Space Cowboy Lamp – Top 5 specifications, top 5 constraints

The Space Cowboy lamp is shaping up well. I am still in the prototyping / design phase, but have a clearer idea of how it is likely going to end up looking. I believe the illustration below is most likely what it will look like in its final construction.

Given this design, there are 5 specifications that I want to make sure this project follows

1. Hidden wiring. I don’t want the light interface or wire of any of the lights on this project to be visible unless they strictly need to be. For example, the simple plug that my light will screw into is to be concealed by either a metal or plastic plate to ensure that it isn’t visible.
2. Adherence to Elite: Dangerous color scheme. I want the LED’s and main bulb on this project to adhere closely to the orange and blue color schemes of the insides of most ship UI designs from the game Elite: Dangerous.
3. Clear reference to western / cowboy aesthetics. I think that it could be easy for the “cowboy” aesthetic part of this project to get lost to the greater lighting and space aesthetics that are going into it. I need to consider design choices that will make sure that the cowboy aesthetic makes its way through. Maybe this will be accomplished by laser cutting designs into the wood, as if they were branded.
4. Addition of accent LED’s to design. As mentioned above, I wish to include simple blue LED’s throughout the design to emphasize the desired color scheme. The main light bulb will be comparatively easy, and I imagine that I will need to mill or model out sections of the wood or plastic parts to accommodate these blue LED’s.
5. Have some kind of reactive component. I really want this design to be dynamic in some way. Whether that means that the blue LEDs flicker or if there is some kind of proximity sensor to make it light up more if you’re close to it, I want this project to not just be a static light.

And, naturally, there are 5 constraints I am actively experiencing while working on this project.

1. Time. I have extremely limited time to make this project happen. Between my other classes, primarily ATLAS Capstone, my 3 jobs, and outside commitments, I am severely limited on time.
2. Money. I am currently really stretched for funds that I can devote to school projects. My ATLAS capstone has cost me a significant amount of money, and until I get reimbursed for some of my costs for that project it will be hard to spend money on this project.
3. Materials. I’m leaning towards using a log round for the base of the lamp, And, I naturally need to buy the Ikea Molnart bulb / light fixture. These things will be hard to get, as IKEA is far away in Denver and I’m not sure where to buy a good wood round from.
4. Milling. I would truthfully love to mill designs into my wooden round, but do not have a terribly high amount of experience doing so. And, many makerspaces on campus have ended their orientations, so I will have to get creative there assuming I don’t laser cut the designs.
5. Metalworking. Assuming that I use metals in this project, I have absolutely no experience metal working. It will be a learning experience! Or it will be a disaster.