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$ $ $ $ $
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• • • • •
Time
48h00

Make a beautiful lamp reusing useless cardboard boxes
This lamp is a dodecahedron composed by many pentagons that have been joined together.
Making it isn't as hard as it may seem, but I must warn you: you'll need a lot of patience and time to cut all of these pieces by hand!
Don't worry though, the result will reward you, believe me! ;)

Posted by lindarose92 from Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy • Published See lindarose92's 9 projects »
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  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Geometric Cardboard Lamp - Step 1
    Step 1

    Draw 11 regular pentagons on cardboard. They must be identical so be very accurate. I made my pentagons' sides 6cm long (2.36 inches).

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Geometric Cardboard Lamp - Step 2
    Step 2

    Now trace a smaller pentagon inside all of the big ones, at 6mm (0.23 inches) from the borders. Draw other smaller pentagons inside, for a total of 5. All of these pentagons must be one smaller than the other, always at the same distance.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Geometric Cardboard Lamp - Step 3
    Step 3

    Cut all of your pentagons using a cutter. Remove the central part (the smallest pentagon with no hole in it).

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Geometric Cardboard Lamp - Step 4
    Step 4

    Let's work on one group of pentagons now: take the second biggest pentagon and glue it on the biggest one turning it a little so that its angles are on the sides of the other and vice versa.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Geometric Cardboard Lamp - Step 5
    Step 5

    Glue the third pentagon on top, always placing it with its angles matching the previous pentagon's sides. Continue this way gluing the rest of the pentagons one above the other following the same pattern.
    Do the same with all the groups of pentagons.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Geometric Cardboard Lamp - Step 6
    Step 6

    Lay a pentagon on a surface with the front facing the table. Glue 2 other pentagons to 2 adjacent sides of the first pentagon, lifting them up a little so that you can also glue their 2 sides together.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Geometric Cardboard Lamp - Step 7
    Step 7

    Glue other 3 pentagons all around the first one, and make sure to always glue their sides together too. You'll obtain something that looks like a bowl.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Geometric Cardboard Lamp - Step 8
    Step 8

    Now glue a pentagon on top of 2 pentagons of the previous row. This one must be placed as if you were closing the bowl to form a ball.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Geometric Cardboard Lamp - Step 9
    Step 9

    Close the round gluing the remaining 4 pentagons all around the top of the "bowl".

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Geometric Cardboard Lamp - Step 10
    Step 10

    Turn the "ball" you've just formed upside down: your lampshade is done!

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Geometric Cardboard Lamp - Step 11
    Step 11

    To make the base of the lamp draw about 8 pentagons on cardboard, just as big as the previous ones. Their number depends on the thickness of your bulb holder's base and on your cardboard's thickness. For this reason, make sure to make some tries.
    Draw a smaller pentagon in all of them, at 1cm (0.39 inches) from the border.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Geometric Cardboard Lamp - Step 12
    Step 12

    Cut all of your pentagons removing the central part.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Geometric Cardboard Lamp - Step 13
    Step 13

    Glue them one above the other to compose a very thick pentagon.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Geometric Cardboard Lamp - Step 14
    Step 14

    Now draw one more pentagon of the same size as the others on cardboard, and draw the outline of your bulb holder in the middle.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Geometric Cardboard Lamp - Step 15
    Step 15

    Cut that pentagon too and cut out the round outline in the middle to form a hole.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Geometric Cardboard Lamp - Step 16
    Step 16

    You'll need that hole to insert your bulb holder when your lamp is ready.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Geometric Cardboard Lamp - Step 17
    Step 17

    Glue the last pentagon on top of the base you created.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Geometric Cardboard Lamp - Step 18
    Step 18

    Cut out a thin section from the bottom of the base for the cable to pass through.

  • How to make a lamp / lampshade. Geometric Cardboard Lamp - Step 19
    Step 19

    Insert the bulb holder from the bottom of the base, put a led light bulb and place the lampshade on top of the base.
    The lamp is done!
    Light it up and admire the spectacular light effects it creates!

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Comments

Cat Morley
Cat Morley · London, GB · 1432 projects
This looks gorgeous!
lindarose92
lindarose92 · Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, IT · 11 projects
Thank you!! Happy
Reply

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