Step 1. Find a lamp you like the base of, the shade itself doesn’t matter as it’s being removed. I was looking for something tall and slender to contrast the volume of the feathers.
2. You’ll need to purchase feathers. I looked at local suppliers but the price was either eye watering or I couldn’t get the size/volume required. I found these on Ali Express from this seller who has a wide array of sizes and colours available. Go bigger than you think, I bought the first batch and they were far too small. I ended up buying more that were 40-45cm and perfect. They come in packs of 10 and I used them all. Ideally I would have done an extra feather or two but it wasn’t worth buying two lots for.
3. Remove the shade and spraypaint your lamp. For spraypainting tips and tricks check out this page of my website. I wanted the base gold and the top black amongst the feathers so it didn’t stand out. If you choose different coloured feathers I’d paint the bulb holder to match.
4. Glue on your feathers. This is the most time consuming part. You’ll need to hold the feather stead in the position you want it until the glue is properly set. Get the glue underneath the feather so it creates a base for it to sit in at the height you want. I did a circle of feathers around the base then added some in the middle higher that stand up more in the centre. Add your feathers at different heights so it’s not uniform and looks more dramatic.
5. After your feathers have dried you’ll be able to see where the hot glue has dried. I touch up painted this by spraying a little paint into a lid and using a small paint brush to go over it so it’s not so obvious. You can’t see it unless you’re up close but it will still help hide the glue.
6. Pop a bulb in and you’re done! I bought this Edison bulb from Mitre10. There were narrow or big round ones but I like the more streamline narrow version with the tall base. Use whatever best suits your creation!