carry your lamps for sale and when they sold you would pay the owner a percentage of the sale price as a commission.
Create Organic and Craftsman Quality Lamps
Another way to develop this business idea is to use items from nature to make lamps, and light sculptures.
I have seen some truly gorgeous and unique lamps made from organic materials such as stones and tree trunks or branches.
Lamps like this could be developed as more high end custom designs that you could sell in art galleries and boutiques, and at quality arts and crafts shows and fairs.
I remember a beautiful shoji style paper lamp I saw at an art fair booth. The whole booth had different variations on these lamps and the lamp maker was doing a brisk business.
And I have seen some gorgeous floor lamps made with tree branches for the pole and large rocks for the base at a local art gallery.
You could team up with a potter and turn beautiful pieces of custom pottery into lamps too.
Now you don’t need to stop with just lamps, you might want to explore unique hanging and suspended lighting too such as chandeliers, paper lanterns and more.
The possibilities really are endless.
I'll end this business idea article with even more inspiration. Check out this video of an organic light sculpture being created - (enjoy the great music too!).
Another way to develop this business idea is to use items from nature to make lamps, and light sculptures. 