To Pine or Not to Pine

Great lamp bases are hard to find and if you buy retail they’re expensive so I can never resist one in a great shape when I go to the flea market or charity shop.

Check out my latest find. It’s BIG (I seem to have a thing for BIG right now and this is 43 cm/17 inches tall). It’s PINE (I haven’t had a thing for PINE in a loooong time. I think the last time I liked pine was when I did the bedrooms at IKEA in Warrington, UK, circa 1989 and didn’t mind the pine meets bright colors one we did there).

My immediate thought was to get it, sand it and spray it. The longer I’ve had it (a month or so) I’m thinking maybe I should sand it and varnish it. Have I gone mad? You tell me!

Happy weekend!

Ps. The lamp base was apparently made in February 1977 by “Egge” it says in handwriting on the bottom. Thank’s Egge, nice turning!

Comments

[Suzanne]

I say try it. The contrast looks nice. And it might be good to have a bit of the warmth of wood during the winter. Try it for a few months, and then spray it shiny yellow or whatever in the Spring!

[Daniel]

Oh, I really like the pine. And I am NOT NOT NOT somebody who's all "WOOD IS SACRED PAINTING IT IS THE DEVIL'S WORK!" but I think the pine is really great and would look wonderful with your stuff!

[Emma]

I think the mood motive/grain is weird, and distracts the eye from the (good) shape of the lamp. I would paint it white.

[Emma]

I meant "wood motive" ...

[Susan]

I like the grain, and think it actually enhances the lovely shape of the base. I agree with comment made above; keep it woodsy for winter and by Spring you'll be ready for a change up to something fun and bright. OR classic white.

[Holly]

I like the wood grain! I would leave it, or like Suzanne said, leave it for now and then decide later.

[Roma]

It looks like its a nice shade of pine at the moment - but pine has a scarey way of going a horrible orange over time. Keep it naked for the moment but if it develops jaundice get the paint can out.

[Natalia]

I would use white wood stain, you can still see the lovely wood structure, but you get rid of the pine colour which is a bit out of fashion.

[May / amycapdet]

I'd paint it!

[Hxx]

How about a white wash? Step away from the varnish!

[Golla]

Great idea!

[Catherine]

What he said! :)

[Catherine]

The orange glow that pine gets is usually from an oil based varnish. A clear water based one shouldn't have that effect. Might be good just to leave it as is for the winter like someone else said. I think it is going to look good either way. It would look kind of amazing in Kelly green...

[Anna]

I find all those circles really distracting, so kneejerk reaction was paint. But what if you position it so that it's not viewed from a "corner" as above, but such that you only see one set of circles? Then it could be kind of interesting but less busy for a while.... after which you really must paint it.

[Rattling On]

Sometimes you paint things and I'm horrified as I'd have left them alone (though you are usually right...). This time I think maybe it's the other way round! I don't like the way the lathe seems to have scorched the wood over some of the knots. What about choosing one of the accent colours in the room it's intended for?

[Carlos]

I was going to use a matte water based varnish to just seal the wood and make it easier to keep clean.

[anne]

Try it for a while since your a little bit in wood mood. You will paint it in due time. You know you will ;). I can see you point with the pine revival althoug I still have a hard time with it after all the pine grottos I grew up in back in the seventies... We even had a fake pine wall i the bathroom (with blue toilet and zink... utterly cool).

[Carlos]

I have a feeling it's back!

[Claire/Just a little less]

Is there any way that you could do a combination of the two, paint one part leave the others untouched (a bit like those pebble stack lamp bases that have different shades of pebbles)? Just a thought. Happy weekend xo

[Carlos]

Hm, you just gave me an idea!

[Vanessa (The VMCA)]

I don't do pine either, at least not since 1986 anyway. My gut instinct says sand down and lime wash, that way you get the wood grain showing through, but it's nearly white - so it matches everything else. Just my opinion! I'm sure I will love what you end up doing with it!

[Leena]

I usually hate pine, but I like the lamp stand. It has not yellowed, that's good. I would leave it like it is at least for a while.

