To refinish furniture is a great way to create an heirloom piece from someone's discard.
The first step to refinish furniture is to choose a piece.
The next step to refinish furniture is to strip off all of the old paint or varnish.
Another idea would be to pick up some retro-looking lamps from a thrift store and use the same technique to refinish the bases and then use the same material when making the lampshades.