Is it #1, or #2?

I'm having a table lamp dilemma. Last week, while sourcing vintage suitcases for a book cover shoot (not an easy task, I might add) I came across a crazy cheap - and fantastically lovely - table lamp at Goodwill. Then, about an hour later, I scored a brand spanking new never used vintage drum shade at the Sally Ann. Talk about kismet! I have a home for it, but it means I'll have to say buh-bye to a great lamp I already have.

Okay, so first up is the one that's been sitting pretty on that side table for quite a while. The base and silk shade are from Restoration Hardware. Next is the vintage lamp and shade I just couldn't say no to. The base was $10 and the shade $4, while the Resto lamp probably came in at a slightly pricier $300, or so. Which should stay and which should go?

Take one old lamp {before & after}

Oh my, what wonders a can of white spray paint can do. Not rocket science I know, but I spotted this shiny brass lamp at Goodwill for $10 and saw its potential. The shade was completely un-salvagable (buckled and oddy stained) so that was tossed. I taped up and bagged the cord as well as the socket, and screwed the little loop finial into a spare piece of cardboard, then set up an impromptu spray booth in the back yard (a cardboard box, actually). A few careful coats of matte white spray paint later and the lamp and finial were looking fantastic. The final touch was a chocolate brown silk lampshade that I've had sitting around for ages from Restoration Hardware (tho' you can find great ready-to-go shades at both HomeSense and Pottery Barn too). Oh, and if these pics look a little familiar, that's because this project showed up in Canadian Family! [Image 2: Colleen Nicholson]