Tips For Styling A Rice Paper Floor Lamp In Your Home

Updating your lighting is a great way to bring the decor of your home in line with current trends and your own changing style. However, the idea of switching out light fixtures all over the house is not only daunting, it can quickly cha-ching right through your checking account. Enter the rice paper lamp, an easy go-to for transforming the vibe of your space. The lightweight, affordable, and versatile qualities of these lamps make them ideal for making a significant aesthetic impact on almost any design scheme — which, incidentally, is likely part of the reason they've become very on-trend. 

They are widely available at home decor centers and online, but it isn't too difficult to DIY a stunning paper lamp for yourself. The rest is all in the decor and styling details; when styling your rice paper floor lamp, place it in a dark corner to add some shine or an area where you want soft, diffused light like a conversation space. (Just keep in mind that moisture will make paper lamps even more delicate, so rice paper lamps are not well suited to high-moisture zones like bathrooms or kitchens.) You can also get creative and add some artistic personalization with your own idiosyncratic embellishments, such as painting, tinting, or adding other artistic elements.

The columnar or hourglass shape often associated with rice paper lamps makes them ideal for brightening up dark corners. Bring some life to that space by placing a green plant near the base of the lamp that reaches about a third of the way up the rice paper shade. Then, perhaps add some wall art above the plant, positioned higher than the top of the lamp. 

Situating one next to your favorite chair will provide a soft reading light, and because the light emitted through the rice paper is more diffused than it would be with a traditional lampshade, it is also an ideal lighting solution for conversation spaces. Set up an elegantly arched lamp stand with a globe-style paper lantern suspended at the end to provide some additional lighting without assaulting your guests' eyes. 

To add a bit of color with your lighting, paint or tint your paper lamp. You can render some delicate flowers and vines, or add a simple gradient of reds, oranges, and pinks to create a sunset vibe. Staining the lamp with tea will give an aged look, and it's as easy as sprinkling tea onto the paper. (Just be sure to let it dry well between each application.) Flex your decoupage skills by adding old maps or torn scraps of sheet music. Or, for the biophile at heart, add layers of leaves to the bottom, spreading them out toward the top of your light fixture to create a "falling leaves" effect. You could even craft a whimsical garden scene with pressed flowers and grasses — the options are practically endless.