Home Home Design & Decor 5 Brilliant Makeovers for Flea-Market Finds By Martha Stewart Editors Martha Stewart Editors Facebook Instagram Twitter Website An article attributed to "Martha Stewart Editors" indicates when several writers and editors have contributed to an article over the years. These collaborations allow us to provide you with the most accurate, up-to-date, and comprehensive information available.The Martha Stewart team aims to teach and inspire readers daily with tested-until-perfected recipes, creative DIY projects, and elevated home and entertaining ideas. They are experts in their fields who research, create, and test the best ways to help readers design the life they want. The joy is in the doing. Editorial Guidelines Published on October 15, 2015 Share Tweet Pin Email Trending Videos Photo: Andrew Bordwin When it comes to decorating with a personal touch, there's nothing more satisfying than upgrading a unique flea-market find. With just a few simple touches, we transformed these five hidden gems into total household stunners. 01 of 17 A New Light Brendan Paul Transform shapely lantern lids into sleek pendant lamps with paint and a few hardware-store supplies. The covers, called smoke bells, come from antique oil-burning lamps known as hundi lanterns; originally, they protected ceilings from smoke. Today, the lids show up at flea markets and salvage lighting stores. Updated with our techniques, they are a bright idea for a bathroom or any space in your home. 02 of 17 Pendant Lamp How-To Brendan Paul Clean a lantern lid with warm, soapy water. Spray the underside of the lid with 3 coats of high-gloss enamel spray paint. Let dry 2 hours after each of the first two coats and 24 hours following the final coat. 03 of 17 Step 2 Brendan Paul Buy these materials from a hardware or lighting store: 40-watt bulb, porcelain keyless sockets, socket cap, short threaded rod (or nipple), finial, and silk-covered rotary cord. Buying a Lightbulb? Learn About the Three Types of Lightbulbs 04 of 17 Step 3 Brendan Paul Thread the cord through the parts in the order shown. Have an electrician wire the socket and hang the lamp. 05 of 17 How Illuminating! Brendan Paul In the bathroom, the lamps shed just the right amount of light on the mirror. The shades have an elegant, rounded shape that is uncommon in many commercial ones. Also try installing the fixtures in an office, a closet, or a mudroom. 2 Easy, Glorious Bathroom Makeovers 06 of 17 Shed Some Light Brendan Paul A workspace is much easier to navigate with a brilliant pair of attractive hanging lamps, painted a creamy hue, at eye level over a kitchen island. 13 Things You Need to Know When Choosing a Kitchen Island 07 of 17 Entryway Organizers Eric Piasecki Vintage coat hooks get a new use! They are mounted on a wooden plaque and put to work corralling the daily mail. 15 More Surprising Ways to Organize Your Home 08 of 17 Coat Hook How-To Eric Piasecki First, paint or stain a precut plaque, available at crafts stores. Paint the hooks a desired color (we chose a dark shade of green). Secure hooks side by side with 1/2-inch wood screws. Repeat to form additional rows to separate your mail. 09 of 17 Cedar Chest Andrew Bordwin Cedar is well-suited to storing woolens for some of the same reasons that it is used in gardens: The wood is durable, absorbs moisture, and resists decay. Indoors, its pleasant musky scent discourages moths. We started with an unfinished-cedar garden planter, readily available from garden and home centers. How to Properly Fold a Fitted Sheet (to Put It in This Chest!) 10 of 17 Storage Tip Andrew Bordwin An unpainted interior maximizes a cedar chest's ability to protect and perfume your woolens. To restore the fragrance once it has diminished over time, simply rub the wood with fine-grit sandpaper. 11 of 17 The Go-To Blanket Holder Andrew Bordwin With an upholstered lid, the cedar chest is the perfect candidate for a bottom-of-the-bed linens chest. With a color that closely resembles the bed spread and a fresh coat of paint, you'd never even know the chest used to be a garden planter. 12 of 17 Wire-Basket Organizers Andrew Bordwin In the age of email, the old-fashioned inbox is less in demand. But wire desk baskets dating from the 1940s and 1950s have a vintage industrial look worth reviving. Cleaned up or with a few pieces of hardware added, they can be employed as office and kitchen organizers. More Closet, Storage, and Office Organizers 13 of 17 How to Hang an Organizer Andrew Bordwin Starting a vintage wire basket, remove rust by rubbing lightly with steel wool. Refinish by spraying surfaces with lacquer. Use plates from D-ring picture hangers to screw the basket onto the wall. 25 Bathroom Organizers 14 of 17 The Keeper of the Plastic Bags Andrew Bordwin For the plastic-bag dispenser, place the basket's indented end facedown. Stuff bags through the opening created. 15 of 17 Desk Secretary Andrew Bordwin Hang a large, shallow basket over your desk in place of a bulletin board; use S hooks to suspend desk accessories, and clothespins or binder clips to post notes and reminders. 16 of 17 Oil Lamps Made Anew Eric Piasecki These shapely 19th-century lanterns -- found at flea markets and antiques stores -- will light up your home when used as vases. Remove existing chimneys (the glass tops), then wash the oil reservoir thoroughly. You'll use this portion for your vase. 17 of 17 Voila, Vases! Eric Piasecki The narrow opening at the top of the lamps dictates an arrangement of just a few stems, such as leaves or ferns. Fall foliage and lilies also look lovely. Make a Bottle-Gourd Vase Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit