This week we had our second installment of the Make your own bottle lamp workshop. Juan from Mas des Treflel and Stewart from Australian Home Living lead the group through first learning how to make a pattern and cover a lampshade, before embarking on the electrical side of wiring up a lamp correctly.

This time we were able to provide a variety of bottles with young Mr. Falcon's in Glebe providing us with a collection of Kraken Rum bottles and Young Henry's providing us with their 2lt growlers and some limited edition 1lt bottles from a beer specially made for the band You am I - called Brew Am I. Plus they suck us a few bottles for a cheeky afternoon beer!

We think the results were fantastic. It was great to host such a lovely group at The Works on a sunny afternoon in Glebe.

The vendors and staff here at The Works are chuffed to unveil and invite you to the next two installments of our 'Make Your Own' Workshop Series.

September 22nd launches our highly anticipated Terrarium making workshop and September 29th sees the triumphant return of the Young Henry's Bottle Lamp making workshop.

Both workshops will pass on the skills required to make the products and we supply all materials and assistance required for everyone to leave with their own product at the end of it. The courses are being run on Sunday afternoons from 1pm til 4pm and are hosted by our in-store vendors and staff.

Both workshops are great value at only $70, which is actually less than the cost of the products themselves. Whether you're a novice or a hack, The Works Workshop series has got your back. We're excited to share our skills with you and, more so, share a laugh or two.

​Spots to both workshops are limited to 15 and are filling up fast.

Bookings can be made online via credit card, instore by cash or you can even buy a gift voucher for a friend.

More info check out the events page.

Ever wanted to learn how to create your own custom bottle lamp? Sit down and chat with the pro's for one lazy Sunday afternoon and learn how to assemble your own quirky light piece (RRP $110). You'll walk away with a new skillset and an excellent gift or fine addition to the home! Materials are supplied as well as some nibbles to keep you going throughout the afternoon. No experience necessary!

​Your lovely tutor for the afternoon will be Juan from the amazing industrial design label Mas Des Trefles and Dan from Mountain Boat Design. Juan is a stall holder in The Works Glebe, a qualified electrician, steampunk enthusiast and bespoke lighting afficianado. Dan is an employee of The Works Glebe and also a skilled graphic designer with a passion for upcycling and repurposing vintage finds.

The workshop will begin with a half hour introduction and overview on creating your own bespoke electrical items safely and skillfully.

You will then be split into two groups, one working with Juan to prepare the bottle and install the electrical components and the other working with Dan to recover the lampshade with a fabric of your choice.

Once participants have completed both components there'll be time for a photoshoot, final Q&A and a refreshing ale.

Expect a fun afternoon learning new skills, meeting new people and walking away with your own custom made lamp!

Reserve a place here

While flapper girls were shimmying up Gatsby style in New York in the Days of Deco something else was lighting up, literally, on the other side of the pond. In Europe, The Iconic Table lamp was born from the bounty of Bauhaus brilliance...and since has been keeping students and workaholics burning the midnight oil …(well, AGL bills to be correct).

​Three of these such Iconic table turners:

Bestlite
Robert Dudley Best, an English designer, educated in Düsseldorf and Paris was a Brit-hipster of the the Bauhaus movement, He designed the lamp collection which subsequently became synonymous with his name, in 1928., the `Bestlite' (below) ... After an article in the renowned Architects' Journal, the English architectural community embraced the lamp, and declared it the first example of a Bauhaus- inspired product in the UK. Bestlite gained everlasting fame when Winston Churchill placed one on his desk in Whitehall. (while burning the night-cap of a Hanky Bannister- his single-malt of choice)

The Anglepoise Lamp
The most famous design, the 1227 (pictured below) was launched in 1935 as a three-spring domestic version of the original four-spring lamp, which was designed for industrial use by automotive designer George Carwardine between 1931 and 1934. Anglepoise lamps were mounted on table bases, trolleys, clamps, wall brackets and even onto ceilings. They were used in photography studios, dentist surgeries, hospital operating theaters and garages, and during the war.

​And since then...

Tolomeo lamp by Artemide.

The iconic Tolomeo lamp, designed in 1987 by Michele De Lucchi and Giancarlo Fassina, became an instant best-seller. It is produced by Artemide. The lamp received the highly recognized prize of Il Compasso d'Oro, an industrial design award created in Italy in 1954. It is a nod to the Bauhuas greats, but reinvented by the next generation of hipster designers; the Memphis group. (More on the Memphis Group Design ...another time)

​If you're after a little bit of iconic light in your life, The Works Glebe has a variety of original and reproduction desk lamps. We also have many American floor standards, French Provincial iron pendants, Rococo crystal chandeliers, Baroque teardrops, industrial medical lamps, world globes that light up (oooer!), a sconce here and a candlestick there...

Albeit many a written word, no one can ever really light up a room with their smile; save the smile for the light-hearted staff at The Works, who will happily consult with any lighting you require.