Antique Candelabra on a Column

Did you see our antique haul from the Springfield, Ohio, Extravaganza Flea Market in September?  I found this strange looking candelabra light and knew exactly what I wanted to do with it.  I mentioned it to Deb and, of course, she was all for it.  Here is what we did.

I thought it was so unique and I’ve never seen another like it. I wouldn’t say it was an antique but I know it’s older-ish.  It had no wiring at all and usually I can tell the age by that.  The base is wooden and the rest of this lamp is metal.  I think you can probably guess that I immediately thought of making this into a night light when I saw it…. a little candelabra nightlight.  

And then my mind went even further.  We have lots of old columns in our stash out in Deb’s workshop.  How cool would that be mounted on top of an old column to make this lamp stand out even better.  There was one that I had in mind, simply because of the size. 

We bought this column YEARS ago when we were shopping the 127 yard sales. 

It has a really cool base and a top to it. The seller said that he was cleaning out the attic of an old house.  It was a relative, I believe.  And this column was still in the box when he found it.  It happened to match the columns on the front of the very old house.  So, he thinks it was an extra one that they didn’t use during the build years prior.  I think I remember paying $40 for it.  And, since there was still a sticker on the top that said $45, it’s probably true. The finish on it is chippy and it has more of a white/gray color.  I may still add a bit of stain to it to make the color warmer, but I haven’t made up my mind yet.

Deb ended up making this old lamp into a night light like I wanted. She said this one was tricky unlike a lot of the other ones we have made. 

Here is how we turn a lamp into a nightlight!

 Since this lamp was missing a few parts, she had to make a trip to the hardware store. After getting the parts and wiring for the four bulbs, she added the rest of the wire.  That had to be extra long to get all the way through the entire column that I chose.  She added our favorite silicone night light bulbs and we are in business.  I love it. 

However…. we leave our night lights on 24/7 to give the house a pretty glow at night. Since there are four night lights in this one, it’s pretty bright.  So, I ended up ordering some night lights that are only 1 watt vs the ones that are 7 watts. They are supposed to come today.

I have a few places where I could use this.  But it’s here for now.  I absolutely love how this turned out.  And, it’s exactly what I had in mind the moment I saw this lamp. I hope this inspires you somehow, someway, for your own home.