[Zosia]

I like Claire's idea. Maybe something along the lines of the socks on your bedroom bench? Looking forward to the end result, whatever you choose to do.
Trevlig helg!

[linda]

paint it as it wont go with your home :)))) it will stick out and you will end up painting it any how

[Fee]

No not a pine fan here... I like light colored wood but not the grain of pine at all.. I too think the grain distracts from the cool shape but just my opinion since you asked Benita... You seem to be breaking out a bit lately, first the lace wallpaper, now pine... Way to go Xx

[Sarah Stäbler]

It's cute!

The way the pine's wood rings go, it kind of looks like it has a face! Two big eyes and a little crooked smile. Do you see it?

I like Claire's idea of painting only part of it!

[Anh]

I kind of like the pine and I usually love white! Maybe a paint-dipped look would be nice?

[tia]

the grain is really interesting. You can always paint it when the wonder wears

[Malena]

Paint

[jeannette]

suzanne slesin did her whole nyc apt. in faux bois.

http://tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com/author/suzanne-slesin/

[Vicki K]

Kinda like the white-washed idea...the 'mod' grain gives the lamp a contemporary feel but a wash would tone it down a bit and maybe read white from a distance.

[Valerie]

Live with it for a little while...I always think with so much clean white, a touch of natural wood here and there is gorgeous. I will be interested in whatever you do, you always inspire! :)

[Michelle]

I'm going with the keep it wood view for now. I can't believe you've been to Ikea Warrington! - I was over there just today (I live relatively nearby in Manchester) :-)

[Mary]

I think that being able to see the wood grain gives the lamp more character than just an opaque paint would. I would consider using varnish, as you mentioned, a white wash, or a stain (maybe even with a bit of subtle color).

[nan]

I would sand the existing finish off then do a very light white wash over the pine to mellow the light and dark wood grain.

[Annemarie Thomas]

i don't like pine either. now don't get crazy about what i would do but i would paint it one of 2 colors. navy blue-i like dark accent colors or a metallic-look at the martha stewart metallic paints. i like her bronzes.

[Carlos]

Yeah, I was there for a number of weeks during the build of the store which was the first IKEA in the UK. I had a great time there and we did all sorts of little tours of the area and further away.

[Carlos]

Nice place!

[Mrs H]

I lived just outside Warrington in the late 1980s and having the first Ikea near us was a proud moment in a country not then known for its contemporary design.

My mother decorated our bedrooms in pale pine and pastels in 1990; now I'm wondering if it was your work that inspired her?!

[Laura in Seattle]

It is an antique (over 30 years old) so you might check on its value before doing anything, a lesson learned from watching Antiques Roadshow.

[Carlos]

Over here an antique is 100 years+ and a semi antique is 50+. This from the 70's is just vintage to us. How interesting that 30+ is antique where you are. I've heard that in China a piece has to be 200 years+ to be considered antique! I very much doubt that this has any monetary value whatsoever and even if it did I don't really care :).

[Grace]

I like the wood but since its from the seventies it probably has a shellac finish which yellows with age. If it were mine I wood sand off the finish and
use tung oil then finish with some wax.....

[Liz]

I was just going to comment on the same. The circle wood grains looks like a Manga cartoon with 2 big eyes and a cheeky mouth with a tongue sticking out to the right where the wood grain is darker! I know pine is in again, I will never be a fan of it but I would white wash it and I like the Claire idea of two toned in white. Depends on what shade you will stick onto it! Happy crafting and weekend!

[foo @ foobella designs]

I LOVE colored stains. I like that idea.

With regard to your comment about pine colour being a bit out of fashion, I think fashion is in a personal thing, and we shouldn't worry what the trends say. Just do what you love.

[foo @ foobella designs]

We here in the US also consider antique anything 100+.

It's just considered antique for the road show purposes, but not for anything else. ha

[Sarah]

Sanding it doesn't sound like fun... but I think it would look great sanded, then stained with grey or white. Then, if you don't like it, paint it.

