Browse all Courses
Browse all courses / Upcycling: Lighting Projects
Learn with Juliette Goggin

Upcycling: Lighting Projects

Learn to re-cover lampshades and create dramatic lighting from unexpected household objects.

Course overview

The course starts with some tips on working with vintage or antique lighting, when to get specialist help from a qualified electrician and what you can tackle on your own. There is lots of inspiration and ideas for repurposing kitchen items such as ceramic jelly moulds, metal colanders and salad shakers as light fittings. This is combined with using contemporary, decorative retro flex and filament bulbs to give a contemporary rustic look. Recovering wire lampshades are shown in detail and in a variety of shapes and sizes, from a drum shade covered with lace doilies, sewn very simply by hand, to more complicated coverings for lampshades using a lining and repurposed silk scarves. The correct application of haberdashery trims are shown to give a more finished appearance to the projects Drawing inspiration from architect’s scale models is the idea behind using a lucky find to create an unusual lighting feature which can become not just a lighting feature, but also a changing miniature stage set Finally, a project to upcycle old metal loaf tins as wall sconces gives the opportunity to experiment with outdoor lighting.

Meet Juliette Goggin

Hello, I'm Juliette Goggin. Crafting has been a way of life for me since I first became inspired by the infamous sticky back plastic and other assorted odds and ends featured on BBC television’s Blue Peter. As a child I was never happier than making something. A career in product design and development, where I have worked with fashion designers such as Cath Kidston and Julien Macdonald has helped me to understand and appreciate both the creative and the manufacturing process. This in turn led me to create my own fragranced gift and home collection, Juliette at Home, which reflected my love of all things recycled and vintage. It became a great success with independent retailers and department stores who loved the upcycled cake stands and candles in repurposed cups and vintage glassware. It also gave me the excuse to spend a lot of time scouring carboot fairs and second hand shops in search of all manner of things that I could repurpose into my own quirky range. I was thrilled to be asked to take part in Super Scrimpers on Channel 4 where I shared this love of crafting with the show’s participants, whilst also giving lots of money saving tips. At the same time I also co wrote my first book, Junk Genius, with my talented friend Stacy Sirk. The book featured endless ideas for repurposing everyday objects and encouraged anyone with a creative flair to have a go at lots of simple, step by step crafting projects in their home. I have just completed my second book Hand Made Beauty which is designed to encourage the enthusiast to create their own home made skincare products using natural materials and even plants from their garden.

Course description

Product designer Juliette Goggin will encourage you to think about lighting in a different way, by upcycling some every day, kitchen objects.

Well designed and strategically placed lighting can make a big difference to a room and on this Upcycling Lighting Course you'll learn how to be creative with your lighting.

Many of the items she has chosen to use wouldn’t be the most obvious choices, but you will be surprised at how effective these ideas can be in the right setting. These suggestions will be just the start of some really creative ideas of your own.

You can find many different styles of lampshades and there are lots of ways of re-covering them using different fabric options, as well as decorative and printed paper.

The course will help you to remove old lampshade coverings from wire shades and replace them with new ones, using a sewing machine for the more complicated versions, but only a hot melt glue gun and a needle and thread for the simpler version, ideal for those who aren’t comfortable using a sewing machine.

As well as indoor lighting, there is an outdoor option as well featuring a project for re-purposing a metal loaf tin. There is also an architectural scale model transformed as an unusual feature light, using miniature lighting bulbs and a transformer (more commonly used for model train sets and scale models).

After following this course you will have learned how to recover a variety of styles and shapes of wire lampshades, how to work with different materials and trims to give a more professional finish, as well as experimenting with feature accent lights, using architectural models or scale houses or card models.

You'll learn:
  • what lighting projects you can tackle on your own
  • when to get professional electrical help with your lighting project
  • where to find creative inspiration for your next light
  • how to cover lampshades
  • application of haberdashery and trim to your lampshades
  • Outdoor lighting upcycling ideas
    • The course includes:
  • 1 on-demand video lesson - presented by Juliette Goggin
  • lifetime access to the videos, notes and interactive class
  • flexible classes - join and learn when and where you like
  • downloadable lesson notes
  • practical lighting upcycling project (with tutor feedback available)
  • access on your mobile, PC, Mac or laptop
  • small interactive online classroom - chat online to students from around the world and share your creative ideas
    • Time to complete the upcycling lighting course:

    Every student is different but in general we think the whole course will take around 3 hours 20 minutes to complete including:

  • Video lesson: 20 minutes in total
  • Course notes: 30 minutes per lesson
  • Your lighting project: at least 2 hours
  • Interactive classroom time: 15 minutes per lesson
  • Tutor feedback review (Expert level): 15 minutes per lesson
    • You'll need:

    This course includes an optional practical assignment - for which you'll need two lighting upcycling projects to work on - including the lampshade material, decoration and the base you want to upcycle.

    Depending on your upcycling ambitions you'll need a sewing machine or a needle and thread or glue to create the lampshades and decorate the shades.

    The course is suitable for all levels of upcycling enthusiasts - from beginnners to experts looking for some creative inspiration.

    Ready to get started?

    Just add the course to your basket above - choose the 'Expert' option for personal feedback from Juliette on your lighting upcycling project and questions.

    Any questions? Contact us by clicking on the orange speech symbol - we'd love to hear from you.