DIY: Coffee Filter Lamp

Lately I’ve been doing fewer fashion DIYs and a lot more DIYs that have to do with home decor. I guess it’s a sign that I’m getting old, because all I think about is how bad I wanna decorate my own home. Anywho…a couple of months ago I made a chic little coffee table lamp using a lamp base I purchased at Goodwill and a few packs of coffee filters. It’s a very simple, cheap project that will add a lot of personality to your space.

Start with a plain lamp shade*. I recommend white (or a very light color) so that a fair amount of light can diffuse through both the shade and the coffee filters.

*Keep in mind that adding the coffee filters to the shade will add volume to it, so you want to choose a shade that is slightly undersized for your base. It will even out in the end.

Next you will want to prep your coffee filters. This is the most time consuming part, but turn on a good movie and the time will fly by. (It took me about 400 coffee filters). You also don’t have to fold them all at once. You can fold a few, glue them and then fold a few more.

Fold the coffee filter in half 3 times…

Fold once more than pictured here

After you have folded the filter 3 times, create a fold about half way from the tip. This will be the portion you glue to the lamp shade.

Now the fun part! Using a hot glue gun, simply start gluing the filters to the shade.

You don’t really need to worry about doing it in a completely uniform way. Have fun with it! You’ll figure out what you like best as you go along. Start at the bottom and work your way to the top. Once you reach the top, make sure you’re placing the filters so that the tip is face down or else they will stick up over the top of the shade.

3 hours and $15 later, I have a beautiful bedside lamp perfect for reading!

Lamp base – $4.99; Lamp shade – $7; Coffee filters – $.99/pk

My bedroom where I added the lamp. Pictured without shade here.

FUN FACT: If white doesn’t work for the space you would like to use this lamp, try dyeing the coffee filters by soaking them in tie dye ink!