Three Reasons to Add Vintage Lamps to Your Home

It’s no secret that we love vintage items in our cottage. But one of my favorite pieces to add (and frequently swap out) is a good vintage lamp. While people can sometimes people shy away from older lamps because of safety concerns, here are three reasons to add vintage lamps to your home.

Safety concerns are easy to address.

It’s not unheard of to encounter vintage lamps that have not been rewired. Older lamps can have a few wiring issues:

• Plugs that haven’t been configured for proper grounding (one plug bigger than the other).
• Cords that are cracked and/or made of materials no longer deemed “safe” in the electrical world.
• A socket that shows burn marks, etc.

Living in an old home that up until just a few years ago had 1960s wiring throughout, I’m a little sensitive to fire hazards. The good news that in 2024, any number of tutorials exist on line to help with the task of rewiring a lamp. This one is my favorite.

And even better? The price to rewire a lamp runs anywhere from $5 to $20, depending on what is needed.

Art work that glows.

Vintage feels increasingly hard to come by out in the wild, but vintage lamps are everywhere. And it just so happens that vintage lamps have the potential to exude all kinds of artistic appeal.

I love to find lamps of various sizes and shapes; the more unique the better. I also love to mix and match finishes.

My new-to-me midcentury lamps are ceramic with a terrazo-inspired base with the most fun wavy shape. But I also love a brass lamp; the more patina, the better. And of course, I even have a few short, chunky extra-textured lamps as well. Vintage lamps come in so many varieties that it’s so easy to keep a space interesting with one.

If you absolutely love the shape and finish of a vintage lamp that doesn’t have a shade, no worries. It’s so easy to find beautiful shades. Or you can thrift a shade and find a fun DIY to give it the look you desire.

Use vintage lamps to tell a unique story or be a conversation-starter in any space.

Unique coziness in every space.

I really hate overhead lighting. In fact, right around sunset each night, I run from room to room turning on each lamp. Rob makes fun of how many lamps I turn on each and every night.

But I can’t help it. Lamps are just infinitely cozier.

Vintage lamps, in particular, are simply one the most effective ways to add coziness to a home, especially on a budget. It’s easy to walk into a big box store and buy any number of mass-produced lamps, but there just isn’t as much fun as having a home that looks like everyone else’s.

That’s where a vintage lamp comes in: You’re almost guaranteed to stumble on a lamp that no one else owns. There’s nothing cozier than embracing your own style, and vintage lamps have the ability to really set the mood in any room.

Where can you find vintage lamps? I love to look through thrift stores, estate sales, and yard sales for great vintage lamps.

Have you been hesitant to add a vintage lamp to your home in the past? Have I convinced you to hunt for the perfect one in your own space? Let me know in the comments!