Baker style table lamp in walnut.
What started as a tinker project has become a growing business for Krista Kozlik, owner and creator of UdLamps.
Kozlik, who trained in interior design and art, worked for seven years in the showroom at Century House, which sells Scandinavian furniture, where she “saw a lot of beautiful pieces.” One day, she drew up a sketch of a very basic table lamp and enlisted the help of local woodworker Martha Downs in turning the base. Kozlik was was hesitant to take on the lathe and lose a finger, and Downs already had a supply of local walnut from Mount Horeb and Blue Mounds. Kozlik did a lot of Googling and watched YouTube videos to learn how to wire the lamp and create a shade.
The shades are made out of silk — and Kozlik quickly learned silk is one of the hardest fabrics to work with. But she never looked back. She also went through at least a dozen different glues before she found one she was happy with. Kozlik says making the shades is a bit of a “hurry up and wait” process because of the time it takes the glue to dry.
Her first three designs reminded her of bathtub toys she used to play with at her grandmother’s house as a child, so she named them The Butcher, The Baker and The Candlestick Maker. She has continued naming the majority of her lamps after nursery rhymes.
Covered with wood shavings, Kozlic works with the lathe. Lamps in white oiled maple.
Kozlik remained nervous about using the lathe to turn the lamp bases. But eventually she had to face her fears when Downs moved away from Madison. With the support of her dad, who has decades of experience in the construction industry, Kozlik created her first table lamp from top to bottom (shade, wiring, base) in February 2015, for a maple piece called “Little Miss,” after Little Miss Muffet.
“I remember [date] stamping it because I was proud of myself for overcoming my intimidation with woodworking and keeping all my digits intact,” says Kozlik.
The name, if you’re wondering, refers aurally to the sound of both “wood” and “good,” says Kozlik.
Currently, UdLamps are made only out of locally sourced maple, cherry and walnut, which Kozlik obtains from a private purveyor who has a “barn full of walnut,” Baraboo Woodworks and, occasionally, Woodcraft. Sometimes Kozlik salvages materials, like the hunk of cherry that was found on the University Ridge Golf Course. This piece stood out to her from the start, and even more so after she removed the nails that were hammered into it. The rust streaks left behind a unique pattern.
Kozlik also creates custom lamps for clients, including sets. She has no imminent plans to open a brick and mortar shop or to join any makers’ markets yet, so interested buyers should order online. Lamps cost around $500, including the shade.
Next up: exploring lamps beyond wood bases.
“The more I got into making lamps, the more I realized that anything can become a lamp. You could really wire up anything,” says Kozlik.
Kozlik is also exploring the possibility of expanding UdLamps’ inventory to include home goods like artwork and accessories, but right now she’s happy turning lamps and working as a freelance graphic designer for her full time gig.
UdLamps