My upcycling project repurposes an old bottle of special edition LeBron James Hennessy to create a table lamp that follows a sports bar/athletic aesthetic. This project will be an exciting endeavor that creates a one-of-a-kind piece of functional decoration for my bedroom.
The sports bar aesthetic is commonly associated with local bars, which have many televisions and alcohol where you can watch your favorite team play. This decoration ranges from flags supporting teams, actual balls and equipment used in sports, and prominent players memorabilia.
Picture 1: The Original Modern Sports Bar, Legends
This aesthetic took off when the first prominent sports bar, Legends, founded by NFL football player Dennis Harrah, opened in 1979. Legends was one of the first bars with TVs everywhere to watch games. As mentioned above, this bar included a lot of memorabilia from different American sports. It ranged from boxing gloves to jerseys to a car hanging from the ceiling.
I chose this aesthetic because it is in line with what I enjoy. I have always enjoyed watching sports and want to upcycle something reflective. Also, I plan on getting some sports memorabilia for my room, so following this aesthetic would make the decoration of my room more cohesive. Finally, sports memorabilia and typical sports bar decorations are very expensive. By creating a lamp that fits the theme, I would save myself some money while breathing new life into a glass bottle that I would otherwise throw in the recycling bin.
Picture 2: Lebron James Special Edition Hennessy Bottle
As previously stated, my project uses an empty bottle of the special edition Lebron James Hennessey pictured above. The bottle was released to celebrate the storied basketball player LeBron James. I will fill the bottle with lights and get a lamp conversion kit found on Amazon to make the decoration for my nightstand. My project follows the sports bar aesthetic because the Hennessey bottle features LeBron James and other elements that promote sports, like a base that displays James’ all-time stats.
Picture 3: DIY Amazon Lamp Conversion Kit
The picture above shows the kit I will use to convert the bottle into a lamp. I will likely need to 3D print an adapter to make the conversion kit fit the bottle’s unique shape. In the future, I will paint some parts of the lamp so it is more visually appealing, but for this class, I want to keep it completely original to maintain the original aesthetic of the bottle. I will also add an RGB under glow that can be stuck onto the 3D-printed base to make the lamp look more visually appealing. Finally, I am still searching for a lampshade to use. The preferred style of the lampshade is basic and minimalist. I want this style so the shade highlights the Hennessey bottle without distracting from it.
References:
Society PB. (2022, June 6). The history of sports bars. Society PB. Retrieved from https://societypb.com/history-sports-bars/
Pictures:
Feature Picture: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/staunton-sports-bar-in-hong-kong-framed-jerseys-framed-athletes-and-sports-flags–100134791690296508/, Lin Nguyen, Pinterest
Picture 1: https://legendssportsbar.com/about/
Picture 2: https://liquorbardelivery.com/products/hennessy-vs-x-lebron-james-limited-edition-cognac
Picture 3: https://www.amazon.com/
4 Comments. Leave new
Great work Garrison. LeBron is an ideal role model and I love how you have incorporated one of his collaborations into your works. How has LeBron motivated/influenced you towards your daily life and self reflections?
Thanks, Anthony!
I agree that LeBron is an excellent role model. In daily life, LeBron inspires me daily to be my best self. Although I am not a professional athlete, I would love to excel in my crafts like he does.
Seems like a great idea, I personally love this beverage. I was thinking the lamp might look a little weird with an empty, clear bottle as the base of it. What if you got some brown resin dye and clear epoxy resin and filled it before putting the lamp adapter on? That way it would be more bottom heavy (wouldn’t tip over as easy) and would look like its full of that sweet, sweet Lehenessy.
Hello Cason,
I agree that the bottle may look a little weird if it is empty. Epoxy with a brown resin die is a great idea! The realistic look would definitely add to the aesthetic. I will look into how to epoxy and see if I have the time and resources to add it to this project!