DIY Life

If you'd like to experiment with faux paint finishes, consider starting out with something relatively small, like a lamp or hanging light fixture. Unlike applying faux finishes to larger surfaces -- say, a wall or a piece of furniture -- you're not committing yourself so much in terms of time or money. The picture above demonstrates how a faux finish can utterly transform a light fixture by giving it a seemingly aged patina. Switching out the glass lamp shades with paper lanterns also helped. These lanterns were hand-painted black on the outside and gold on the inside.

First step: find something to work on. You may already have the perfect lamp at home, meaning one that didn't cost much to begin with and is now a little out of date. I'm pictured one of those lamps made with that ubiquitous shiny "builders' brass."