Retro Futurism Vinyl Lamp

For my final project I am going to make a lamp for my living room record collection corner. The lamp will be made with a retro futurism aesthetic. Vinyls and color pop is a stable in retro futurism so I think my project will fit this aesthetic nicely. I wanted to make something that would fit in my apartment and that I can use long after this class is over. My apartment has a lot of bright overhead lighting so I have been meaning to add less intense light sources since I’ve moved in. I have a record player and vinyl collection in my living room in a dark corner and I want to bring some light to the corner in a way that would blend into my collection. 

Retro-futurism is a style that blends past visions of the future with vintage aesthetics. It imagines how people from the 50s to 80s thought the future would look its full of sleek designs, flying cars, and technology. The look often features shiny metals, bold colors, muted and neon and space-age shapes, capturing an optimistic, yet nostalgic view of technology and progress. It’s like a time capsule of futuristic dreams from a previous era.

Vinyl records fit retro-futurism by blending nostalgia with a sense of timeless cool. In the mid-20th century, records were the cutting-edge way to experience music, and they often featured futuristic designs on their album covers—bold graphics, spacey themes, and tech-inspired visuals. The tactile nature of vinyl, with its large, album-sized artwork and analog sound, also contrasts with today’s digital world, adding a layer of vintage charm that aligns perfectly with retro-futurism’s blend of past and future. Essentially, vinyl embodies the retro-futuristic idea of a past vision of a futuristic experience.

With this in mind I think a vinyl lamp will fit the aesthetic perfectly. The opposite of retro futurism is interesting to think about. Since retro futurism is the speculation of the future from the past the opposite would be someone in the future reflecting on the past. Something that comes to mind would be a fallout aesthetic. In a hypothetical future where nuclear war occurred and everything is destroyed. The result is generally that you have the remnants of humanity fighting to survive in a devastated landscape reflecting on the technology that was once more available and advanced but is now long gone due to the destruction of war. My vinyl lamp would be more of an oil lamp in this opposite aesthetic. 

Another possible aesthetic would be synth or cyberpunk. This would be a lamp that does not incorporate any elements of past technology. When I think what my lamp would look like in this aesthetic I think of something like a glowstick or a uranium rod. Neon and futuristic like a lava lamp but without the wax.

Both these alternative aesthetics have given me food for thought for when it comes to other aspects I can incorporate into my final project. Below is a timeline of my project. I have ordered the materials and they will be here next week. I already have the single records I need to make the lampshade so I can start designing that right away. I am just waiting on the color changing bulb and the lamp stand parts to arrive. The records I have are single smaller 45 rpm vinyl’s that are old and scratched up so I wont be running any functional records. I got these a few years ago when I bought a big batch of records from a garage sale and have been looking for a way to upcycle them into a project for a long time. Other than the records themselves, the bulb and stand I need some small threaded rods and nuts. I will be buying these locally and painting them so they blend better in the project.

As you can see in my timeline chart above these past two weeks were dedicated to picking out, researching and designing a project and aesthetic. This week I ordered all my materials which will arrive next week and that is when I will start my fabrication process. I hope to have that completed after spring break. Once my lamp is put together I will decorate it and add the final details and then I will be writing my report and creating my presentation.

Some new skills ill have to learn is dealing with the brittleness of the vinyl record when making the lamp shade. I worry the record will crack when I make the holes for the threaded rods and expand the center of the vinyl in order to fit the bulb. I have been doing research on how to avoid this from happening and have a few ideas such as slightly heating up the vinyl before drilling the hole. I will also be painting the threaded rods black. This way they will blend in with the black of the vinyl. I have not decided if I will be using acrylic or spray paint. Below you can see some sketches of my final project and what it will look like.

My fabrication steps will look something like this:

1. Sketch vision
2. buy materials
3. paint/add to lamp base
4. drill holes into records
5. paint threaded rods
6. put together full lamp
7. test lamp

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The lamp’s design will feature retro-futuristic elements, like bold, minimalist shapes and a touch of mid-century modern flair, combined with hints of space-age inspiration, such as shiny finishes and dynamic angles. This piece feels like a fusion of the past’s vision of the future, bringing a nostalgic yet forward-thinking vibe into any room. I will be adding small stars and other little space like decorations to the base of the lamp.

The above picture is a vinyl lamp for sale on etsy from the vintagelampcam shop. This is the most similar existing lamp I was able to find. My lamp base and light will be different but overall I take inspiration from this lamp shade specifically. You can see the hollowed out the center of the records. Mine will be hollowed out slightly but just enough to fit the bulb so not as much as pictured above. My lamp base will also be all black instead of clear and I will be using a color changing bulb and not the orange light stick type bulb featured above. Similarly the lamp featured in my cover image has the lamp shade look I’m looking for but more of a lantern style used as a bulb. This picture is a vinyl record lamp by genavendt on the upcycle dzine blog.

Overall, I look forward to seeing how this project will turn out. I really want to make something that will of course fit the purpose of this class but also be useful and last long after the semester ends. I think a lamp will be perfectly. I want it to look professional and not like a DIY project something you could purchase from etsy for example. A lamp is something I’ve been needing for a while now and being able to re-purpose these old unplayable single vinyls will work perfectly. The color changing bulb will allow me to create a futuristic aesthetic and allows the project to change over time. Depending on the song I will be playing or energy I’m trying to create in my living room I can change the color of the bulb to fit that. In the coming weeks I will begin to put together the project and I’m excited to see how it all turns out.

Sources:

1.https://www.upcycledzine.com/vinyl-records-lamp-by-genanvendt/

2.https://www.etsy.com/listing/847988531/lamp-vinyl-record-artdeco-bedside-lamp?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us_-home_and_living_a&utm_custom1=_k_Cj0KCQjw4cS-BhDGARIsABg4_J02k18kVsHiqVzMrt58Zjan3D9ymr5ka1-HOIVdSdg4woYVxfj0ppgaAqCUEALw_wcB_k_&utm_content=go_21500569332_164907277083_707558291651_pla-305809824159_c__847988531_571451671&utm_custom2=21500569332&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjw4cS-BhDGARIsABg4_J02k18kVsHiqVzMrt58Zjan3D9ymr5ka1-HOIVdSdg4woYVxfj0ppgaAqCUEALw_wcB

3.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUFwjHNuaRA Image from thumbnail.