Steamer Trunk Lamp - Repurposing Project

This project came about because I found an antique steamer trunk from around 1890. It was too good to throw away, and not good enough to put in countless hours restoring it. I loved the cast iron hardware and the naturally aged patina, so I decided to see if I couldn't use the individual components, to make a very unusual and showstopping table lamp.

The colors were very appealing to me. It seemed to have those Ralph Lauren leathery, cabin hues.

I scavenged the parts I thought I would need from it. The idea here was not to throw anything away. If I was going to dismantle an antique trunk, I wanted to make sure that the entire thing went to good use. By saving all the pieces from 1 trunk I probably have enough parts to make a dozen or so lamps.

if you are going to make one of these yourself, will need to make some sort of lamp body to nail everything to. I used some scrap that was laying in the back yard. I stole the dimensions from a lamp I had in my living room.

I wrapped the tin sheets around the wood body and tacked them in place. Then I used the cast iron decorative hardware to add a little personality. I didn't worry about holes in the tin, or defects. I just let this rustic looking old lamp, "speak for itself" .

Here is a closeup view.

What could be more fun than an animal print shade to top it off?

I have a few more of these lamps I am working on. I will post some pictures, as I complete them.

Hope you enjoyed the post.

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