During one of my frequent visits to Ikea I discovered an Ikea FADO globe light that had the perfect shape for a project I’d been wanting to try. I turned it into a step-by-step tutorial for a DIY concrete globe table lamp that costs roughly $30 to make. The process is straightforward and budget-friendly, so it’s a great weekend project if you want an industrial-modern lamp without the expense.
Ready to make one? Below are materials, instructions, and helpful tips to guide you through the build.
Materials
- Ikea FADO light — about $20
- Sharp blade or box cutter
- Marker
- Dowel rod 3/4–1 inch in diameter (short length is fine) — about $2
- Rapid-setting concrete mix — about $5
- Cooking spray
- Small to medium plastic container that fits the base of the globe (no lid)
- Small trash bin (Ikea or similar) — about $2
- Separate bucket or large container you don’t mind getting messy
- Water
- Trowel or large wooden spoon for mixing
Instructions
1. Choose a small to medium plastic container that fits the globe’s base, but is smaller in diameter than the trash bin you’ll use as a mold. Remove the lid. Use the dowel rod as a guide and trace a circle in the center of the container with a marker.
2. Cut out the circle you traced using a sharp blade or box cutter. Insert the dowel rod into the hole and set the container aside.
3. Mix the rapid-setting concrete in a separate bucket. Use roughly 4 parts concrete to 1 part water and stir quickly and thoroughly—rapid-set mixes harden fast, so work quickly but carefully.
4. Spray the inside of the trash bin with cooking spray and spread it evenly with a rag. This helps the concrete release cleanly once it has cured.
5. Pour the concrete into the trash bin until the depth reaches slightly below the desired finished height. For reference, aiming for around 3 inches of finished height means stopping the pour about an inch lower, since the inner container and dowel will displace some material.
6. Place the plastic container (with the dowel in its center hole) into the middle of the wet concrete. Ensure the dowel is pushed all the way down to the bottom so the concrete is forced outward beneath it, creating a through-hole for the lamp cord.
7. Weight the container and dowel with small rocks or other heavy objects to keep them steady while the concrete sets. Allow the concrete to harden for 1–2 hours; rapid-setting mix should be firm enough to remove by then.
8. Remove the weights and gently pull the concrete shape from the trash bin. Grasping the piece by the dowel can help you get a secure grip so it pops out cleanly.
9. Withdraw the dowel and the inner plastic container from the concrete. If the dowel is stubborn, gently tap it through from the back with a rubber mallet or small hammer—avoid striking the concrete surface directly. At this point you should have a concrete bowl shape with a hole running through its center.
10. Thread the lamp’s cord through the hole in the concrete bowl, seat the globe into the concrete base, plug in or wire the lamp as appropriate, and test the light. Your concrete globe table lamp is now complete.
This project produces a minimalist, tactile lamp that pairs well with modern, industrial, and Scandinavian interiors. The raw concrete base provides visual weight and contrast to the smooth glass globe, and the project’s low cost makes it easy to experiment with scale, finish, or additional surface treatments like sealing or staining if you prefer a different look.
More concrete DIY ideas
If you enjoyed this lamp hack, there are plenty of other simple concrete projects to try—planters, candle holders, coasters, and desk accessories are all great starters for learning how concrete behaves and what finishes you can achieve.
Photographed by Amelia Tatnall and Brittni Mehlhoff. Styling by Brittni Mehlhoff.
Will you give this Ikea lighting hack a try? I’d love to hear how your lamp turns out and any tweaks you made to the materials or finish.