Experimenting with Concrete: A Lamp + Planter DIY

January 22, 2018

There’s something I’ve always loved about bringing raw, unexpected materials into a home.

Concrete is usually associated with construction and architecture, but in smaller doses, it can add such a beautiful weight and texture to a space. Years ago, I decided to experiment with it for the first time and see what I could make.

The result was two simple pieces for our home: a concrete table lamp and a small planter.

The Idea

I had been drawn to industrial-style lighting for a while and loved the contrast of an exposed bulb against a heavy concrete base.

Rather than trying to create a perfectly polished piece, I wanted the concrete to actually look like concrete—slightly imperfect, textural and handmade. I even intentionally left some of the small air bubbles in the lamp rather than trying to create a completely smooth finish.

Once I started working with the material, it felt natural to experiment with another form too, so I used the remaining concrete to create a small planter.

Designing with Everyday Objects

One of my favorite parts of this project was figuring out how to create the shapes without traditional molds.

For the lamp, I used something incredibly ordinary: an empty milk carton. Its simple rectangular shape became the mold for the concrete base, with the light fixture positioned inside before the concrete was poured. Once everything cured, I peeled the carton away to reveal the finished form.

For the planter, I used two inexpensive plastic pots in different sizes. The space between them created the walls of the planter, and once the concrete dried, the pots were removed to reveal the final shape.

It was a lot of experimenting, adjusting and figuring things out as I went—which is still one of my favorite ways to approach making.

The imperfections ended up being part of what I loved most.