Tropical Lamp

The tropical aesthetic aims to bring the relaxing outdoor environment of a typical beach to wherever you want. This aesthetic is inspired heavily by beaches and the naturally occurring themes you would see there. Because of this naturally forming nature, you see a lot of patterns that might occur on a beach with little to no human interaction. We also have to recognize the harsher aspects of nature that contribute to the tropical aesthetic. Because it is based on the beach environment, we often see sun-washed and sand-worn objects.

The tropical aesthetic is meant to invoke a feeling one might associate with a relaxing beach vacation. When picturing it, think of a beach with a palm tree, and maybe a coconut laying out in the sand. Overall, it is meant to be a visually pleasing aesthetic that encapsulates the beauty of the beach environment. This aesthetic is not built on the functionality of a certain product but rather on whether it invokes a feeling of relaxed joy.

Trying to capture this tropical aesthetic may be hard, given that we are in a land-locked state in the middle of winter. However, I was determined to find a way to capture this aesthetic and bring it to the snowy Rocky Mountains. I believe that what drew me to this aesthetic was how it contradicts the snowy mountain type aesthetic that I have grown accustomed to living in Colorado.

To start, I needed some inspiration. So, I drove down to the Boulder Resource Center, located on Arapahoe Road right here in Boulder, Colorado, to see if I could find any products worth upcycling into the tropical aesthetic. While there, I stumbled upon a used tiki torch. Inspired, I decided to bring life to an old lamp that I had laying in my apartment.

My goal was to combine the shell of the tiki torch with the lighting aspect of the lamp I had on hand to make a lamp that encapsulated the tropical aesthetic. I first had to get a new light for my lamp, for which I opted to get a nice warm-shaded LED, which I felt could mimic the fire that used to burn within the tiki torch. With that, I had the electric portion of the project figured out, and I just had to go about fitting the tiki torch shell to the base of the old lamp.

The lamp above, from pottery barn served as a great inspiration as I was in the ideation phase of this project.

The lamp base That I started with was similar in structure to this, it was nice because the foundation of the lamp was weighted so I wouldn’t have to be concerned with the lamp tipping over as long as I did not make it too tall.

Fitting the shell of the tiki torch to the lamp involved three main processes. The first was removing the old gas-powered aspect of the tiki torch, as this tiki torch would now be fitted to function as a lamp. This was straightforward, as all it required was removing the tiki fluid reservoir and the wick from the main cylinder of the tiki torch. Then, I had to cut the tiki torch to the appropriate size. Given the size of the lamp base I had, I determined that a roughly two-and-a-half-foot-tall lamp would be appropriate. After making this determination, I then cut the tiki torch using a small wood saw, which was not difficult, as the stem of the tiki torch was only about 1.5 inches in outer diameter. The third and final step of this process was to drill out the stem of the tiki torch such that the appropriate wiring and support could be run through it. This was not difficult, as only a couple of inches of the stem was completely solid, and the rest was hollow. After all this had been completed, it was just a matter of assembly, which was rather straightforward. The only difficulty was that the lightbulb was hard to screw on in the tight area of the tiki cylinder. There was not much clearance there.

The lamps shown above still have the flame aspect within them, this is the part that was critical to remove as I did not want to combine the fuel with the electrical aspect of the lamp/light bulb.

I opted to keep the small wick cover that came with the tiki torch attached to the tiki torch cylinder, because I believe that it was a nice homage to the previous use that the tiki torch had. It also adds another layer of complexity to the tiki lamp which may make it more interesting to look at. I wanted to avoid the lamp becoming a bit of a minimalist design.

Overall, I am happy with the final product despite its many imperfections. I believe that the tiki torch lamp does a good job of encapsulating the tropical aesthetic that I was attempting to achieve. I am happy that the lighting aspect is functional as well. The warm light emitted through the cross-hatched wood really makes the warm, inviting feeling of the tropical aesthetic come through.

Above you can see the soft warm light that the lamp emits when it is on.

If I could do some stuff differently, I would have chosen to maybe try a couple of different light options. Upon discussing with my pod, I was informed that there exists a light that can replicate a soft flame, which may have been even better suited to my project rather than just a warm light. Still, at the end of the day, the warm light is still very effective and pleasing to look at, so I might not change it at this point.

At the end of the project, I can say that I am happy with the way it turned out. Having my tropical tiki lamp in my bedroom is very nice, especially during these cold snowy months here in Colorado. It is nice to have the contrast of the two aesthetically pleasing vibes meet in my eyes. The transformation of the tiki torch into a functional lamp not only brings a bit of the beach to my home but also serves as a reminder that creativity can bridge the gap between vastly different environments. In the end, the project has given me a sense of accomplishment and a piece of decor that truly stands out.

Above is the complete assembly of the tropical lamp. Note the inclusion of the wick cover to help make the tropical lamp more interesting to look at.

Sources:

1: Braxton Rattan-Pottery Barn

2:Table Lamp Bases | Wayfair

3: ONETHATCH® Tiki Torch (Weathered) | Artificial Bamboo Tiki Torch

4-5: Images of complete project-Benjamin Haley