Patina Lamp Base Makeover

From Gilded to Grounded: A Standing Jewelry Armoire's Dark Moody Transformation

Sometimes, a "bright and airy" makeover just doesn’t fit the vibe. I found this standing jewelry armoire after it had already been given a white and gold facelift by someone else, but it felt a bit too "glam" for many people. I knew it had the potential to be something much more sophisticated, mysterious, and—of course— moody . In this tutorial, I’m taking you through the process of retaining some of the previous DIY and layering on a deep, velvety dark green finish. We’ll be leaning into those shadows, highlighting the unique curved silhouette. Whether you're looking to tone down a piece that's "too bright" or you're ready to embrace the dark academia aesthetic, here is how I turned a high-contrast piece into a seamless, moody masterpiece.

Lamps after and before

I have these lamps in my bedroom but the bases are just so boring with a brown faux pattern of some sort. I envisioned them to be a patina'd metal look. So this is what I did to get the look I wanted.

I wiped them down well after removing the lamp shades.

And with the help of Modern Masters metal effects Patina kit (below left) I began the transformation.

First step, brush on a coat of primer and let dry half hour

Add another coat of primer and let dry 2 hours

2nd product applied is the bronze paint, again apply the first coat and let dry half hour (above has bronze right and primer on left)

Add another coat of bronze and while wet spray with product #3, the blue patina spray (shown on right freshly applied)

Let dry and as it does the spray reacts with the metal flakes in the bronze paint to create authentic patina. (above is left still wet and right drying )

I have a video series of all the steps on my Creative Moments Facebook Page but they are too large to load here Blogger says ;( but for a live view click the video section on my page and see parts 1-3