Let there be light! Five inspiring ideas for DIY lamps

Nobody likes the look of concrete blocks in the city – but inside your apartment it can be a different matter. A homemade lamp with a concrete base combines industrial chic with pleasant lighting. If you’re not sure about actually pouring concrete, don’t worry – you can still create the effect using air-drying clay that looks like concrete.

Make this cool DIY lamp out of driftwood or simply a branch from the garden. Wrap two to three fabric cables with light fittings around the branch and fasten an eyelet for hanging the bulbs to each end of the branch. Now you can simply fit the light bulbs and plug in the cables.

Are you looking for an unusual floor lamp to create just the right ambience in your living room? This DIY lamp with round timber legs can be customised to your own style with coloured wood, as well as a fabric lamp cable and lampshade in your own colour scheme.

You won’t need green fingers for this cactus! Use a jigsaw to cut out the shape of your DIY lamp and use a cordless drill to drill holes for the LED fairy lights. Now you just need to join the two together, position your cactus, switch on the lights...and voilà! Full instructions can be found on the ‘meen feenstaub’ blog. Using the right drill bit , you can also suspend your cactus from the ceiling.

Pick up a wooden shelving bracket from IKEA or any hardware store to convert it into a quick and easy DIY lamp. Screw the bracket to the wall, thread the lamp cable through the pre-drilled holes, and screw a bulb into the fitting. Your bracket lamp is now ready!

And there’s more – we have further ideas on how to build your own lamp , including a zigzag look or a ‘ floating lamp ’.