Why pay big bucks for a fancy lamp when you can 3D print your own design? Light up your life with these inspirational projects.

3D printing a lamp for your home is a brilliant and easy use of the technology, with different designs to suit anyone's tastes.

If you want something simple, stick to 3D printing a lamp shade. On the other hand, if you want something more complex, try printing a large LED bridge light. There are even great beginner-friendly electronic projects where you can learn how to program the lights for your 3D printed design.

The maker of this project was inspired by Japanese Shoji lamps which are normally built with wood and paper. By 3D printing a Shoji lamp, it definitely goes against traditional construction methods. But on the flip side, it's a beautiful and well constructed 3D design that was made with a lot of care.

An 8.2 x 8.2 inch printer bed will fit the 3D print nicely, but make a note to calibrate your printer well as the panels fit together with a tight tolerance. Additionally, a transparent filament like natural PLA or PETG will give the lamp a soft light and a calm ambience.

The STL file costs just over $5, but the detailed Instructables guide makes it well worth the price.

For the amateur electronic makers out there, this project is for you. It's a simple lamp that combines 3D printing with an Arduino microcontroller board to create a soothing LED mood lamp with beautiful programmable lights.

A few different filaments are used to print this lamp, including a white transparent PLA for the cover, PETG for the column, and a wood filament for the bottom. Meanwhile, for the electronics you will need an Arduino Nano and some basic wiring components. To bring all these parts together, it's as easy as following the friendly step-by-step walkthrough on Instructables.

If you're inspired by these lighting projects, make sure to check out our top DIY light ideas to transform your bedroom.

Nicknamed Zuzanna, this 3D printed lamp is a popular design that's been re-created by makers everywhere. It has a pleasing aesthetic inspired by folded paper and works just as well placed on a table without supports as it does when hanging up.

Everything you need is available in just a single STL file, which is free to download on Thingiverse. It will fit on a small 7 x 7 inch printing bed and additionally won't require any supports. To complete the lamp, simply add in an E26/E27 socket with cable, plus an LED bulb, and you've got yourself a sleek-looking lamp.

The STL files for this lamp design have been downloaded more than 27,000 times, and it's not hard to see why. It's a light bridge that reaches over your desk to illuminate your workspace—a unique design that you're unlikely to see in any store.

Over the years it's been refined, leaving a final design that has some great features. This includes locking tabs to join the segments together, a round arc to make the design universal (i.e. scaling to different sizes is no problem), and two LED strips for better lighting. A true DIY design that you can get your hands on for free at Thingiverse.

Nicknamed the Wave Lamp, this design is both aesthetically pleasing and also simple to print. It's made up of just one STL file that you can download from Thingiverse, which doesn't require any supports to print. All you will need is a bit of time as the print can take up to 30 hours.

On its own, the lamp looks stunning; just take a look through the community images of other people who have completed the print. But if you want to take it one step further, take a look at this project tutorial on Instructables that uses an ESP8266 board to add weather alerts to the system.

If it's raining then the lamp will turn blue, for clear weather it will turn green, and for thunderstorms the wave lamp will turn a mixture of red and blue. Simple, yet elegant with a design that will really look impressive in your home.

This 3D printed wireless lantern is a great project for those of you who are comfortable with electronics. It's not overly complex, but you will be building a wireless charger for the LiPo battery. All the electronic components come in at around $74; for such a unique and well-designed lamp, however, it might be worth it.

The square lantern can be removed from its dock, with a battery life of around 1.5 hours. There is a fantastic guide on the build process available on Instructables, which also digs into the design elements that lead to the final product. It's a great project that will give you a glimpse into the 3D modeling process, and perhaps inspire you to create something of your own.

If a lamp doesn't quite do the trick when you're using your 3D printer, then you may want to check out how to add LED lights directly to your 3D printer.

You won't see too many 3D printed articulated lamps as they involve more time and effort to build, but here is one project that you might want to consider. Designed to look like the iconic Pixar Studios lamp, this 3D print is both cute and functional.

While it will require you to print 25 separate pieces, each part is quite small and the final assembly uses simple 3mm screws and washers to put together. Fit it with a standard light bulb and you're good to go. You'll find the STL files free to download on Thingiverse.

This articulated lamp has a reasonable number of parts that require printing, coming in at 16 STL files. The design was inspired by a lamp that was made out of repurposed plane parts and sold for an incredible $900. Luckily, this lamp won't cost you nearly as much to build yourself, and you can even get the STL files for free on Thingiverse.

Once you have all your parts printed, you will need a handful of 3mm nuts and bolts to assemble the pieces together. There is space for the wire to run down through the center groove of the lamp, which works well with the overall look of the piece. Finally, make sure to check out the community builds for some great ideas on how to color the lamp and give it a polished look.

There isn't anything more satisfying than building your own objects to fill your home. You can try making any of these projects to start with, or get creative with sketching out your own designs. Either way, you'll find yourself with a beautiful DIY lamp printed just the way you want.

Garling loves exploring creative uses for technology. With a background in music, she spent many years hacking computers to make weird and wonderful sounds. When not making music, she writes about the best DIY electronic projects.

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