IKEA Lantern WoodUbend Hack

Our most recent project was to jazz up a basic looking lantern that we recently acquired from IKEA. Yes – an IKEA Lantern WoodUbend hack!

Now, there’s nothing wrong with IKEA products, in fact we are fans here at WoodUbend HQ. However, they can tend to be a little…dull. And ‘dull’ is something that we DON’T do at WoodUbend! So, we come to treat products like these as blank canvases onto which we can pour our creative ideas. And so it was with this IKEA lantern.

In this article we will talk you through the whole process, since we are particularly delighted with how the project turned out.

IKEA Lantern WoodUbend Hack: Getting Started

We spent a bit of time thinking about what we wanted to get out of this project, and decided that we wanted something a little different. So, we prepared for a multi media approach, with WoodUbend trims and appliques, decoupage, Posh Chalk Patinas and Dixie Belle paint. This was going to be exciting!

Stage One: Adding WoodUbend and a first layer of paint

The IKEA lantern was sure sturdy enough, but incredibly boring with a standard white wash colour. So, the first thing we wanted to do was to change this. We removed the glass so as to not get any paint where it wasn’t needed. Then, we applied WoodUbend TR703 to the top angled surface. This immediately added a level of interest to the lantern.

WoodUbend is an amazing bendable wood product. When you add heat from a hair-dryer or heat gun, it becomes completely flexible! It can be stretched, chopped, bent, painted and glazed. So, using some Dixie Belle black chalk paint, we immediately covered the WoodUbend trim and all of the other white faces of the lantern

WoodUbend on an IKEA lantern — Painting the WoodUbend trim

Turning a white lantern grey — Painting our IKEA lantern

Heating WoodUbend 718 — We wanted to add a WoodUbend trim to the lantern

Stage Two: Adding more WoodUbend and some decoupage

When the paint had dried, we embellished most of the remaining surface with more WoodUbend trim. We used WoodUbend 718 on the edges of the lantern, and WoodUbend 710 on the front faces.

We were careful to chop the trim so that it met the edges of the lantern perfectly; because you can heat WoodUbend, it makes the act of cutting it to size incredibly easy!

WoodUbend 718 being chopped — WoodUbend trim 718 being chopped

We had decided at the start of the project that we didn’t really want the inside of the lantern to be fully exposed. Solly Jo simply felt that plain, transparent glass would not give of enough of a warm glow. The solution to this was to use decoupage paper to stick to the glass sides.

Decoupage is an incredibly versatile rice paper, usually featuring beautiful, artistic designs. Decoupage paper can be applied to any type of furniture or craft project to give it some life. In this case, we chose a subtle design that, since it was translucent, would let enough light out without giving a stark effect.

Sticking decoupage to the lantern glass — Decoupage really adds quality!

Stage Three: Adding paint flourishes

Posh Chalk Patina and Lantern — Posh Chalk Patina really makes the lantern pop!

We ended up adding two differently coloured patinas to the lantern in order to add further interest and depth. Firstly, a wonderfully burnished copper colour to give a metallic hue. Then, we used Posh Chalk Primary Green Aqua Patina to complement the copper, and add something of a weathered effect.

Primary Green colour — Adding Primary Green to lift the look of the lantern

The Finished Lantern

The ‘front’ of the lantern features a latch mechanism; we wanted to do something slightly different to the lantern front to really make it stand out. Solly Jo cut a ‘window’ into the decoupage paper, and adorned the outside of the glass with WoodUbend Applique WUB2082. By removing the inside of 2082, which is a stunning centrepiece design, we were able to match the applique to the shape of the window we had made in the decoupage.

Since nothing goes to waste at WoodUbend, the inside of the trim was used to adorn the very top of the lantern. Neat, eh?

We think this lantern is a wonderful autumnal/ winter piece. It adds loads of ambience to a room, with a subtle glow emanating from inside. Of course, it could be painted with brighter colours that would lend itself to other seasons too!

We hope you enjoyed reading about our IKEA Lantern WoodUbend Hack, and that it has provided you with some inspiration!