Rope Lamps
Buy the best rope lamps selected and recommended by interior designers. By Vanessa Weber.
Although often associated with nautical style, rope lamps offer timeless lighting that looks amazing in any setting. They can be used to break up some of the usual metal lighting that we see, and they have a natural, organic shape and feel. If you don’t have time to learn how to make a rope lamp from scratch like most DIYers, check out these amazing options.
Rope Lamps
Buying Guide
Vanessa Weber
Interior Design Expert
Vanessa is a New York-based designer specializing in architectural lighting. Whether you are planning an event, want to illuminate your backyard retreat or simply need advice on what lamp to purchase for your bedroom, Vanessa will be more than happy to share her knowledge and expertise.
Given this material’s immediate association with knots and boats, it won’t come as a surprise that the best decorative styles for a rope lamp are coastal and nautical.
However, if you’ve already fallen in love with this style, don’t worry: you can still find ways of introducing it in other décors.
Just try and complement that rope lamp base with a lampshade that’s more similar to your actual interiors, either in color or design.
A rope base lamp will not fray as long they are looked after properly. Made with coiled rope and constructed securely, each lamp design has been crafted to stay in place, and most models thermally seal the rope ends or use adhesives to prevent fraying.
If you do encounter some fraying, there are ways to prevent it from continuing to unravel. One easy DIY way is to lift the fraying end of the rope and hold it away from you, then, using a lighter or a match, hold the rope around 5”-6” above the flame. Next, lower the rope down until the fibers begin to melt and seal themselves. This method only works for ropes made from synthetic fibers.
For natural fibers, wrap the frayed end tightly with twine. Then, gather the frayed ends and apply a spray adhesive to keep the fibers together.