[Cheryl]

Paint the bottom half, to give it a
"dipped" look.

[Sage]

I'd paint it white if it were mine BUT since you think you might like to keep the pine look, I think you should try it where you want it BEFORE sanding and varnishing. You'll have a good idea if you love the pine, and if not, you won't have to remove or deal with the varnish before painting.

[Heather A]

If the lamp was mine I would paint it. The wood grain makes it a bit busy looking but that is just my opinion.

[Rach]

If it were me, I would want to keep those cool grainlines but would want to unify the texture more with either a white wash or a matte walnut stain/wax and top it with a white drum shade. It's a great lamp. Can't wait to see what you choose!

[Jenn]

It's got lots of character.

[Alicia]

I would do a bit of both worlds like this chair on Design Sponge... http://www.designsponge.com/2009/12/before-after-wills-chair-autumns-office.html

[Lucy]

Mmm I actually love the pine! It's a beautiful piece of work...not all pine looks this nice. And usually I dislike pine too!

[Chris in Hawaii]

White all the way!

[tuca]

This pine is so nice (a swedish pine?)... and the contrast with white "everythig else" likes so good... try it just like it is. After that, if you want... pant it!

[Karin]

Looks like most of the commenters are liking the pine, but I have to say - paint it! Personally, I won't be sad if pine never comes back into fashion (or into my home) again :)

[Mags]

Hi Benita, my husband and I moved into our first home together in 1989 and furnished it almost completely from Ikea in Warrington - which I think I'm right in saying was the first in the UK and at that time was 400 miles away from our home!! We had to hire a van to get everything we bought home and we have only just submitted the last of our Ikea Warrington purchases to the scrapheap - a japanese style black aluminium and glass display cabinet that had pride of place originally in our little first home living room (when grey pink and black were all the rage, especially black ash) and then latterly in the dining room of our current home. We recently splurged on some Hulsta units (1ast Christmas actually), so 20+ years out of Ikea furniture, we cannot complain. Just think it so weird and random that you were in Ikea at the same time as us all those years ago... and I'm a fan of your blog now!

[Kirsten]

This, totally! I love that lamp! Please don't paint it!

[Anna, Sydney]

On a different note. Just ran into this post: http://www.ikeahackers.net/2011/07/ikea-tradig-more-than-fruit-bowl.html, and instantly thought of you. Might this be something for your spring deck? (a while away I know)

[Carlos]

That is kind of fun!

[Janice]

I don't like the circles on the central ball shape so I would mask the rest of it off and paint that central section white, and maybe another section or two so there is is nice mix of the white and the wood together.

Do you have a shade lined up for it? I can't get a sense of the size of it fro that picture.

[Rita@thissortaoldlife]

Think the decision totally depends upon where you're going to use it and what your style is. I love a 70's vibe and collect pieces from that vintage, so I wouldn't paint it. It would look groovy with my brown/orange/gold stuff. But if I were more into a cottage style, I'm sure I'd have the white spray paint out faster than you can say Ikea.

[Kristin]

I love the idea of seeing the wood grain but stained a pop of color to give it a contemporary look.

[Lisa]

I NEVER thought I'd like pine again, ever. I think every Swede who was around in the 70s or early 80s had a serious overdose. All those basement lounges (gillestugor) with nothing but yellowed pine- floors, walls, ceilings and a lot of the furniture. Brrrr.

But never say never I guess. I'm a sheep like everybody else, and now I can appreciate it, when used in a different way. I guess the whole thing is that it doesn't feel stale and old anymore, but used in a modern setting can feel quite contemporary?

How come I have never before really noticed the beauty of the grain for example. I think Agge really made the most of that...

(Am I the only one who feels terribly old when seeing childhood things have now become "retro"?)

[Carlos]

Haha, I feel old too when things start coming back around. It's like been there, done that a loooong time ago.

[Cussot]

Knowing me, I'd fiddle forever doing something fabulous with the base, then never find a shade I liked.